Calvinism and Early America

[Cajun Huguenot]

I like the Libertarians (for the most part) and the Constitution Party. I wish they would both grow and have more of an impact on the local level.

Kenith

 

[edie19]

How about the Constitution Party?

I like that one too - I just think that Libertarian is a little more viable.

I've taken polls to see which political party fits me best - I'm always on the line between Constitution and Libertarian.

 

[Erinwilcox]

Well, I went to Peroutka's party/acceptance speech (boy was the free food good!). Since he lives here in Maryland, and since my mom and I will occasionally attend some of the functions that he and his brother hold (they are called the "First Fridays" and they generally have guest speakers, we got on his mailing list. I even got my picture taken with him! I'm even a graduate of the Institute of the Constitution which he and his brother started!

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

I know of an RB church in CA where every single adult is an engineer except for the pastor's wife. Scary, huh?

Sounds like fun, actually. Engineers tend to be more interesting than those boring liberal arts majors.

I agree there too. But with the way things have been going, it's hard for me to tell the difference between Bush and the Republicans and the demoncraps.

Francis Shaeffer predicted that if Christians did not step to the forefront in leading and redeeming the culture that we would end up with rule by either the elitists leftists or the elitists rightists who both do the bidding of mega-corporations.

Shaeffer didn't see either as good.

I'm reminded of this quote by R.L. Dabney:

"It may be inferred again that the present movement for women’s rights will certainly prevail from the history of its only opponent, Northern conservatism. This is a party which never conserves anything. Its history has been that it demurs to each aggression of the progressive party, and aims to save its credit by a respectable amount of growling, but always acquiesces at last in the innovation. What was the resisted novelty of yesterday is to-day one of the accepted priniciples of conservatism; it is now conservative only in affecting to resist the next innovation, which will to-morrow be forced upon its timidity, and will be succeeded by some third revolution to be denounced and adopted in its turn. American conservatism is merely the shadow that follows Radicalism as it moves towards perdition. It remains behind it, but never retards it, and always advances near its leader. This pretended salt hath utterly lost its savor: wherewith shall it be salted? Its impotency is not hard, indeed, to explain. It is worthless because it is the conservatism of expediency only, and not of sturdy principle. It intends to risk nothing serious for the sake of the truth, and has no idea of being guilty of the folly of martyrdom. It always -- when about to enter a protest -- very blandly informs the wild beast whose path it essays to stop, that its "bark is worse than its bite," and that it only means to save its manners by enacting its decent role of resistance. The only practical purpose which it now subserves in American politics is to give enough exercise to Radicalism to keep it "in wind," and to prevent its becoming pursy and lazy from having nothing to whip."

I compressed a 4 year degree into 6 1/2 years and in that time I learned enough useless information to fill a small room, had professors that I couldn't understand because they couldn't speak English or if they could spoke a strange engineering dialect, and learned to strongly dislike engineers. That would be the most boring church in the world.

Here is a simple joke to demonstrate the social life of the typical engineer:

An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with a wife or a mistress. The architect said he enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship. The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because of the passion and mystery he found there. The engineer said, "I like both."
"Both?"
Engineer: "Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman, and you can go to the lab and get some work done."

That's why I like engineers. They have the best jokes.

You might be an engineer if . . . . . . you have no life and can prove it mathematically.
. . . you know vector calculus but you can’t remember how to do long division.
. . . you chuckle whenever anyone says “centrifugal force.”
. . . you’ve actually ever used every single function on your graphing calculator.
. . . when you look in the mirror, you see an engineering major.
. . . it is sunny and 70 degrees outside, and you are working on a computer.
. . . you frequently whistle the theme song to “MacGyver.”
. . . you always do homework on Friday nights.
. . . you know how to integrate a chicken and can take the derivative of water.
. . . you think in “math.”
. . . you’ve calculated that the World Series actually diverges.
. . . you hesitate to look at something because you don’t want to break down its wave function.
. . . you have a pet named after a scientist.
. . . you laugh at jokes about mathematicians.
. . . the Humane Society has had you arrested because you actually performed the Schroedinger’s Cat Experiment.
. . . you can translate English into Binary.
. . . you can’t remember what’s behind the door in the science building which says "Exit.”
. . . you have to bring a jacket with you, in the middle of summer, because there’s a wind-chill factor in the lab.
. . . you are completely addicted to caffeine.
. . . you avoid doing anything because you don’t want to contribute to the eventual heat-death of the universe.
. . . you consider any non-science course “easy.”
. . . when your professor asks you where your homework is, you claim to have accidentally determined its momentum so precisely, that according to Heisenberg it could be anywhere in the universe.
. . . the “fun” center of your brain has deteriorated from lack of use.
. . . you’ll assume that a “horse” is a “sphere” in order to make the math easier.
. . . you understood more than five of these indicators.
. . . you make a hard copy of this list and post it on your office door.

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

As for the Libertarian and Constitution parties, I tend to like them. A lot more than I like the Repbulicrats. I agree more with the Constitution party than the Libertarian party, I think, and the LP has far too many left-libertarians and supporters of libertine values than suits me. I am probably a little more libertarian than most of the CP'ers I know. I'm not entirely sure what I think about the CP's stance on trade... but even with that I voted for Peroutka in 2004. Before coming to CF I only knew one person who is a Constitutionalist, and he's all the way in Virginia. It's good to know that there are others out there.

 

[Erinwilcox]

There are a few Consitutionalists in my church. None my age, though.