So you want to be free, huh?

[Lord Sidious]

Well, well, well, we say we want to be free.
But what does that actually mean?
Does it mean free to travel?
Free of tax?
What is the reality of freedom? What is freedom?
I often say to people who I have lead in law study, if you want to learn what freedom is, go down to the video store.
Head to the section titled ''westerns'' (damn, but I love westerns more than anything) pick one that looks good to you, take it home and watch it.
I would bet you my bottom dolllar (it is real, not counterfeit, you doubtingthomasnuggets) that you will see a whole STACK of freedom.
I can hear the cogs turning, turning, turning, what the hell is he on about this time?
Think about this, in the westerns, we see a depiction of history.
In that history, you didn't have to register your horse, you didn't need a lisense to ride it, you didn't need to tell the sheriff where you were going or why, you could carry all the guns you wanted and no one was worried, there are more and more examples flowing from the screen into your brainbox even as you watch.
How did we lose it?
Complacency. We got comfortable, we let it slip from our grasp.
Now, we have to go through the same fight and struggle that some of our ancestors did in the past.
And if we do not, our descendants will curse us for eternity and they would be right to do so.
Now, enough jawing, let's see some good sh...........oops, stuff, yeah, stuff.
I will show you guys some clips from a show I saw when I was a kid and it is available as a torrent.
Not that I know anything about that sort of thing, of course.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUw4-S9WL4Q

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgvcIOJMmVQ

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qACd8LeYVVo

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxIJyOnLVT0

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_sCojMFqA

[Fred Steeves]

O.K. Rob, now that you've got me all fired up to don the old Ruger .45 in it's side holster and go practice quickdraw in the front yard, (minus bullets of course) do we have a question here from der nugget meister, or merely a scholarly dissertation on the neutering of America's nuggets?


Cheers,
Fred

[firstlook]

we dont take kindly to free grazers round here.

[Deedee]

Freedom begins in the mind.

In the grand scheme of existence, consciousness prevails and everything is connected to a web of vibrating energy; embracing this wisdom is one of humankind’s most pressing spiritual lessons. The escalation in dramatic personal and global events is a sure sign that BIG LESSONS are in the making.

The grand cycles of the cosmos move in alliance with energies that both challenge and support the development of consciousness. On your quest for greater meaning and understanding, you play out your stories in a theater of splendid spontaneity, supported by a teeming cast of players. You are fully imbued with the freedom to choose and develop the values and quality of your character, while your choices invariably determine the course of your progress toward spiritual intelligence.

This time marks the year with the rising and setting of the sun directly along the equatorial zones, which creates equilibrium between daylight and darkness to balance and align Earth’s life forms with the rhythms of the cosmos. Spring awakens the spark of life, and Nature is animated with new vitality, eager to arouse the northern regions of Earth with soul stirring life. Your senses and energy fields are also deeply aroused by the majestic displays of life renewed. This year, a confluence of extraordinarily lightening-like energies will run quick, fast and furious across the land, invigorating people everywhere with enormous energy. Many people will be strongly thrust from the fogs of denial to encounter a fiery new face of reality. The quickening pace of change over the next few years will be immense, intense and greater than you have experienced in your collective memories. Right on course, the winter quarter stirred the beginnings of worldwide volcanic eruptions of consciousness. With the opening salvos of protests, demonstrations and new notions of liberty and freedom sweeping the globe from the Middle East to the Midwest and points beyond, the revolution of the mind is in full swing. Humankind is riding a wild river of energy that is fast, with quickly changing currents. The way to navigate the swift currents of change is to be fully present in your body, especially aware of your thoughts and really clear about the signals you broadcast. All forms of life have energy fields that vibrate and radiate frequency signals into the web of existence. Humans broadcast signals based on beliefs, feelings and expectations, while animals broadcast sensations of their experiences. The combined signals of billions of people and their versions and perceptions of reality coalesce to form the mass consciousness. With everything so magnified in intensity, managing your energy field is your foremost priority.

