[MD] Hippies in Sodom and Gomorrah

[Platt Holden]

> [Arlo]
> I have faith that when people "do Good" this will supercede "political
> ideology platforms". What you should be more concerned with is "doing
> Good", and making sure you are not defining this upfront as "whatever my
> party says".

You ideas of doing good are just as political and ideological as 
anybody's as we can readily see from your posts that say we must help 
the poor and accept blame for terrorism.  

> There will always be political differences, different ideas proposed for
> solutions to problems, etc. But when the focus of the many is on doing
> what is Good, and not on following the ideological mandates of others,
> then I think that is really all we can hope for.

Your political positions as you've outlined them from time to time on this site
pretty much follow liberal ideology. You favor government programs to correct
what you see as social problems, are critical of corporate power, and do not
support the current administration -- all left wing positions. Nothing wrong with
that, but to intimate you are immune to "ideological mandates" is a stretch. 

> Eventually, of course, we will see that this is happening when
> "ideological and party affiliation" and obedience to static social
> patterns (such as "my country/your country) becomes the least important
> thing in the dialogue. Given that these are the MOST important things to
> so many (the right-wing swing we are on), I don't see any big changes
> any time soon.

I don't see any big changes any time soon either. At least I hope that 
our willingness to defend the intellectual values of free speech, 
freedom of religion, freedom to own property, freedom of travel (and 
yes, freedom to live in hippie communes) all supported by our country 
will never diminish. If defending these values constitutes a static 
social pattern, I say more power to it. 

Platt