# A Fable about Freedom



## ihopehefails (Feb 12, 2010)

ONCE UPON A TIME their was a kingdom ruled by a simple yet wise man that wanted to ensure the freedom of his subjects but was to simple minded to be bogged down with complex laws so he visited a wise owl of the night for advice.   The wise owl hooted and said, "Do one thing and one thing and you will be a wise king.  Protect the freedom of all forest creatures equally."   The king took the wise owl's advice and told his subjects that he was going to protect the freedom of everyone equally.     Even though the animals rejoiced they were perplexed what precisely were there new freedoms since they were not stated.   They did not know but continued with their lives within the forest.

The next day a rabbit was carrying a stone to his hole and a deer wanted to paint the stone red but the rabbit said "no way Mr. Deer.   This is my stone.  You will have to paint another one."  Mr. Deer did not like that so he went to the king and demanded the king protect his freedom to paint the stone as he promised.   The king then said, "if I protected your freedom to paint that stone would I not be violating the freedom of the rabbit to not have the stone painted?"  Mr. Deer acknowledged the king's point and did not paint the stone as he wished and the rabbit continued to do as he pleased with the stone.  

The king's wizard then exclaimed that the king did a magical encarnation of a new right known as stone rights which was the right to do with your stone as you wish.   The king said, "no, I only protected the free will of everyone equally so I created nothing."   The king's wizard then realized that the right was not created by the king but must have existed already in the natural forest since the rabbit clearly felt he had a right over the stone without the king declaring it.

The king implemented this one law throughout the forest and freedom reigned until his last days.  That is when he decided to visit the wise owl before he goes.   He went to his chamber and asked, "how did you know that this would work?"   The wise owl hooted, "Do you rule the forest?   Is it your laws that determine how it runs?"   The king looked out at the night sky and noticed how everything seemed to fit as if the forest had its own laws that made it operate smoothly.   The king then realized that it was not his duty as a rightful king to recreate those laws but to protect the functioning of those laws.   

Before he passed away he ensured that the one law of the kingdom was to protect the freedom of everyone equally.   The kingdom never died and existed as nature intended it to.

The End


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## rightwinger (Feb 12, 2010)

> the king did a magical encarnation of a new right known as stone rights which was the right to do with your stone as you wish.


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## MIPS (Feb 12, 2010)

rightwinger said:


> > the king did a magical encarnation of a new right known as stone rights which was the right to do with your stone as you wish.



ihopehefails, Apparently your fable was way too deep for rightwinger to understand, do you happen to have a "For Dummies" version to help him out?


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## rightwinger (Feb 12, 2010)

MIPS said:


> rightwinger said:
> 
> 
> > > the king did a magical encarnation of a new right known as stone rights which was the right to do with your stone as you wish.
> ...



Too deep......no

Too stupid..........


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## Modbert (Feb 12, 2010)

Man, that's not a good story. I have a better story. Now this is a story about how a guy's got turned upside down. So sit right back. Once upon a time, a man was born in West Philadelphia and was raised there. On the playground, he liked to chill out and liked to play basketball outside of his school.

But then one day, a couple of gentlemen who were up to no good started rebel rousing in his living area. He ended up getting into a fight, which scared his dear mother. So she sent him to live in the most peaceful area of Bel-Air.

He begged and pleaded with her day after day, but she sent him on his way anyway. She gave him a kiss, his ticket, and he said might as well try it.

He enjoyed the planes and cabs of Bel-Air when he arrived. He pulled up to the house around 7 or 8, and finally he was there to enjoy his new living area.

The End.


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## rightwinger (Feb 12, 2010)

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed. A poor moutaineer ,barely kept his family fed. And then one day, he was shooting at some food, and up through the ground came a bubbling crude.

Oil that is.

Black Gold

Texas Tea

Well, the first thing you know old Jeds a millionaire, the kin folk said "Jed move away from here" Said Californy is the place you ought to be, so he loaded up the truck and he moved to Beverly.