This time can be a tremendous opportunity for humankind to gain new vitality by recognizing the presence of spirit as a dynamic force in the body. Chaos, confusion and confounding situations are signatures of spiritual initiation. As people feel filled with a newfound freedom and a great desire to seek the truth, it will lead them to uncover new meanings to the increasing spectacle of world-changing events. A spiritual awakening can deliver shocking new realizations about life that confound and confuse the logical mind; however, when old pictures of reality are embellished with new meaning, your mind expands in awareness. Spiritual experiences cover a wide range of unique occurrences. Spiritual intelligence includes a higher order of thinking, feelings of connectedness, awareness of much larger frameworks of reality and the recognition that other forces of intelligence are all around you. Your spiritual awareness is enhanced when you reach out to explore the spokes of reality that weave through every moment of present time.

Spiritual energy is affiliated with the element of fire, so you will see dazzling sparks of revolutionary thinking bursting forth from the new flames of awareness. The energies are instigating a great rise in cleverness, curiosity and wonder among all life forms, backed by urgency for greater awareness of the supporting factors that are encouraging the evolution of consciousness. New understandings of the nature of reality will create vast upheavals in thinking, obliging an expansion of ideas and beliefs about who you think you are. These revolutionary times are highlighted with new ways of understanding and using the mind that will lead to more enriched and rewarding levels of experience. Your mind is undergoing a big quickening, you will feel smarter, more innovative and have a lot more energy. In the scheme of spiritual accomplishments, with considerations for being in the right place at the right time, you are living in most extraordinary times!

The closure of cosmic cycles brings various forces together; therefore many spokes of reality are stirring the pot of present circumstances with highly karmic connections. Managing your energy field by using your attention to notice multidimensional influences is a natural, mind-expanding process. The multiverse supports the development of spiritual intelligence and beckons you like a mother calling her family to the table for a delicious home-cooked meal. You must learn to hear that call by listening from within. Trust yourself. Trust is birthed from inner wisdom, which is learned through discipline and experience. Center yourself with deep, rhythmic breathing and take a few moments to focus and direct your energy toward what you want. Only you can embrace the power of your mind to enhance your life. Making intentions for developing new abilities to instantly recognize the truth of all things is an excellent idea. As human consciousness into brand new territories, do your best to stay balanced, grounded, centered and in full capacity of clear thinking on all levels. If you feel hyper-stimulated then obviously you are overloading your nervous system with stress and too much coffee and activity. Slow down, prioritize things and deal with what you have created. Knowing that your life has purpose and significance and that you are the CREATOR of your circumstances, are signs of spiritual intelligence.

Every era has its own manners for perceiving reality that include notions of time, space and structure, as well as beliefs about the body, such as what it is, and where and how it is derived. Ideas such as these become deeply engrained in the mass consciousness, essentially conditioning the space of reality with specific terms of agreement. All manner of perceptions and abilities are encoded in the DNA and stored for access. Modern society’s current perceptions of reality are an experiment in consciousness, stemming in part from ancestral conditioning that developed exclusive attention on the physical world. This exactitude required a very intense and precise focus of attention, similar to that of a workhorse wearing blinders that narrow the animal’s field of vision to keep it focused on the road ahead. The road to modern civilization has been paved by massive corporate structures of industry and technology, whose building required a very narrow focus of attention. Globally and personally, you are now dealing with the consequences of limiting vistas of reality. Even with blinders on, all people have moments when the attributes of physical reality slip away and time stands still, when other dimensions silently peek into the present to let you know that you are more than your physical body. The fast energies, which are activating new states of consciousness by radically altering humankind’s limited range of focus, will continue to create quite a bit of turmoil.

As everything moves faster and faster, each and every moment contains more choices, more possibilities and more probable outcomes. With so much going on, human energy fields are broadcasting a great cacophony of confusion into the cosmos. So many people are agitated and have difficulty staying centered and balanced largely because they spend too much time absorbing information from the media and communicating via social networks. People are mindlessly overloading their circuits with meaningless chatter. Imagine for a few moments that no form of media exists, that no one is announcing the latest developing dramas and disasters. What would it be like? Would you still know what is happening on the planet? To what end have you co-created this state of affairs, where people’s tests, trials and tribulations are broadcast all across the world? What are you really telling one another? At best, the media is a grand delivery system, a way of sharing stories about life on Earth; nevertheless, it is merely a replacement for your inner connections and psychic knowledge of events.

