Bumper Sticker Philosophy From The Left....

I was driving home today when I got stuck behind a soccer mom in her minivan, and the slow traffic gave me plenty of time to read her multitude of bumper stickers. I’m pleased that she was so proud of her Honor Roll middle-schooler, and I was equally pleased that we didn’t pass any garage sales, because apparently she brakes for them.

But the one that caught my attention was the one that said “The more I learn about men, the more I appreciate my dog.” Oh, as you can imagine I just laughed and laughed. Not. And if that weak joke wasn’t bad enough, It stuck in my head the rest of the way home, although by the time I rolled into the driveway I had changed it slightly to read “The more I learn about liberals, the more……” Well, I’m still having trouble figuring out Liberals. Which brings me to today’s post.

I want to share a few quotes with you today. See if you can find a common theme….

QUOTE #1: At a time when our entire country is banding together and facing down individualism, the Patriots (the New England Football Patriots) set a wonderful example, showing us all what is possible when we work together, believe in each other, and sacrifice for the greater good.

QUOTE #2: It is thus necessary that the individual should come to realize that his own ego is of no importance to in comparison with the existence of the nation; that above all the unity of a nation’s spirit and will are far more than the freedom of the spirit and the will of the individual…. This state of mind, which subordinates the interest of the ego to the conservation of the community, is really the first premise for every truly human culture…. we understand only the individual’s capacity to make sacrifices for the community, for his fellow man.

QUOTE #3: There is the great, silent, continuous struggle: the struggle between the State and the Individual; between the State which demands and the individual who attempts to evade such demands. Because the individual, left to himself, unless he be a saint or a hero, always refuses to pay taxes, obey laws, or go to war.

QUOTE #4: Ethics begin with the acknowledgement that it is not the individual who confers meaning on society, but it is, instead, the existence of a human society which determines the human character of the individual.

QUOTE #5: We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.

So, did you catch the common thread in those five quotes? I’ll give you a hint: Individual!!!

It probably won’t surprise you that quote number one comes from none other than Ted Kennedy. Don’t you just love it when politicians glom onto the accomplishments of pro athletes? Like the New England patriots couldn’t have made it without the help of Uncle Teddy. I guess he did do one thing that contributed to the Patriots making it to the Super Bowl…. He didn’t drive them to practice. And really Ted, do you think the Patriots could have become one of the greatest teams in sports history unless they had each first decided to be the best at their individual positions.

And quote number 5 comes from Hillary “It Takes A Village” Clinton.

So what about quotes two through four? Well, number two comes to us from Adolph Hitler, Number three from Benito Mussolini, and our final quote comes from Mario Palmieri, writing in The Philosophy of Fascism, 1936.

Hey, I finally figured out my bumper sticker: “The more I learn about liberals, the more I learn about fascism”