It's a shame I can't read the article. The snippet of comment below
is certainly provocative, and at odds with my experience of the UK,
where I spend a lot of time, and France, where I used to live. Of
course I'm comparing with the US, which hopefully Obama will make
more nanny-like. The alternative seems to be the clutches of the evil
stepmother of markets regulated only insofar as they guarantee
profits and predation.
My last trip to the UK I wound up in hospital in Glasgow for four
days. Every system can improve, but compared to what one has on this
side it was heaven. My experience with the French system has been
even better. (When I got back to the States I made a trip to the
emergency ward. Ten hours waiting.)
In fact, Britain and France always strike me as youthful. Folks don't
carry nearly the burden of anxiety that we do here and tend to be far
more adventurous as a result. Which is to say that the restrictions
on the downside amount to a grant of freedom on the upside.
Mark
At 03:20 PM 2/27/2009, you wrote:
>PS - checking on the web, many blogs etc refer to the article/speech
>(for some Liberty conference) as the article of the day etc, some
>even quote bits - but none of the links to the article work and some
>readers comment on this fact. Makes you wonder...
>mj huddling down in his bunker in Berlin mj
>Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the
>comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when
>it is violating all His laws.
>John Adams to Thomas Jefferson.
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 8:40 PM
>Subject: Re: pullman on liberty
>
>
>>I can get to the Times, but the link won't take me to the article.
>>So that I can search the site, who's the author and what's the article called?
>>
>>At 02:34 PM 2/27/2009, you wrote:
>>> From where I am, reading the news in various online publications
>>> every day - I remain English thoughr fo I have long consigned
>>> the UK to the dustbin of history in my mind - what he says is
>>> just. It's *that* bad.The nanny-state is the British way of
>>> describing it with humour - but preserve us from such a devouring
>>> nanny! I fear its encroachment as the EU commission becomes more
>>> demanding & controlling. In the end universal darkness will cover
>>> all, only the frozen wastes of Canada will remain for those who yearn for
>>>liberty to escape to - but how long before they too thaw & the
>>>surveillance rats move in?
>>>mj
>>>
>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Douglas Barbour"
>>><[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 7:29 PM
>>>Subject: Re: pullman on liberty
>>>
>>>
>>>>very interesting, sad, frightening. is it really that bad yet?
>>>>or just, so to speak, in the laws passed as prologue...?
>>>>
>>>>Doug
>>>>On 27-Feb-09, at 5:28 AM, Martin Walker wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>This was in the Times today - I would have expected it in
>>>>>the Guardian or Independent.
>>>>>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5811412.ece
>>>>>
>>>>>M.J.Walker - no webpage, no blogspot, no idea
>>>>>
>>>>>Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond
>>>>>the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's
>>>>>service when it is violating all His laws.
>>>>>John Adams to Thomas Jefferson.
>>>>
>>>>Douglas Barbour
>>>>[log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>>http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
>>>>
>>>>Latest books:
>>>>Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
>>>>http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
>>>>Wednesdays'
>>>>http://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-from-aboveground-press_10.html
>>>>
>>>>It's always night or we wouldn't need light.
>>>>
>>>>Thelonious Monk
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