People will feel quite emboldened this season and have much to say about the state of local and world affairs. More people will recognize true wisdom when they hear it, as a new wave of creative thinking surfaces with innovative solutions for the growing list of systemic problems. More and more people are recognizing the distinctive pattern of “media-driven events”, realizing that news stories are being manufactured and manipulated behind the scenes. Great numbers of people will participate in vast demonstrations to express their anger at the political order for blatant acts of fraud, deception and the lack of stability in society. There will be many versions of revolutions and a great increase in acts of civil disobedience. The protests that began in Tunisia and Egypt are now shaking apart nations across the Arab world. Other areas of the globe will also be inflamed with passionate confrontations, including countries around the Mediterranean, in Europe, Russia, China and areas in the US. People everywhere are in the mood to rebel against authority and anything else they think is irrelevant. There will be no acquiescence to poor leadership of patience with evasive leaders. Fiery energy can turn into zealous and fanatical expressions. This era of tremendous upheaval and unrest will create great currents of change over many years to come. As things go faster, the laws of cause and effect remain ever constant – whatever you sow is yours to harvest.

The influence of magnetic forces plays an important role in some of the changes that are occurring. Scientists have been observing both the steady migration of the North Magnetic Pole as it moves closer to Russia and an increase in unusual occurrences in the South Polar regions. While Earth’s magnetic field strength is fluctuating and declining, the magnitude of the Sun’s magnetic field has been dramatically increasing. Magnetic fluctuations create an increase in anomalies, and a weakened magnetic field allows more particle radiation and cosmic rays to enter Earth’s atmosphere, which can trigger various types of mutations in the genetic code. Space probes sent to gather data on the Sun are revealing many incongruities that are shaking up many presumptions about the Sun’s character. There have been considerable demonstrations of an intelligent energy in the Sun communicating with those observing the Sun. Essentially, the Sun is responding to your evolution of consciousness. These exchanges have sent mind-boggling shockwaves into the halls of science. The effects of a convergence of frequencies from the planets, transmissions from the Sun and activities near the center of the galaxy are evoking changes in the terrain of human consciousness. Scientifics are scrambling to understand that the Sun has consciousness and is alive. Numerous announcements this year concerning new discoveries about the galaxy will expand your pictures of reality to include the likelihood of cosmic relationships. Ancient people knew that the arrow of Sagittarius pointed toward the center of the galaxy for good reason. Cosmic energies are cooperating with you, helping you understand the liveliness of the cosmos, while every area of life is tumbled about in your quest for spiritual intelligence.

Think about how many different worlds of experience are occurring right now on Earth. This imposing array of seemingly conflicting expressions of consciousness is also playing out simultaneously along the lines of time. People play with energy; this is the essence of life – the goal is to become more aware of managing this energy in order to enhance the quality of life on all levels of experience. By choice or in denial, you participate in the dramas of life best suited to your stage of spiritual development, and your stories actually enrich the world with new meaning. As you become more aware of the signals in your energy field, you can tend your thoughts as you would a beautiful well-kept-garden. In these times of change, become even more aware of the power of your mind to determine the course of your life.

From most perspectives, world reality appears to be a pretty solid place; however, there is much more bounce and fluidity to reality than is recognized. New probable realities sprout forth from the growth of consciousness as easily as Nature moves from winter to spring. Whenever you look for a bigger picture of reality, you expand your consciousness and your worldview changes. When you make new decisions, your energy signals naturally seek out and merge with other suitable probabilities. Many scientists are on the threshold of understanding probabilities, parallel universes and simultaneous time; still they fiercely debate the validity of consciousness and its role in affecting reality, and whether it is wise to inform the public of these discoveries. Meanwhile, people everywhere are creating new realities every moment.

The mysteries of the unseen worlds are becoming more apparent. Many of you recognize that you have lived again and again and in a simultaneous time, and that everything is still alive and flourishing. Your body is more than physical and in a larger sense, thoughts are as physical and real as your body and your body is as energetic as your thoughts. You are an energy being, a part of something so majestic that only by removing the blinders will you see the majesty that is all around you.

