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Serhei's avatar

I was briefly in Austria in September of last year. Literally every election poster I saw in Vienna was vandalized to some degree. A clear sign of a healthy democratic polity with public trust in the system /sarc

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epimetheus's avatar

Oh, yes, this seems to be a sport among activists, esp. among leftist ones (if their boasting on social media is any indication).

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Transcriber B's avatar

Epmethius, thanks for this. It sounds so much like what's been happening in so many other countries. As you write, "The citizens have become a nuisance at best."

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epimetheus's avatar

Thank you for reading and commenting.

My point, of course, is that a nuisance we shall be; in fact, we must be causing problems for those who seek to herd us.

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York Luethje's avatar

„And today, more than four years after the polls returned the Freedom Party…“

Should read „more than four months“, ja?

Although as things are going this just may be a successful prediction.

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epimetheus's avatar

Sadly, neither is correct—it refers to my ‘obituary’ from four years ago…

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Martin Bassani's avatar

Our rights become inalienable when we act as if they are inalienable. Our problem is that too many of us accept the pernicious idea that our rights are granted by the state. If that is so the state can grant rights and it can take those rights away. Inalienable rights cannot be taken away. Even if we are in irons we aren’t slaves until we accept slavery as a normal human condition. Many of our problems would disappear if a critical mass of us took inalienable rights much more seriously.

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epimetheus's avatar

Hear, hear!

I'm all for that one--I'm born free, as are my kin, hence the state may deny these 'rights', which aren't rights but privileges. Too bad that most Europeans are, at this point, little more than domesticated animals in a petting zoo--and not unlike caged animals, Western societies are increasingly psychotic…

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Martin Bassani's avatar

Yes, the most pathetic version of domesticated animals, as far as one can go from the wild animals. Caged animals are keenly aware that their condition is unnatural. There are many constraints on our rights within a civilization but we must retain our agency to properly judge what we are trading and for what. Domesticated animals don’t behave like that but free people must if they intend to enjoy their freedoms. If we don’t, we will become useless eaters to be easily discarded. It is utterly bewildering to see Mankind drop this low!

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Pirate Studebaker's avatar

This is a great article. Since it describes the means by which freedom is being taken from us, the nuisances, in drips and drabs and steps and stabs called jabs.

I'm watching people cheer on a (for now) partial coup in the US as I write and they have no idea what it means to them or their children. They will.

I have made up my mind I'll die before I allow forced medical procedures, social credit scores or digital money to control me. It's okay. My spirit is settled and peaceful.

But that doesn't mean I won't fight. God Bless.

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epimetheus's avatar

Hear, hear!

It's an amazing sight to see many of the 'Covid freedom™' movement to cheer now as it seems 'their' turn. Theirs will be a rather rude awakening, of this I have no doubts.

As you write it, too, I do have a good reason to offer my life: my family. I'm at peace with this, for even if 'they' will 'get' me, I know I'll put up a fight (and who knows the reasons of those who come after you and me: perhaps they don't want to risk their lives…)

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Pirate Studebaker's avatar

I doubt they understand this life isn't the end. I was blessed with a near death experience. I was dead for a length of time and I went on. I was leaving my body behind and it wasn't a problem. There were other concerns like not being right with God and I saw how important this was. I asked God for another chance and He gave it to me. That's how much He loves us.

Many don't know this. Faith in the unknown is hard. But life after death is a fact. How we live while we're here is the only thing that matters while we're here. So to give one's life for others is a great choice. It's why we have free will.

God Bless.

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epimetheus's avatar

Oh, what an experience that must have been--welcome back, I suppose, and: do you regret coming back? I mean, if there's life after death, the world as it is can't be better; in fact, it must be way worse (that is, if you were not headed for purgatory or worse)?

As to the free will part, it's a blessing and a curse, and I'm of the firm conviction that it equals responsibility, yet so many these days take it to mean something akin to unceasing narcissism and nihilism (then again, it might be their purgatory experience, though, for if hedonism and materialism are everything there is, it's both pretty sad and, to me, a vision of hell.

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Pirate Studebaker's avatar

I don't regret coming back because I didn't bring myself back and I sorely wanted another chance, but I see so much more now it makes me incredibly sad and some days I do wish to go be with God. He has other plans obviously so I try to limit my whining or eliminate it altogether. That's a goal I have set for myself.

I was headed for somewhere very bad and I don't think it was a purgatory, much worse, and that's why I proclaimed to God I wanted another chance. I sincerely saw the errors of my ways and He graciously granted my request. In a split second it happened and I was back in my body and alive.

I was most certainly NOT right with God at that point of physical death. But I was also granted the irrefutable knowledge that my life would indeed continue after physical death and there is a plan for each of us then as well. God's plans don't stop just because the body dies.

Those who invest all of themselves in this physical world will realize someday they've been sorely mistaken. The narcissists will come to see how futile and small their selfishness was and at cross purposes to God and nihilists will see they've been entirely wrong. Atheists as well. Worshipers of false gods and of Satan. All will see how wrong they were. It's unavoidable.

It seems God does already know who will come to Him and who will not so free will is given in order for us to choose how to spend this precious gift of life. Even if it is in a grotesque fallen world of our own making.

I think that's at least in part what Jesus; parable about the talents entrusted to the servants by the Master was about. We are given this incredible wealth of life and it's up to each of us to decide how to spend it. In the end it was the servant who buried his gift that was displeasing to the Master. We aren't to bury ourselves in fear as if already dead. We are to live and more abundantly, which has nothing to do with material wealth and everything to do with life.

Again, He love us so much. In all ways. Thank you, Jesus.

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epimetheus's avatar

(I don't know what else to do but 'like' the comment.)

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