30 August 2010

Quotable Quotes

There has been quite the row about the Ground Zero mosque, by whatever name it wishes to call itself lately. Some are dead set against it, some are adamant that we allow it to be built, but most mirror my sentiment that just because you can doesn't necessarily follow that you should. For my money, Vanderleun at The American Digest says it best when he points out that tolerance does not mean approval.

"In essence" he writes, "we agree that I tolerate your worship of a moon god and you tolerate my worship of a tree. It's "live and let live" at the most basic level. If, on the other hand, you decide that I have to make continuous noises of "approval" of the moon god in order for you to grant me the right to worship the tree god in peace, we are headed towards an argument that ends in guns."

Good, right? More? OK, how about this: "It is well to reflect that every single move in the past few decades that has resulted in a loss of individual liberty has begun in a plea for tolerance and ended with non-negotiable demands for approval."

RTWT.

If you aren't reading The American Digest regularly, perhaps it's time to start. You can find the link on the sidebar.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Exactly! Well said. And yes, The American Digest is a great read.

Jennifer said...

Exactly. Very well said.

Mike Mendez said...

Hey Shipmate, thanks for bringing this essay to my attention. It is concise, articulate, and expresses my sentiments exactly.

Larry said...

You should really be checking Vanderleun's offerings regularly, I think you would be pleased.
Thanks for dropping by Mike!

Larry said...

Thanks for dropping by to you as well Jennifer!

Larry said...

Glad you liked what you saw Anony Mouse, the American Digest is certainly a must-see stop on the information highway. Thanks for dropping by!