Whenever a society creates too much momentum in any particular direction, a correction inevitably occurs. Anger over the mismanagement of public funds and the immediacy of financial problems will add plenty of sparks to the fires of a great reckoning. A deficit of funds is causing havoc across the board with the vanishing of services and entitlement programs. Millions of people, along with states and countries are broke. The world is bankrupt from corruption and the massive looting of wealth. Money is a form of energy, a means of exchange based on truth, trust and good faith. An economy cannot be sustained by fraud or by printing money on command, running off a few trillion here and there to pay off debts. Many countries will face the shocking realization that keeping things afloat is now impossible. Declarations of bankruptcy will increase dramatically, further intensifying the Great Recession of 2008 in scope and magnitude. In the great theater of Earth, from tragedy and pain, lessons are learned and new courses in learning always arise.

Worldwide, the availability of food and its distribution will be very problematic. Food shortages due to extremes in weather patterns and rising prices of commodities and transportation, along with a prevalence of strikes, firings, walkouts and closings, will add more disruptions. Growing your own food is now more than a hobby. Simplify your life and remember to honor Earth with sacred respect; for through the magical combination of good seeds, good soil, water and Sun, throughout time, people always sustained themselves.

The masses are in no mood to acquiesce to authority. With more and more people having spiritual epiphanies, demands for the truth and calls for liberty and freedom will escalate worldwide. And with the support of cosmic forces, people feel empowered to have their way. The clashes between opposing forces will be great. Be aware than many new forms of technology are being applied covertly to manipulate people by altering their behaviors. As the fog disperses, many people will be surprised, shocked and quite disturbed by the levels of electronic intrusions and surveillance mechanisms already in place. If people are up in arms about no-tracking concerns on the Internet, they are really going to have a rude awakening when these realizations settle in. As cosmic energies continue to stir up world- wide feelings of rebellion and ignite the passionate roars of spiritual fire, the years ahead will present challenging times for everyone. These energy patterns are well enough understood by forces that are staging events of rebellion and manipulating the masses into thinking their revolutions are home-grown. Bearing all of this in mind, remain ever vigilant of the powerful energies of these times and learn to use them wisely.

As people are thrust into the new rapids of reality, many of their plans will be completely altered. I highly recommend that you develop a friendly attitude toward the accelerated energies. Focus less on what the media is touting and pay closer attention to your thoughts, insights and what you feel in the air. Your awareness is like a flashlight that you can shine in any direction, so if you are curious about something, use your imagination to shine light on the situation. Think of your body as a source of wisdom and check to see what it knows; your body is becoming more finely tuned to sending and receiving all manner of energy transmissions. The next decade will feature revelations of new qualities of the mind that will be used to explore realities far beyond the electronic worlds. There are so many ways that things can play out; this is why it is important to be inspired to create a rich, meaningful life.

In these tumultuous times, people naturally have deep concerns about what the future holds. The spiritual awakenings will create confusion before clarity finally prevails. The next few years will provide ample opportunities to turn difficulties into fulfilling life lessons. People will make many new connections in their local communities as they realize that dependence on government run systems is futile.

If you could distance yourself from these times and look upon them from a few hundred years in the future or even from the past, how would you interpret the events of today’s world? With a renewed sense of confidence you can relax in the vitality of your being and with greater assurance you can grant yourself the grace to create a safe, wondrous and meaningful experience of reality. New beneficial possibilities are yours for the making when you herald the call that everything is vibrating with energy. So fly, stay head of the pack and energize creating the very best of probabilities and FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.

For a brief overture, Neptune remains in its home sign of Pisces for the next 3 months, until August 4th. The transition of Neptune into Pisces fully begins in February of 2012 and lasts until 2026. On one hand, the themes of Neptune and Pisces revolve around dreams, idealism, imagination and the spiritual evolution of consciousness. With a lack of higher consciousness, illusions, addictions, denial and confusion prevail. Neptune and Pisces have the effect of raising our sensitivities and dissolving the boundaries between the more subtle layers of reality. The parting of the veils into invisible realms and simultaneous realities will become a more commonly shared experience. However, without being properly grounded in 3-D, many unconscious people may disappear into deeper delusions and dysfunctional insanity. Neptune in Pisces emphasizes the power of the masses. During this phase, mass migrations, mass animal and human deaths, mass deceptions and mass awakenings through shared paranormal experiences could continue to unfold. The emotionally vulnerable water element is magnified while Neptune is in Pisces. Water cleanses and refreshes; it can also dissolve and wash away more sensitive, fragile things and beings. Although many people will be swept up and left drifting on the tides of loss and confusion, the profound power of our imagination can appear to the masses as a beacon of light that guides the way through turbulent times on the ocean of collective consciousness.

