TRACKING THE PARADOX OF TOLERANCE

Just in case some of my friends and foes alike can't figure this out for themselves, here's one of the 20th century's most persuasive philosophers writing against the tide of totalitarian ideologies. In support of capitalism and the freedom to fail or succeed while empowering the individual in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Karl Popper is plainly spoken in his rejection of Plato and his anti-individualist descendents:

UNLIMITED TOLERANCE MUST LEAD to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be most unwise. But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, in the same way we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal.

—Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies

BAILOUT BILL THROWN UNDER THE BUS

EARLIER TODAY the emergency Wall Street bailout bill was rejected by the House by a substantial margin. Both parties wavered. America the Beautiful lives another day more comfortably in capitalist pinstripes than socialist rags. We the People spoke loudly and spoke clearly. The message was no business as usual for the fat cats. If we are to suffer, so shall they. Now for the trillion dollar question, what's next? House leaders promise another vote. So let's review, especially since Barack Obama has publically said that John McCain should get no credit for the bill, inferring that all credit should go to him, while McCain also stated publically on the morning talk show circuit that he wanted no credit. Now that the bill has failed to pass, one wonders how the two campaigns will spin the facts on the ground.

Much of Obama’s hidden socialist agenda for the United States comes directly from George Soros, and in turn through his network of leftist funded organizations. This includes the influential funding of organizations that advocate abortion, open borders, amnesty for illegal aliens, a cap and trade tax, to prevent man-made global warming, huge cuts in defense spending, increasing the minimum wage and the world poverty tax just to name a few.

Soros likes to be considered a “stateless" statesman. In fact, he is more accurately described as the Godfather of World Socialism.

Too bad Poppa Soros has not apparently read or understood the works of Friedrich Hayek, Karl Popper’s good friend and author of The Open Society and Its Enemies for which Soros’ Open Society Institute (OSI) is named.

The stock markets have reeled today, the Dow Jones Industrial falling nearly eight hundred points as word of the failed passage spread, but many of us in the radical centrism blogsosphere have voiced opinions that we may very well prefer a full blown depression and subsequent reorganization risking everything we own to a lightning round bailout of the guilded tycoons at this point. Others of us want simply a closer look at the details before deciding anything, especially prior to having this thing is shoved down our throats.

By the way; these two Democrats voted no:
1) Jesse Jackson, Jr. (huge Obama supporter)
2) Sheila Jackson Lee (huge Clinton supporter)