My e-mail to Morning Edition
Actual message of 15 December 2000
``This morning's caller, objecting to the commentary by Kevin Phillips,
was a sad case. I can feel sorry for him. If I were a Republican,
I would probably wish that my candidate had won this year's election.
However, the Supreme Court prevented Bush from winning. Not that
they deserve all the blame. Bush himself asked for that decision.
The caller's wishing that Phillips and others not speak the truth does
not make what he wished for come true.
``As Ayn Rand (far from a left wing activist :) had John Galt say to
Dagny Taggert: `No one stays in this valley by faking reality in any manner
whatsoever.' (approximate quote, from memory)''
Delayed reaction
The listener who called in said that the country was in need of healing,
after the Supreme Court decision. That is true. The Bush v.
Gore decision injured this country and its voters, on both sides of the
contest, and that injury needs healing. The way to do that is first
to cite the true nature and cause of the injury, not to engage in the futile
attempt to fake reality.
When you are set upon by thugs, you need to learn to avoid them while
you look for ways to reform them or enforce laws against them. You
don't pretend that those thugs are honorable, gentle people, just interested
in your welfare. That latter course leaves the thugs uncorrected
and sets you up for further victimization.
Actual quotes from Atlas Shrugged
From the 1957, Random House edition, Part III, Chapter 1,
``Atlantis''.
John Galt is speaking to Dagny Taggert in all of these
quotes. They are certainly not talking about the 2000 election or
Bush v. Gore. However, the last one sprang to my mind in response to
the wish I thought I heard expressed by the caller and the others
are clearly related. I think of them as words for a good
conservative Republican to live by.
- p. 709:
But there was neither cruelty nor pity in his face, only the level look
of justice. ``Our first rule here, Miss Taggert, '' he answered,
``is that one must always see for oneself.''
- p. 780:
``That's the kind of faked reality by which most people cheat themselves
of their lives. I'm not capable of it.''
- p. 794:
``Nobody stays here by faking reality in any manner whatever.''
Carl M. Ellison; cme@acm.org