Historically, the last time Neptune entered Pisces was between 1848 and 1864. This period started with the California Gold Rush from 1848 through 1855. Although the promise of wealth and riches drove many west to seek gold, only a few of the many thousands who made the journey ever prospered, and most people perished, or returned home with little to show for their efforts. Neptune in Pisces can confuse dreams of the ideal with what is real, resulting in deep disillusionment. In 1852, the French president Napolean III dissolved the Second Republic of France and claimed himself Emperor of the Second French Empire. With that proclamation, Napoleon III (who had an Aries Sun sign), became the last monarch/dictator of France. Under the influence of Neptune in Pisces, unconscious arrogance can lead to delusions of grandeur that ultimately turn the tables into surrender and defeat. From 1856 to 1860, the Second Opium War took place between the Chinese Qing dynasty and the British and French Empires. Ostensibly, the European imperial forces wanted to lift restrictions placed by the Chinese emperor on the illegal opium trade (Neptune and Pisces also rule drugs and addiction). In reality, the British and French monarchies were more addicted to expansion and power. The Opium Wars were used as a ruse to control Chinese ports of trade and to undermine the last Chinese dynasty. Addiction and deception are unconscious obsessions that cause deeply damaging long term karma.

Simultaneously, with Neptune in Pisces in 1859, a massive solar storm knocked out the telegraph lines in the US and Europe. Auroras were observed around the world for several days, as far south as the Caribbean. Although the Sun was the primary catalyst for this event, the result was the temporary suspension of the rudimentary communications technology. Today, a solar storm of such magnitude would overwhelm and knock out today’s highly sensitive and vulnerable communications satellites and electrical infrastructures. The reliability on technology is an illusion (Neptune) that can disappear in a moment.

During the last phase of Neptune in Pisces, one of the most significant events in US history was the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. In 1861, after President Lincoln was elected as an opponent of slavery, the War Between the States began. As states began to secede, confusion and chaos reigned. The dispersing influence of Neptune in Pisces dissolved the US into a battle between Union and Confederate forces. Neptune and Pisces are related to the concept of sacrifice, and slavery is the ultimate sacrifice of human rights and dignity. At the same time, the sacrifice of life in war perpetuates a generational, amnesic trauma that continues to enslave people in unconscious, karmic timeline cycles of war. As the veils are parted from the illusions of time, we can inject love, courage and compassion into all lifetimes where we surrendered our freedom by playing the roles of victims and perpetrators.

Near the end of the quarter, on June 4th, Jupiter downshifts out of the fiery, frenzied influence of Aries as it transits into Taurus and unwinds into a more natural, stabilizing pace of growth. For the next year, Jupiter’s passage through Taurus spreads the super-potent, cosmic fertilizer of greater wisdom from Gaia to seed the field of human consciousness. Taurus is an earth sign relating to values, self esteem, material resources, land/property and the fertile cycles of the natural world. With Jupiter in Taurus, it is highly beneficial to evaluate what we believe is most worthwhile and valuable. Ideally, this is a time to pare down unnecessary material possessions and make room to cultivate our consciousness by nourishing our senses through direct transmissions from nature.

Whenever we walk labyrinthine paths on the land or plant gardens by the Moon’s cycles, our attention to nature reveals ever deeper insights to resolve our quandaries. While Jupiter is in Taurus, the continuity and consistency of the time we spend cultivating our relationship with nature is a prosperous, productive, long-term investment that we will reap rewards from for many Moons to come.

On the shadow side, as revolutionary trends continue to proliferate, Jupiter in Taurus may also magnify territorial disputes, land grabs and financial quarrels. Taurus is a sign that relates to issues of money. With Jupiter’s emphasis on financial matters, our beliefs about the values of trade and cost are ripe to evolve into a more sustainable model. Alternative forms of local currencies and barter will spread. Driven by out-of-control computer technology, the worldwide electronic, inflationary financial infrastructure is speeding toward collapse. Jupiter’s influence in Taurus indicates the need to remain optimistic in the midst of collective financial chaos. Instead of hoarding, we must focus on images of plenty and be more confident in manifesting what we need – when we really need it.

