RoR: Forum

I listened to the live show, good job Robert, thank you for standing up for individualism and rationality. That Thom Hartman guy is a scumbag. Great job on emphasizing the difference between men being a means to the end of society, and society being the means to an end of a happy individual human life.

Apparently we are all nothing more than kidneys functioning for the good of society according to Thom. Hey Thom, as the official 'society' representative I assign you to do the job of kidneys, scooping piss out of gutters for the rest of your life. It is necessary because you need society to live, now go get your bucket.

Post 21

Friday, March 2, 2007 - 6:10pm

Thanks much, Michael. I actually enjoyed myself. Hartmann, unlike a lot of lefties, is at least a gentleman. Our exchanges were courteous, and he didn't try to sandbag me with ad hominems, insults, etc. I've had far worse talk show experiences.

Anyway, I enjoyed telling 3 million Air America leftists that individuals were ends in themselves and that Hartmann's "family" (the collective) had no right to treat individuals as mere means for society's ends. Who knows? Maybe out of that 3 million there may have been, oh, seven socialists with open minds?

Post 22

Friday, March 2, 2007 - 6:59pm

I couldn't pick the show up at work. All I got was static :( Pissed me off, too.
Are the shows archived at all?

Post 23

Friday, March 2, 2007 - 7:01pm

I was unable to get away from work... Will the audio be posted anywhere?

Post 24

Friday, March 2, 2007 - 7:11pm

You can download it here, but only until Saturday afternoon -- and it will cost you $1.95.

Post 25

Friday, March 2, 2007 - 9:04pm

Interesting, I know that ARI has a quite a few Hartman interviews on aynrand.org for free.

Post 26

Saturday, March 3, 2007 - 8:46am

I'm hoping to get a sound clip of the interview posted online within the next couple of days.

Post 27

Saturday, March 3, 2007 - 10:12pm

BTW, I've started a new thread here to discuss the aftermath of the "Air America" appearance as well as The Atlas Society's successful presence at the Conservative Action Political Conference, where we got right in the conservatives' faces to challenge them on philosophical grounds.

Post 28

Monday, March 5, 2007 - 10:43pm

I will have to find the article (it is left at work) but the headline from either the Post or the NY SUN (most likely the second) was that the theme of the CPAC conference was "Doing God's Will." I was dismayed. Even for religionists, I find the notion offensive - as if God would take sides or needs our help. When my parents began to doubt their religion because my sister died, I was angry. Did they think that every other innocent person who had ever died had done so "at God's will" but that "we" were "chosen"? There are bad reasons for making accidentally correct decisions. And these are the hardest mistakes to correct. As Rand said, sometimes you almost want to be embarrassed on the religionist's behalf.

Ted

Post 29

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 - 3:42am

Ted,

I saw nothing of the sort as the theme -- not on a single piece of literature, not on a single sign, not on the CPAC website. For example, here is the CPAC website home page.

In fact, one of the things most noticeable -- commented on in yesterday's Washington Times -- was the declining influence of the "religious right" on the agenda. The article cited a straw poll conducted at CPAC that indicated that 50% of participants put government intervention in our lives as the top of their concerns, while only 30% listed religious-related value issues.

Those "straw poll" results can be found by clicking the link on the left margin of CPAC's home page. Check especially the results on pages 7 and 8. Also check the presidential preference poll results on page 14, where combined first-and-second-place preferences put Giuliani ahead of all the "traditional conservatives."

This claim about religion being the theme of CPAC is somebody's idea of a joke...or con.

But more importantly, that 50% poll number for people worried most about government "intrusion" into our lives (BTW, 18% said "national security") is encouraging. It tells me that there are great opportunities for recruiting and persuasion among conservatives.

Could the same be said for liberals? Can you imagine the same kind of results coming out of a poll of a liberal convention?
(Edited by Robert Bidinotto
on 3/06, 3:53am)

Post 30

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 - 9:35am

Ted -- The official theme of CPAC was "Forging a Bold Conservative Future." The agenda is put together by sponsoring groups with the CPAC leaders. Thus you'll see reflected in CPAC the same difference views that you generally see on the right. You had the booth of the Libertarian Party next to the booth of American Protectionists. You had anti-war libertarians in the same exhibit hall with strong pro-war groups. Our Atlas table, with a large poster of the cover our pro-immigration issue of The New Individualist (see below) was across from the Minutemen. And on the panels you had differences as well.

I had a number of conversations with individuals about religion in which I upheld our secular philosophy and pointed out both that there is zero evidence for any religious beliefs and that morality cannot be based on religion. Some individuals were intellectually curious even though they disagreed with us. Some commented on how much they agreed with us on most matter with the exception of religion. Some just walked away, minds firmly shut. At least CPAC lets a thousand ideas bloom!

(Holloway, Gossett, Hudgins below.)

Post 31

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 - 10:08pm