posted
As an Anglo-Sicilian I don't think I can really say much more than WTF?
"Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated."
Isn't this what the Republicans are already doing though?
"A common enemy Persia threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to over come two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell."
What pipe has this guy been smoking from, anyone with 2 brain-cells to rub together would know the greeks thrashed the persians on several separate occassions and then began infighting culminating in the Spartans sacking Athens. Point being, one culture and one language didn't stop generations of ceaseless warfare between the greeks, the Olympics was the exception, not the norm.
"Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits ~ make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'x! xenophobes' halt discussion and debate."
Again, this is exactly what the Republicans are already doing, albeit not to promote equality but to quash it.
'It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."'
Final thoughts: once again, this the path America treads thanks to men like this Dick Lamm.
-------------------- Garbled, confusing and quite frankly duller than an inflight magazine produced by Air Belgium.
Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged
While I disagree with his general conclusion, there are many points in there which I believe are essentially correct if overly-simplified.
I have no problems with the belief that if you could have two identical nations, one with a uniform ethnic population and one with a number of competing minorities, the uniform nation will likely last longer. While some of his examples are a bit odd, you could easily throw in Austria-Hungary or Yugoslavia to bolster his case. Conversely, China (as probably the one nation in all of history that has lasted the longest in more or less the same geographical form) no doubt owes much of its stability to a large Han majority. There actually was a good article on the development of self-segegration of various ethnic groups in Canada in today's Toronto Star and its not hard to see how this would lead to instability.
However, I do disagree with the implied assertion that stability is necessarily a good thing. In a sort of societal echo to the "survival of the fittest" the nations that progress the fastest seem to be the ones that are constantly struggling against the other, both within the nation and without. (Not that its particularly fun to actually live within them)
China was able to sit back with a stable government for hundreds of years at a time while the various peoples of the British isles were routinely killing and overthrowing each other for a squalid little wet island. Who got the grand unstable overseas empire? Britain. Nothing spurs empire building like realising that your infighting homeland is small, wet, and dreary, and that what you really want to do is get the hell out of dodge and take it out on someone else.
But I digress, back to the speech.
I would also agree with his statement that all cultures are not more or less equal. That sounds controversial but is fundamentally obvious. All cultures have their good points and down points, and the mathematical odds of all cultures being equal is almost impossible. I have no doubts that Blacks and Hispanics have higher drop-out rates due to BOTH prejudice and a culture that discourages education. Once again however, I would strongly disagree with the implied assertion that white American culture is automatically the best, for the obvious reasons.
What does this all mean in the end? I dunno, but you can see that he raises some interesting points even if you can't agree with his conclusions (and assumptions).
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
The problem with guys like this is that they look to some idealized version of America's past (a 1950's Tv show version probably) and overlook the cultures that united to make America the strong country it's been for so long.
Is his version of America somehow devoid of the Irish and Italian immigrants that flooded into our country just prior to WWII?
A lot of bozos thought those immigrants were somehow making America "less pure" by their diversifying our culture.
Most of the pre-WWII immigrants were working menial jobs in the owrst conditions our country had to offer and yes, they also had a high drop out rate, language dfficulties and were considered to be generally "uneducated" by those in power at the time.
Being from Miam, I'm of a split opinion on some of this: Miami has become a latin version of "Chinatown" where if you are not hispanic, you dont belong- and they'll let you know it.
Many times I had prospective employers say- "you really need to learn to speak spanish if you want to work in Miami at all".
That kind of burns my ass, but I cant discount that most latins are just as hard-working as anyone born in this country.
What the fuck does someone from Colorado know about multicultrualism anyway? I'd like to see the demographics on his WASPy state....I cant imagine he has any experience with integrating cultures into America's whole.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged
"Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature;"
Much like the Germans in that respect. Except, after they united and started expanding, half the rest of the world showed up and beat them into submission.
"There was no applause.
"A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today."
Hopefully it was more the sort of silence you get when a bunch of people attend a meeting they think is about cutting back on overpopulation and illegal immigration, and then suddenly realize that it's turning into a Klan rally.
"It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book '1984.'"
Well, I suppose that explains all the craziness. Anything is possible in the universe where "reminiscent of" means "the exact opposite of".
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
If you really want a plan for destroying america, I'd start by fostering an atmosphere of isolationism fear towards other cultures.
Then I'd undermine the principles our country represents: seperation of church and state, the right to own land, the right to a speedy trial by your peers, seperation between the state and federal government, Freedom of speach and the right to protest, America standing for liberty and a chance for immigrants to start a new life free from opression.....
As long as the Republicans dont trample on any of those ideals, we have nothing to worry about.
Fuuuuuck.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: China was able to sit back with a stable government for hundreds of years at a time while the various peoples of the British isles were routinely killing and overthrowing each other for a squalid little wet island. Who got the grand unstable overseas empire? Britain. Nothing spurs empire building like realising that your infighting homeland is small, wet, and dreary, and that what you really want to do is get the hell out of dodge and take it out on someone else.
Er... you do know that there wasn't actually a concerted plan for expanding the British Empire, don't you? And that there was actually a substantial reluctance to expand throughout much of the nineteenth century (Except where British interests were threatened). I would also debate the dreary aspect of your description of the UK. Not to mention the 'take it out on someone else' thing. We usually only shot 'em if they shot first. Well, sometimes.
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged
(Well, except in those cases where it doesn't.)
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
WizArtist II
"How can you have a yellow alert in Spacedock? "
Member # 1425
posted
I say get rid of the Hypenated Americans. Either you are an American or you are not. That means you work with others to secure a common good without infringing upon the rights and beliefs of others. Provided of course they don't happen to be Jeffrey Dahlmer, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Jason Aba....oops.
-------------------- There are 10 types of people in the world...those that understand Binary and those that don't.
Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged
...that's what it says on their liscence plate anyway.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged
I get the impression this guy had a little Hitler plush toy as a kid, for some reason.
And forgive me, I just couldn't resist, but dare I say: Lamm to the slaughter?
-------------------- "Brave men are vertebrates: they have their softness on the outside, and their toughness in the middle" -Lewis Carrol
Registered: Jan 2005
| IP: Logged
posted
Actually, the simplest solution would be that the US came back under UK control. A 'Protecterate'(SP) if you will, and forget all this crap about 'special relationships' and independence.
The US gets a history, and the UK gets to make sure the world doesn't get blown up.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic
