tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post8626657474812854793..comments2024-03-29T09:08:47.702-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: There Really Is Truth. There Really is RealitySiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-41671671202178130812011-02-17T22:25:44.650-05:002011-02-17T22:25:44.650-05:00Ayn Rand said there wasn't much point arguing ...Ayn Rand said there wasn't much point arguing with someone who doesn't acknowledge objective reality (I'm paraphrasing).<br /><br />Slippery, they are.<br /><br />And we really need to stop calling them "progressives" -- there's nothing even remotely resembling progress in their policies.BS Footprinthttp://bsfootprint.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-30061142762563980872011-02-17T19:29:58.096-05:002011-02-17T19:29:58.096-05:00There's a well written piece on the web, by th...There's a well written piece on the web, by the Munchkin Wrangler, IIRC, called <a href="http://munchkinwrangler.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/why-the-gun-is-civilization/" rel="nofollow">"Why the Gun is Civilization"</a> that sums it up pretty elegantly. <br /><br />We need to live in the real world. Several months ago, a progressive newspaper in Atlanta fired a reporter because he believed an objective reality was out there. <br /><br /><i>"At a very fundamental, core level, Springston did not share our vision for a news publication with a progressive perspective. He held on to the notion that there was an objective reality that could be reported objectively, despite the fact that that was not our editorial policy at Atlanta Progressive News. It just wasn't the right fit." </i><br /><br />A summary I wrote is <a href="http://thesilicongraybeard.blogspot.com/2010/03/is-there-reality-out-there.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />When you keep in the front of your mind that progressives don't recognize that there is a reality, you realize you can present all the empirical proof you want and they won't believe you. Reality doesn't exist, it's only what they <i>feel</i>. Such people can't be argued with using logic and evidence. Perhaps you can appeal to their emotions, but I imagine they're a lost cause.SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-1490706658041216162011-02-17T14:11:04.703-05:002011-02-17T14:11:04.703-05:00I remember hearing an interesting quote from a gu...I remember hearing an interesting quote from a gun-control advocate:<br /><br /><em>"It's about the kind of world we *want* to live in."</em><br /><br />To which a gun rights advocate replied:<br /><br /><em>"No, it's about the kind of world we *do* live in!"</em><br /><br />Which one is the realist?<br /><br />We live in a world in which malicious people hurt others. Disarming in the face of real threats is a recipe for disaster, and only creates more victims.<br /><br />Gun control advocates live in a fantasy world where restricting access to evil totems associated with bad outcomes will prevent bad outcomes. It won't. All that will happen (and has happened to some degree) is to create a target-rich environment where evil has free reign.BS Footprinthttp://bsfootprint.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-15275449916604156662011-02-17T11:42:27.867-05:002011-02-17T11:42:27.867-05:00It seems that I broke the URL you linked to -- it&...It seems that I broke the URL you linked to -- it's all fixed now, sorry for the inconvenience. <br /><br />The old link works now, so please, feel free to <a href="http://bsfootprint.com/blogs/bsfootprint/scientific-american-proposes-socialism-as-a-means-to-eliminate-murder" rel="nofollow">re-visit the story</a>!BS Footprinthttp://bsfootprint.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-7711569802054512392011-02-17T11:07:51.679-05:002011-02-17T11:07:51.679-05:00I remember once reading a quote from an anti-gun a...I remember once reading a quote from an anti-gun advocate and a response from a pro-gun realist:<br /><br /><em>"This is about the kind of world we *want* to live in!"</em> says the anti-gun advocate, justifying any and all attempts to enact further 'reasonable' gun restrictions on so-called law abiding citizens.<br /><br /><em>"Wrong - this is about the kind of world we actually *do* live in!"</em> replies the gun rights advocate.<br /><br />Which is engaged in wishful thinking, and which is the realist?<br /><br /><strong>Reality:</strong> We live in a violent world with malicious people, one in which there are real threats to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. <br /><br />It's crystal clear from my research on the subject that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental one, and it's one that separates free men (and women, natch) from an enslaved populace. <br /><br />I have no desire to be kept 'safe' from all possible threats (there can be no such thing if you value freedom), but we should be able to prepare ourselves to deal with all manner of threats as we see fit, as long as we are not infringing on the fundamental rights of other people. The right to keep and bear arms is just that.<br /><br />All the wishful thinking in the world won't change the fact that we face serious threats to our liberties, from a variety of sources -- and to willingly disarm ourselves in the face of those threats would be sheer madness.<br /><br />Thanks for the link! I invite all reasonable people to drop in and leave comments. <a href="http://bsfootprint.com" rel="nofollow">What's your BS Footprint?</a>BS Footprinthttp://bsfootprint.comnoreply@blogger.com