Hills, that is, swimming pools...movies stars


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## Luissa (Feb 12, 2010)

I got a little story bout a nasty freak 
She's the kind of girl you think about in bed 
Blowjob Betty givin' real good head 
Bust a left nut, right nut in her jaw 
Sperm on her cheeks is all ya saw 
She could blow more head than a whale blows water 
Blowjob Betty make your dick get harder 
She's a one of a kind, a hell of a girl 
A trip and a half around the world 
Catch her gettin' busy, bitch wouldn't stop 
She's the kind of girl that'll make your toes pop 
Every time I used to see her, I would know what's up 
Blowjob Betty better blow me up 
I remember the day when I first met her 
Bitch kinda loose so I knew I'd get her 
Walked up to her said 
"my name is $hort, just what you've been lookin' for" 
Pimp is my game, I do it the best 
Hoe fuck with me, she don't get no rest 
Well after that, I G'ed the freak 
I used to stop by and fuck about twice a week 
And from the very first time I went to her house 
Walked in the door and stuck my dick in her mouth 
$hort Dog'll get bitches anytime I wanna 
Got a big dick and lay it right on her tonsils 
Only stick it in about half way back 
Cause if I put it all in, it bust straight through her neck 
Niggas always sayin' how they fucked that bitch 
But I'm the only nigga that the bitch made rich 
Like any other tramp she loved to fuck 
With any motherfucker got nuts to suck 
I spit game to the bitch, just like this 
Why you runnin' round suckin' all that dick for no money? 
It didn't take long to stay true to the game 
And get my pimpin' on 
But every once in a while you get a stupid hoe 
Bitch ain't about money and she'll never know how to get it 
Blowjob Betty was dumb 
A fiend for a fuck and a mouth full of cum 
She made money for a minute but she loved the sex 
So I cut the bitch loose like a old school 'vette


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## ihopehefails (Feb 12, 2010)

That was so funny.  I hope you keep up the humor in 2010 and 2012 because you are going to need it.


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## midcan5 (Feb 13, 2010)

Four woman live in two different countries, one country is a democracy and the second totalitarian. All the woman believe that they live in complete individual freedom. That value is written into the governing documents of each country. One day the two woman from the democracy decide to go on vacation. One woman buys her ticket and gets on a plane to Bermuda. The other woman has limited resources and when she gets to the airport is told she cannot board the plane without sufficient funds. Finally after much dispute she is arrested and thrown into a state jail. 

One day the two woman in the totalitarian state decide to travel abroad. One works in government and gains permission to go to Bermuda. The other woman checks with her local commissar and is told she cannot travel to Bermuda. Travel to Bermuda is not allowed. She disputes the decision and is soon thrown into a state jail. Two woman exercised their freedom two couldn't, yet each held the same value. 

If our original premise is they all have equal freedom, why are the results within these two distinct states similar? While the answer is obvious can we then say a person with limited resources is free? 



"Where freedom is real, equality is the passion of the masses. Where equality is real, freedom is the passion of a small minority." Eric Hoffer

"The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do." Eric Hoffer


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## Annie (Feb 13, 2010)

I'm not much on writing my own stories for a messageboard. However I'd like to share this one, read it back in jr. high:



> One day, his students and he passed a grave where they saw a women weeping
> at a gravestone. She told Confucius that her husband, her husband's father,
> and her son were killed by a tiger. When Confucius asked her why she didn't
> leave such a fated spot, she answered that in this place there was no
> ...


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## ihopehefails (Feb 13, 2010)

midcan5 said:


> Four woman live in two different countries, one country is a democracy and the second totalitarian. All the woman believe that they live in complete individual freedom. That value is written into the governing documents of each country. One day the two woman from the democracy decide to go on vacation. One woman buys her ticket and gets on a plane to Bermuda. The other woman has limited resources and when she gets to the airport is told she cannot board the plane without sufficient funds. Finally after much dispute she is arrested and thrown into a state jail.
> 
> One day the two woman in the totalitarian state decide to travel abroad. One works in government and gains permission to go to Bermuda. The other woman checks with her local commissar and is told she cannot travel to Bermuda. Travel to Bermuda is not allowed. She disputes the decision and is soon thrown into a state jail. Two woman exercised their freedom two couldn't, yet each held the same value.
> 
> ...



