Time: Wed Nov 13 14:50:51 1996
To: Harvey Wysong <hwysong@atl.mindspring.com>
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: Internecine Infighting
Cc:
Bcc: Nancy Lord
Harvey,
On the very slim, to zero, chance
that you have failed to share this
with Nancy Lord, please permit me
to do so on your behalf.
This is one of the most beautifully
written letters I have ever seen,
with the sole exception of my own
letters to the Social Security
Administration and the IRS, my
very favorite pen "pals". :)
/s/ Paul Mitchell
At 02:28 PM 11/13/96 -0500, you wrote:
>MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS
>
>Dear M R,
> Once upon a time -- as I hear the story -- a fellow approached
>Voltaire and informed him that another person had been harshly critical of
>Voltaire. "But," he said, "you say such nice things about him."
> Voltaire responded, "Perhaps, we are both wrong."
> This incident came to mind as I read the recent phillipic of Linda
>Thompson against Nancy Lord.
> I remember clearly that Linda had advocated a march on Washington
>with arms in order to capture the traitorious members of Congress and bring
>them to justice. To call that ill-advised is to be inexcusably charitable.
>And after several respected individuals and organizations had advised people
>against such folly, she was denounced as a government operative by many
>seasoned observers.
> I recall defending her here in Atlanta. I said that she had made an
>error that only someone who was totally without combat experience could
>make. But I was of the opinion she had just made an error in judgement --
>that she had let her emotions and zeal pull a prank on her intellect. I was
>of the opinion that the body of her work vindicated her.
> I know that the widespread accusations that she was a government
>operative must have stung her. And I would expect her to understand that
>zealous people often let their enthusiasm overpower their judgement. And I
>would expect her to recognize and respect the powerful emotions that impell
>Nancy to oppose tyranny.
> About a year or so back, Nancy and Linda worked together on a case
>here in Atlanta. I do remember asking Nancy for her appraisal of Linda.
>Nancy extolled Linda's legal talents and personal virtues and made light of
>her shortcomings. Please re-read the Voltaire dialogue above.
> There are a number of emotions driving this internal, internecine
>warfare. I can't identify all of them, but I can see a couple of familiar
>patterns. One is "anyone who disagrees with me is a traitor." This is
>altogether too common in the "patriot" movement. And after a short time such
>a person finds that he is the only patriot left alive. Such an attitued
>leaves us utterly isolated and powerless. An English jurist of the 17th
>Century -- whose name I do not have -- asked, "Is anything more common than
>for two men to deduce contrary and opposite conclusions from the same
>testimony?"
> It was our old friend King George III of England who said, "I desire
>what is good; therefore, every one who does not agree with me is a traitor."
> One who insists that his view is the only view will find himself
>without cohorts when the true enemy is weak enough to conquer, and without
>defenders when he himself is under seige.
> Another device which may be at play here is the attempt to elevate
>oneself by denouncing others. It's a form of plea bargaining in the court of
>public opinion. Every time a battle is lost, a witch-hunt begins. And, every
>time a witch-hunt begins, people rush out to denounce someone else, lest
>they themselves be deemed insufficiently "dedicated."
>
> THE REMEDY
> This is not an isolated case. Every week I get a message in the
>e-mail questioning or challenging someone's loyalty. It's tiresome.
> People run around asking, "Has our group been infiltrated?" What a
>stupid question! If your group has more than two members, of course your
>group has been infiltrated. Big deal. They might as well infiltrate the
>garden club as the groups I belong to. Everything we do is above-board and
>legal. And that's the greates threat to those now in power. Anyone who would
>suggest some illegal action would be immediately suspect. Let the government
>agents come join us, pay dues, buy books, defray the costs of meeting rooms,
>and, perhaps, learn something about Government that they should have learned
>as children. Like they say on The Price is Right, COME ON DOWN!
> The war to regain liberty is not yet lost. It is still winnable. But
>those who love liberty must quit biting every hand which is extended to
>them. Not everyone is an enemy. A kindly spirit and a pleasant countenance
>will do wonders to get people to listen to the message. Bitterness and
>scowls will drive people away.
> On the other hand, it is -- I think -- foolish not to have the means
>at hand to resist lawless gangs, should there be some break-down of civil
>order. And the way the present "government" is conducting business, a
>collapse of civil order is not impossible. With a stock market crash or a
>Rooseveltian "Bank Holiday," we could be plunged into chaos. Loyalty to this
>government has been eroded by its betrayal of faith, and a small spark could
>ignite a great flame.
> Very, very few people in this Country understand how the government
>is supposed to work. No surprise here. They haven't read the Declaration of
>Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist
>Papers, Montesquieu, Locke, Adam Smith, the Law of Nations, etc. How can
>they be expected to understand? It is only with patient, friendly leadership
>that we will convince adults. And it is through home-schooling that the
>children will learn true history, unfiltered by government lenses.
> I recently spent about 5 minutes discussing matters of government
>with a retired teacher who had taught "Government" in high-school. When he
>persisted in his position that our government is a "democracy," I realized
>that the lad was in need of major surgery, not a curb-side chat. But the
>conversation was not fruitless. It reminded me anew of why the population at
>large is ignorant of the proper role of government: Government has been
>teaching the children their lessons.
> Those who value individual rights must learn to operate in concert
>with like-minded people. We must get united and must get smart. We need to
>get political and get optimistic. We can win and win big; but not if we
>continue to behave like buffoons. There is a manual already written that
>will tell you how to win the war. Just read it and follow the simple
>instructions. It's written by Sen. Steve Symms and Larry Grupp. It's
>published by Jameson Books of Ottawa, Illinois (815-434-7905) and available
>for a very reasonable price. The title is "The Citizen's Guide to Fighting
>Government."
> Get it and get busy. Quit the in-fighting.
>
>-- Harvey
>
>
> ****************************************************
> TRIAL BY JURY PROTECTS THE ENTIRE BILL OF RIGHTS
> ****************************************************
> "There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any
> government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well,
> when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One
> declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes
> impossible for men to live without breaking laws."
> -- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Ch. III, "White Blackmail"
> ****************************************************
> Harvey Wysong
> National Spokesman, Fully Informed Jury Association
> 701 Longleaf Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30342, U.S.A.
> hwysong@mindspring.com (404) 266-0930
> ****************************************************
>
>
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