She had been ‘Ann Coultered’ in Ottawa last night…
…so, who is she?
She is obviously someone who scares the pants (and/or hijabs) off Islaminsts!
She is one knowledgable lady who is not afraid to speak the truth.
Let’s get her speaking to us.
All of us.
Let’s get her talking to our high-school students!
After all, it is our children whose future is in danger – they ought to hear the facts from a knowledgable and eloquent source, like Claire Lopez!
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 
January 21, 2011 at 20:28
Xanthippa:
When follow your link to the Patriot Symposiums website, and peruse their home page to see what they are all about, I find myself in broad agreement with their stance, from a practical point of view.
But then I read
“Unless people are guided by Christian/Judeo beliefs and values, holding their leaders accountable, their liberties would be eroded and eventually eliminated.”
The underlying premise, which becomes clear upon reading the rest of the page, is that there is no valid basis for moral principles except those which are decreed by God and there are no inalienable rights except those which are God-given.
And this, of course, is false.
This belief leads them to oppose socialism, not because it is collectivist, but because it is Godless. And they oppose Muslim theocracy, not because it is theocratic, but because it is ruled by the wrong God.
So I have to say that the attitudes expressed on this website are every bit as dangerous to individual rights and freedoms as the Muslims and socialists.
A moment of calm reflection shows that there is a natural morality, which is not at all arbitrary, which is completely independent of any consensus, which requires neither divine decree nor secular statute, but which follows by simple reasoning from an honest and compassionate understanding of human nature and the nature of things.
But we are denied that moment of calm reflection, because the secular left and the religious right – whatever else they may fight over – immediately join ranks to shout down anyone who expounds such a natural morality.
And that is because the principle of natural morality is the lethal, not only of the secular left and the religious right, but to any and all forms of collectivism, totalitarianism or fascism, whether autocratic, plutocratic or theocratic.
So the most powerful way to preserve individual rights and freedoms is to proclaim the principle of natural morality.
Once people understand this principle, it will be obvious to everyone that no priest, no imam, no rabbi, no king, no judge, no legislature and no consensus can strike it down, any more than they can repeal the law of gravity.
Xanthippa says:
Well – most people just don’t want to think for themselves. For them, any pretty fairy tale is much preferable than taking responsibility for their own selves.
How do you convince them not to WANT to take the easy way out?
Bet you can’t – and they WILL turn on you if you try to make them…
January 23, 2011 at 22:37
Xanthippa:
I’m not trying to prevent anyone from believing in God. Many people derive great strength and courage from their faith. I would never want to take that away from anyone.
What I am arguing against is the claim that God is the only conceivable source of human rights and human morality, and if there is no God, then there are no rights and there is no morality. The religious right and the secular left both agree on this; the only difference is the use they make of it.
The religious right uses it to justify forcing their particular kind of theocracy on everyone, and the secular left uses it to deny the existence of morality and rights except as decreed by their particular kind of consensus.
And so, by this claim, those who believe in God and those who don’t are both lead to do evil.
In the first case, the result has been a long string of persecutions, inquisitions, and holy wars throughout history – unimaginable atrocities are committed in the name of the Lord. And in the second case, the result is a power elite, who do whatever they please – including unspeakable crimes against humanity – without ever feeling a shred of guilt, because all they need to do is agree among themselves that it’s all good.
The only thing that might keep such excesses in check is the understanding that human morality and human rights stem from human nature, and whether that nature was created by divine fiat or by natural self-organization doesn’t matter.
So, believe in God, or don’t.
One arrives at the same rights and the same morality either way.
That is the truth which has the power to set people free.
Xanthippa says:
Codeslinger,
You are much more generous than I.
By ‘fairy tales’, I meant all dogmatic belief systems – left and right, religious or not.
Anything, really, that ‘eases their conscience’, so to say, when they force collectivism and conformity on individeals in their midst.
And, if their fairy tale leads them to this, I do not want to do anything that would preserve, protect or respect such a fairy tale.
January 24, 2011 at 17:03
Xanthippa:
Yes, I agree: authoritarian collectivism is the real evil, which must be resisted at all costs, whether it is religious or secular, whether it stems from the left or the right.
But we cannot escape the reality that many people simply cannot face living without their “necessary illusions.” And yes, that includes all kinds of religious and secular fairytales.
That is why the assertion, that individual rights and natural morality are both inherent in human nature, is so powerful. It is so obviously true, whether you believe in God or not, and so strongly inimical to all forms of authoritarianism and collectivism, that it forms the foundational bedrock upon which people with widely differing beliefs can come together and form a united front against every kind of tyranny.
Which is why this idea is so greatly feared by both the religious right and the secular left.
And why they band together to suppress it.
Xanthippa says:
Yes!
January 26, 2011 at 11:31
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