The private plane company actually must also have their freedom protected and that is the choice to allow this woman to use their plane the other woman's freedom to leave was not being protected by the government since it was the government forbidding her to leave.   

The government must also protect your freedom from its own actions as much as anyone elses actions.

And I'm not saying that everyone has equal freedom because that is not true.   I don't have the freedom to buy a large million dollar boat but someone who does does have million dollars does have that 'freedom' just like I don't most married men don't have the freedom to cheat on their wives because of their wives anger but whatever 'freedom' we have must be protected by the government (and from the government).  Protecting it equally means no one's freedom can't be denied this protection.

One more thing, other people don't have to protect your freedom because that interferes with their freedom to kick someone out of a mall for preaching christian values.  Only government has to protect your freedom.


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## ihopehefails (Feb 13, 2010)

rightwinger said:


> Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed. A poor moutaineer ,barely kept his family fed. And then one day, he was shooting at some food, and up through the ground came a bubbling crude.
> 
> Oil that is.
> 
> ...



There once was a man named Jed.   He shot some oil in the ground.   then some crazy enviro whackos came along and told him he couldn't do that.   Jed then said "fuck you" and shot them in the head.

Shit...that doesn't rhyme but it was still funny.


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## rdean (Feb 13, 2010)

There once existed a country usually ruled by two political parties made up of people who live in that country, a country where people "voted" for their leaders.

One political party was made up of mostly one race and one religion.  This party believed in "magic".  For years, this party led the country until they became greedy and unstable.  They ruined the economy and other countries became afraid of them due to their "warlike" ways.

This county had a new election and the party that had ruined the economy and caused the unnecessary deaths of many citizens was voted out of office.

The party that lost couldn't believe they lost.  They talked about splitting up the union.  they talked about how they hated educated people.  They said terrible things about the president who looked "different" than they did.  They were so angry at being "rejected", they tried to destroy the very country they claimed to love.

Eventually, it was discovered that if you stopped "feeding" them, they stopped "breeding".  Once these awful people were "marginalized", the country was once again, able to prosper and move forward.


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## Foxfyre (Feb 13, 2010)

*THE ANT and THE GRASSHOPPER - REVISITED*

*OLD VERSION*

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper laughs and dances and plays the summer away.. 

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

*MORAL OF THE STORY:   There are consequences for not taking responsibility for yourself.*


*MODERN VERSION*

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

Out in the cold, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving. 

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. 

America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? 

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, &#8220;It's Not Easy Being Green.&#8221;

ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome."  Prayers are offered for the grasshopper's sake.   

The current President condemns the ant and Wall Street and people clinging to their guns and Bibles, blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight.

In an interview with Larry King, national leaders wring their hands and bemoan that the ant has gotten rich at the expense of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. 

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity For Grasshoppers Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. 

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper. 

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it. 

The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.

*MORAL OF THE STORY:  Be careful how you vote in 2010.*


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## rdean (Feb 13, 2010)

Foxfyre said:


> THE ANT and THE GRASSHOPPER - REVISITED
> 
> *OLD VERSION*
> 
> ...



The ant went to school.  Worked hard.  Shared some of what he had with other ants.  

The grasshopper made his living "stealing and hiding".  He refused to get an education and instead, believed he would be protected by "magic".

The ant grew tired of the grasshopper trying to tear down the ant colony and eventually stopped "feeding" the grasshopper.  

The moral of the story, "If you stop feeding the grasshoppers, they won't "breed".


