Sunday, March 3, 2013

Reformulated Aphorism #9: "We" Crap Made Good

When the UK government decided to give more land to agricultural laborers in Ireland. It seemed like a not-too-unfair-move in a land that had misappropriate land. I'm debated the issue of land redistribution and "right to roam" based on past land theft, such as William-the-Conqueror stuff. I think I agree with this aphorism, because I don't think that past grievances can be legislated away and remedied through statute, but through the courts and common law (still debatable for evolved-past-minarchism libertarian), or the good will of private individuals who have inherited or purchased past-stolen property:
We are all socialists now.
- William Vernor Harcourt, responding to the Labourers (Ireland) Allotment Bill of 1887
Time magazine pretty much misused this following reformulation, but the sentiment has proven itself out in the hearts of most Americans, until the Tea Party movement. And it was later attributed to Nixon:
We are all Keynesians now.
- Milton Friedman, quoted in article favoring Keynes
Ron Paul chimed in while selling freedom on the campaign trail. He paraphrased Nixon as saying:
... we’re all Keynesians now, which meant that even the Republicans accepted liberal economics. He says I’m waiting for the day when we can say we’re all Austrians now.
-Ron Paul, before supporters 2012

And to reformulate past reformulations, and to reflect the temper of our times, especially with the past few years of Tea Party uproar and the recent pro-2nd-amendment furor:
We are all libertarians now.
- CR Cobb

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Reformulated Aphorism #10: Friends and Enemies

I've criticized our federal government repeatedly, and with malice, for pursuing a foreign policy illuminated by:
My enemy's enemy is my friend.
- Chinese/Arab proverb
And I silently applauded - or really smiled ear to ear - when I heard that the macrobreweries were distributing malt and/or barley to the microbreweries, because there was a shortage. It was probably self serving, because maintaining a beer percentage in the alcoholic-beverage segment was their most-likely goal. But I was delighted, no less.

Within the firearms "community" (really segment), there are many contentious arguments, usually highlighted by caliber and safety parsing. But there is a general espirit de corps, though there are some insular accuracy and hunting fundamentalists. And there is a growing understanding that for the gun culture to survive, us gray hairs (I've got one or two) need to embrace "Gun Culture 2.0" with their oft (at least I'm told) gaming origin. Of course, more comfortably for some, we need to embrace the next generation - yes, the children. And there has also been much talk about taking a friend shooting, to let that person demonstrate to themselves that shooting is fun and not scary (with safety protocols in place, etc.).

All of this lovey-dovey crap is signaling a desire for us to be inclusive of all members of the gun culture. So in that spirit, I have discovered a reformulation of the aphorism and proverb above:
My friend is my enemy's enemy.
- CR Cobb

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