Thursday 26 September 2013

Rand and Cruz in the House

During his marathon 21-hour speech on the US Senate floor yesterday, filibustering against the failing ObamaCare plan, Senator Ted Cruz read from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged

[Hat tip Julian D.]

12 comments:

mark said...

Yeah, his speech was just like the Bataan death march....moron.
/

I want to thank the men and women who have endured this Bataan death march

Mr Lineberry said...

Typical American hypocrite.

He reads Atlas Shrugged as part of a filibuster - but I doubt his newfound ideology extends to the following -

1. Using his position on the Crime and Drugs Committee to abolish all the busybody laws and regulations and prohibition they administer;

2. Using his position on the Armed Services Committee to end crony capitalism between Government and Defence contractors [in Texas?]

3. Using his position on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Committee to extend property rights (one of its main areas) by abolishing various laws which allow the State to confiscate property and 1001 other intrusions into personal freedoms; or allowing two men to marry if they want to.

4. Using his position on the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Committee to stop people from having to show photo ID and other intrusive invasions of their freedoms at airports

5. Using his position on the Immigration, Refugees and Border Security Committee to let people move to America if they so wish

6. Using his position on the Defence Emerging Threats and Capabilities Committee to stop the US Govt from invading the personal freedoms of citizens whilst they go on fishing expeditions for information.

No, somehow I do not think Ted is into any of that sort of thing - all of that is okay by him (especially those crony capitalists among you who kindly donate to his re-election committee) - but by god if some "LIBRUL" wants to help 2 year old girl with a hole in her heart get an operation then by god isn't that just the end of civilisation as we know it? isn't that socialism????

Isn't that just the excuse for a grandstanding show off speech quoting Ayn Rand?

Before anyone starts getting any 'notions' about US Senators proclaiming their libertarianism you need to realise they are all hypocrites when you scratch the surface ...lightly.

Anonymous said...

My Lineberry

Surely you are not communicating that politicians are dishonest persons lacking in integrity who commit coercive crimes against their fellow humans?

Amit

Fentex said...

He wasn't filibusting the Affordable Health Care Bill, a.k.a Obamacare - that has long passed and is a lost political battle to the Republicans.

He wasn't filibustering anything - the bill he was speaking to will have a vote, it's unavoidable. It was just a grandstanding act for attention. No doubt he will refer in days to come to his efforts to undo Obamacare, probably when he jostles for the Republican nomination in a few years.

MarkT said...

For fucks sake. A politician gets up in the senate and quotes Ayn Rand for 2 minutes - and the only comment the 4 people above can make is something negative!? You guys need to get your head out of your arse and get a life.

gregster said...

I agree Mark. Elijah you have a talent for talkin shit.

Anonymous said...

Oh OK Mark

A politician gets up and reads a little material produced by a somewhat exotic Russian emigre. Alleleuia. Praise him. Praise him. Alleleuia. All hail him for reading from the prophet. Alleleuia.

Hark! It is the precursur of the Holy Ressurection of FREEDOM and the emergence Objectivist consciousness all across the great land.

Amit

Mr Lineberry said...

Hi Gregster, you just reminded me of a wonderful quotation by Margaret Thatcher - "I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left"

Oh so true!

Or perhaps libertarian credentials are manifested by awarding billion dollar crony capitalist defence contracts to your mates, increased airport security, increased intrusion into personal liberties, increasing the war on drugs, confiscating property and numerous other things out of the book "Joe Stalin's Guide To Liberty" haha!

When Mr Cruz makes long speeches denouncing all that sort of thing - which he votes for, and which has brought America to its knees - then maybe somebody will listen to him.

gregster said...

Elijah,

Yes. I understand all that. True. Let me channel Rachel Hunter's "it won't happen overnight - but it will happen." He's a large step in the right direction. As was Roger Douglas. Hoping for an all-in-one hero politician - as you do - to be voted for by morons is a pipe dream.

Mr Lineberry said...

Gregster, I would not have been so strident in my (political) attack on Cruz had a yank friend not emailed through yesterday a copy of Cruz's entire voting record (in committee and on the floor) during his 8 months in the Senate; there are sooooooo many whoppers in there it is almost funny.

I am sure if Mrs Frank O'Connor were still alive she would be appalled at being included in a speech by someone who (based on his voting record) appears to make Jeffersonian almost right wing by comparison.

I sincerely hope I am wrong about this chappie, but when someone casts votes in favour of extending wiretapping without warrants, for defence contracts for weapons systems (that according to several other credible witnesses before that committee may not even actually work) to be made in Texas, for freezing assets of suspects by Courts...and then make out he is some sort of libertarian/objectivist fellow traveller, well, gosh the cheek of it is breathtaking!

But yes, let's hope his first 8 months was some kind of mutant strain and he becomes a step in the right direction.

Anonymous said...

Gregster

It happens overnnight alright- just not like what you are implying.

This is rather like the rapist what raped women and children every night for eight months, except on one night when he went around telling everryone that raping women and children was most un-good. You can guess what he'ss be back doing tomorrow night. Yes. He'll be back at raping again. You know it. He knows it too. No hope of him being what he isn't. He's a rapist. And...... he is not changing. Not even for you.

You look up what Murray Rothbard said about politicians.

Amit




gregster said...

Amit: You're a weirdo, and I don't think I'd like to meet you.