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## Foxfyre (Feb 13, 2010)

Or if you go with the Walt Disney version, the grasshopper recognizes the folly of his ways, repents, begs forgiveness for his foolish ways, and the ant graciously helps him out until spring.  The grasshopper earns his own way and repays his debt to society by setting a good example and educating other young grasshoppers in self reliance, responsibility, and accountablity.


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## midcan5 (Feb 13, 2010)

Joe lives in Lalaland. Lalaland is governed by libertarian free market philosophy. One spring a dreadful sickness starts to take the lives of lalalanders. It is a slow painful death. All the citizens in the capitol meet and argue over the cause. Various theories are put forward: Some argue it a virus, others argue it is a lifestyle problem, still others say it is contaminated food. A vote is taken to form a taskforce to investigate the cause and possible cure for the illness. The taskforce involves all sectors of the economy and will increase their small government budget substantially. Arguments are given on who should run such an expensive endeavor. Meanwhile Joe leaves on a trip to Taxemtodeathland.

Companies in lalaland meet with their boards and debate whether to invest the great sums of money it will take to find a cure. Others claim the illness will run its course and be over soon. Others say profits are down and they just cannot do it. Government officials meet and put forward the proposition they will gather together the teams and run it - but first they must raise taxes. Lalalanders balk at any such use of their taxes or an increase in government size and revenues.

Joe's visit to Taxemtodeath is a success, he finishes his business and mentions the illness in his homeland. A business person asks for the symptoms, Joe describes them and it seems taxemtodeath had a similar illness but a government grant provided the monies to find a cure. Joe calls lalaland to give them the great news, no answer, he hurriedly rushes home. When he gets there the streets are empty, the cars are quiet, only yellowing posters grace the landscape, 'Shrink Government No More Taxes.'


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## ihopehefails (Feb 13, 2010)

midcan5 said:


> Joe lives in Lalaland. Lalaland is governed by libertarian free market philosophy. One spring a dreadful sickness starts to take the lives of lalalanders. It is a slow painful death. All the citizens in the capitol meet and argue over the cause. Various theories are put forward: Some argue it a virus, others argue it is a lifestyle problem, still others say it is contaminated food. A vote is taken to form a taskforce to investigate the cause and possible cure for the illness. The taskforce involves all sectors of the economy and will increase their small government budget substantially. Arguments are given on who should run such an expensive endeavor. Meanwhile Joe leaves on a trip to Taxemtodeathland.
> 
> Companies in lalaland meet with their boards and debate whether to invest the great sums of money it will take to find a cure. Others claim the illness will run its course and be over soon. Others say profits are down and they just cannot do it. Government officials meet and put forward the proposition they will gather together the teams and run it - but first they must raise taxes. Lalalanders balk at any such use of their taxes or an increase in government size and revenues.
> 
> Joe's visit to Taxemtodeath is a success, he finishes his business and mentions the illness in his homeland. A business person asks for the symptoms, Joe describes them and it seems taxemtodeath had a similar illness but a government grant provided the monies to find a cure. Joe calls lalaland to give them the great news, no answer, he hurriedly rushes home. When he gets there the streets are empty, the cars are quiet, only yellowing posters grace the landscape, 'Shrink Government No More Taxes.'



Why didn't you tell me this was a story about a sad pathetic human being named Joe who was willing to trade his freedom for money?  What Joe didn't realize is that the people who ruled taxmetodeath were just other people who, for some reason, had a right to tell him what to do.   

When the lalalanders heard about the people of taxmetodeath they laughed their ass off at the patheticness of those people willingingness to become slaves for prosperity.   They could not make a distinction between them feeding their domesticated dog and the people of taxmetodeath.   When they realized this their was a collective laughter heard coming out of lalaland that the people of taxmetodeath accepted the affectionate petting of their masters to make them feel better.


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## ihopehefails (Feb 13, 2010)

Foxfyre said:


> Or if you go with the Walt Disney version, the grasshopper recognizes the folly of his ways, repents, begs forgiveness for his foolish ways, and the ant graciously helps him out until spring.  The grasshopper earns his own way and repays his debt to society by setting a good example and educating other young grasshoppers in self reliance, responsibility, and accountablity.



