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<DIV>>>Fred: I think you have it right Julie. She's an engaging writer but
you have the >>problem pegged pretty well, in short, a set of
blinders.<BR><BR>Such is philosphy. Rand, as I understand her -- and the way her
name has since been used (exploited) by a former partner of hers who does not
share her... depth -- is that she was held up as emblematic of a
former Soviet Block turned Capitalist American success story -- and this was her
access to American culture at the time. Kinda like listening to Arnold
Schwarzeneggers 'deep thoughts' on American poltics, etc. For an immigrant *not
to renounce their socialist, communist, whatever... roots and embrace fully
the 'conservative' American ethic -- would mean that you were'nt paying your
political dues like all good immigrants should. Hence the 'conservatism'
among Hispanics, Asians, etc... Freedom... woohoo! <FONT face=Arial size=2>This
is the general context that I think of Rand -- as sincere as she sounded -- she
was still just a woman trying to make a life in conformist-era USA.
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But more importantly, as all who wax philosophical
should be taken with a grain of salt -- the size of that grain often depends on
what the feeling is -- based on what some of the people who adhere to that
'philosophy' -- hence, when I take a look at the Ayn Rand Institutes' website
and see a bunch of nonsense on there, my grain of salt reminds me that what
these people -- supposed loyalists to Ayn Rand -- write, isn't necessarily what
she, herself would have said. In fact, understanding the controversy
within her following about who exactly is running her foundation -- who's
bearing the torch, and is he doing a good job -- it seems as if this is really a
tragic case where people are using her name and her much-lauded
intellect to justify anything from welfare gutting to deportation and
so on.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The *real message that I get from what
little I've read of her -- is a kind of silent thread -- (A silent
theme, perhaps, because of where she writing all of this ) -- that despite
how terrible it was where she came from, its not really ideological differences
that lead to that -- rather the unyielding adherence to an ideology
that makes people blind. Her intuitive navigating, despite having
the old blinders on (as mentioned by Fred) is what resonates with people. We all
live with our own respective blinders on. To communicate from the point of view
of absolute clarity doesnt always resonate well.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thats my limited sense of it.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>-SM</FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT><BR><!--StartFragment --><FONT
face="GillSans ExtraBold"><!--StartFragment --> "<FONT
face="Veranda, sans-serif" size=+3>Either you repeat the same conventional
doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something
true, and it will sound like it's from Neptune."</FONT> <FONT
face="Veranda, sans-serif" size=+1><A
href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/a130484.html">Noam Chomsky</A>
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR><FONT size=2><FONT
face=Arial>Sorry about that Jimbo</FONT></FONT> <FONT size=2><FONT
face=Arial>­ I clearly have not made a study of Ayn Rand, and my
analysis was based entirely on my reading of Atlas Shrugged in
college.</FONT></FONT> <FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>If Iıve got her
entirely wrong, Iım sorry, but I donıt think that I am the only one who sees
her writing being used to support a</FONT></FONT> <FONT size=2><FONT
face=Arial>social construct that, while certainly forcing people to take the
blame for their own actions,</FONT></FONT> <FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>it
also seemed that there was a lot of</FONT></FONT> <FONT size=2><FONT
face=Arial>³not my problem² in it. Maybe Iıll give
it</FONT></FONT> <FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>another try.</FONT></FONT>
<BR><BR><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>JHK</FONT></FONT>
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