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From: danw@oliven.UUCP (danw)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: ring.of.power
Message-ID: <815@oliven.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 3-Mar-85 19:55:44 EST
Article-I.D.: oliven.815
Posted: Sun Mar  3 19:55:44 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Mar-85 03:49:12 EST
Organization: National Cobalt Testing Range
Lines: 46

[]
	Many many years ago in a place called middle earth there
existed a ring of evil power.  Whoever possessed this ring had great
power over the lives of others. Unfortunately, the wearer of the
ring invariably turned to evil. ( There  was a long and unbroken history
of this happening) .
	There was a group of good guys who realized that the ring,
as long as it existed , would continue to cause unhappiness. The good
guys banded together with a common goal: to destroy the ring by
casting it into a sacred fire.
	The good guys were opposed by a group who banded together
with a common philosophy: they felt that the past failures were the
result of evil men. By proper application of their philosophy, they
felt they could select from among their members, individuals who were
so good that they could wear the ring of absolute power.  THEY would do
only good to their fellows, and never-ever abuse the absolute power.

	The good guys said they were only interested in power, and 
all the rest was only words.

	A great battle resulted with no clear winner.
				-------
			Many years passed.

	The good guys now call themselves Libertarians, and they 
claim the ring of evil power is really coercive central government.
They claim the sacred fire is the enlightened self-interest of the
democratic majority. They claim that centralized  government has
always and will always cause great harm, if given enough time and
power.

				-------
	The good guys are opposed by a group who call themselves
socialists. 
	They claim that all of the above is just a fairy tail.

All we have to do is give the socialists the right to take property and
liberty from us at will ( they will pick who and when ) and the result
will be more good for the majority of us.

		One wonders who is REALLY telling the fairy tail.




						danw