The ants got pissed because it was their harvest that they had to give up to the grasshopper.   They wondered why when the wasp forgave the grasshopper that it came out of their harvest?


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## midcan5 (Feb 14, 2010)

ihopehefails said:


> Why didn't you tell me this was a story about a sad pathetic human being named Joe who was willing to trade his freedom for money?  What Joe didn't realize is that the people who ruled taxmetodeath were just other people who, for some reason, had a right to tell him what to do....



This is the writing section, not the debate ideology section. Annoys the heck out of me when people post unimaginative partisan crap here - imaginative is OK but then comment isn't necessary.  You are reading (interpreting) through your personal filter, which is fine, but please notice in doing so you make assumptions or jump to conclusions not demonstrated in the fable. The assumptions come from your assumptions, from your mind and not mine. We already established freedom is a concept and out side of context meaningless. 

Jonas Salk or Albert Schweitzer could live in taxemtodeathland. lol


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## editec (Feb 14, 2010)

Let's parce this out, shall we?





ihopehefails said:


> ONCE UPON A TIME their was a kingdom ruled by a simple yet wise man


 
Ruled by?  You mean he was a tyrant






> that wanted to ensure the freedom of his subjects


 
By being their King?  

You are sort of confused about the definition of freedom, I think.





> but was to simple minded to be bogged down with complex laws so he visited a wise owl of the night for advice.


 
If he ruled the kingdom, he was king,. Kings are not subject to any law.





> The wise owl hooted and said, "Do one thing and one thing and you will be a wise king. Protect the freedom of all forest creatures equally."


 
How can a king_ protect_ freedom?  

I won't bother going on, because this parable is simply too stupid to analyse.

*It starts from the premise that having a wise TRYRANT insures freedom, for christ's sakes.*


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## Foxfyre (Feb 14, 2010)

ihopehefails said:


> Foxfyre said:
> 
> 
> > Or if you go with the Walt Disney version, the grasshopper recognizes the folly of his ways, repents, begs forgiveness for his foolish ways, and the ant graciously helps him out until spring.  The grasshopper earns his own way and repays his debt to society by setting a good example and educating other young grasshoppers in self reliance, responsibility, and accountablity.
> ...



Well. . . . .I don't remember a wasp in the story.

But I was thinking about CG's parable of the cows.  Somebody added the Republicans.   So I will add the Democrats.

The Republicans and Democrats have two cows.  The Democrats take a Republican cow and give it to the guy who doesn't have any.  The Democrats feel righteous.


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## ihopehefails (Feb 17, 2010)

editec said:


> Let's parce this out, shall we?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What difference does it make in terms of the freedom of the people whether that government is a monarchy or democracy?   A democracy might follow a constitution that protect the people's freedom but so can a king.  A king might violate that constitution but so can a democracitcally elected body so can we really say that a democracy is better at protecting the people's freedom than any other form of government?


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## Foxfyre (Feb 17, 2010)

ihopehefails said:


> What difference does it make in terms of the freedom of the people whether that government is a monarchy or democracy?   A democracy might follow a constitution that protect the people's freedom but so can a king.  A king might violate that constitution but so can a democracitcally elected body so can we really say that a democracy is better at protecting the people's freedom than any other form of government?



That was precisely the genius of the U.S. Constitution and why the government it ordained was like no other that preceded it.

No monarch/king/emperor nor benevolent dictator shall determine what rights the people will have, nor will there be a tyranny of the majority (democracy) to determine that nor will there be a tyranny of the minority (ruling class) to determine that.  The Constitution itself spells out what rights the people shall have, and makes it the sole duty of government to defend and secure those rights for the people.   Other than securing the rights of the people and preventing the people from infringing on each other's rights, the Constitution then leaves it to the people to govern themselves, a concept unheard of prior to the great American experiment.


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