I fully support NOTA as an alternative in all elections. However, any alternative which Americans would have chosen in 1788 rather than a. some form of US government, British, French or Spanish rule or the merciless Indian savages would have led to one of those five alternatives.
For life and liberty, David Macko NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. ----- Original Message ----- From: ma ni To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 12:31 PM Subject: RE: Hard Questions was Re: [Libertarian] Re: Ron Paul: a Good Thing for the libertarian movement and the Libertarian Part David, You are confusing my separation. Americans in 1788 obviously did NOT have the knowledge we now have. While I agree with you that NOTA was not a realistic choice for THEM, I disagree that they wouldn't were they WE (given that the external powers ALLOWED the choice). It seems you are trying to do the impossible: mix the past with the present. Also, you imply that NOTA = vacuum; I disagree. -Mark ++++++++++++++ Even with the knowledge we now have, I still maintain that the only choices available to Americans in 1788 were a US government (Articles of Confederation, Constitution or some other alternative, none of which was chosen by the Founding Fathers) British, French or Spanish domination or the mercies of the merciless Indian savages. NOTA was not an option in those circumstances. Nature abhors a vacuum. For life and liberty, David Macko NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. ----- Original Message ----- From: ma ni To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 11:14 AM Subject: RE: Hard Questions was Re: [Libertarian] Re: Ron Paul: a Good Thing for the libertarian movement and the Libertarian Part I think here's the variable causing the conflicting answers. Look what we are doing right now and the advantage it gives us. Hindsight is 20/20, especially with computers. Of course the choices of history WERE limited to those who lived it, but one of the main reasons was lack of information and communications technologies. Is the question "what would you have chosen, had you had the knowledge you have now", or "what would you have chosen, had you only had the best knowledge of the time"? And even then, what are the chances you would have had the best knowledge of the time? VERY SLIM indeed, I imagine. In other words, are "you" going back in time as yourself with your current knowledge, or going back in time as a person/brain/knowledge of the time? Big difference! The biggest limitation on any choice is what you know. -Mark [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