At the end of the quarter on June 1st, there is a new Moon solar eclipse at 11 degress Gemini. On June 15th, a full Moon lunar eclipse peaks at 24 degress of Sagittarius. During this eclipse portal, we can seek closure on past perceptions (Gemini) that have repeatedly limited our growth. As the Moon waxes to full, we can follow the trail of our feelings to re-frame our beliefs (Sagittarius) and then take leaps and bounds of confidence to fulfill our true destiny.

With the grouping of planets in Aries, the transition of Neptune into Pisces and Jupiter’s movement into Taurus, the elements of fire, water and earth are accentuated. By calling upon the fire of our will, the sensitive waters of our imagination, and a grounded, down-to-earth approach to natural living, we are set to stretch the boundaries of consciousness. Meanwhile, the reality checks from Saturn, in the air sign of Libra, will continue to challenge our own internal balance and our cooperation in understanding others.

In the dance of elemental shifts this spring, light a flame in your heart, pour inspired nourishing images into your cup and learn wisely from the lessons of the land. In this way, you can breathe courage, compassion and wisdom into all your relations throughout the full spectrum of simultaneous time. Gather your flock of selves and fly in unison on the cosmic currents of freedom that soar aloft into the brilliance of the expanding multiverse.

[Some Bloke]

I blame those pesky cattle barons and that darn barbed wire.
And now don't git me started on the whole railroad thing.

[Lord Sidious]

Posted by Fred S. (here)
O.K. Rob, now that you've got me all fired up to don the old Ruger .45 in it's side holster and go practice quickdraw in the front yard, (minus bullets of course) do we have a question here from der nugget meister, or merely a scholarly dissertation on the neutering of America's nuggets?


Cheers,
Fred

I just wanted to spark off some discussion on freedom, what it is, what do we want, how do we get it, just simple stuff like that.

Posted by firstlook (here)
we dont take kindly to free grazers round here.

I say string the varmints up.
Thanks for the laugh too.

I am not gonna quote Deedee, she is obviously lost for words.
Oh, yeah, on that note, cop this.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LArTxNnM77w

[billyji]

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odk3W3qLByI

[firstlook]

It does take alot of heart to live free. I tried when I was 18 and will admit I was not ready. It really puts you face to face with who you really want top be as a person. Not an easy climb in this world. Now I'm feeling romantic for the road. I'll stop.

Great topic Lord Sid.

[billyji]

Sorry guys but i had to do it

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLrrBs8JBQo

[Fred Steeves]

Posted by Lord Sidious (here)
I just wanted to spark off some discussion on freedom, what it is, what do we want, how do we get it, just simple stuff like that.

O.K., the old simple freedom discussion. I don't think very many people even have a vague concept of what it means. If someone were to begin to inform them before they were ready to hear it would go over like a lead zeppelin. Too much responsibility, crazy talk.


Fred

[Deedee]

Lord Sidious says: I am not gonna quote Deedee, she is obviously lost for words.

Hi Lord Sidious, Thanks for the video. Here's another one.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFEjcvIRMDo

[Lord Sidious]

Posted by firstlook (here)
It does take alot of heart to live free. I tried when I was 18 and will admit I was not ready. It really puts you face to face with who you really want top be as a person. Not an easy climb in this world. Now I'm feeling romantic for the road. I'll stop.

Great topic Lord Sid.

When I talk about this with people (nuggets?) they often say to me they wouldn't like to have been alive in the days of the ''wild west'' as it was so violent and barbaric.
My answer is usually ''And today isn't?''
I would love to have been around then, if I wasn't.
And in the drakkar, raiding the english, like my ancestors.
And in unternehmen barbarossa, as I was in another life.
And in the army of the CSA, the johnny rebs.
Aha, another good point.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP65O_2TlNs

Johnny Horton, who else?

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAfHigPsC_s

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuU4iOH2smk

This is a great rendition of a great ol tune. Even got banjos!

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6YwS7vSQM4

This is an excellent clip, from the movies Gods and Generals, Gettysburg and the Last Confederate.
The guy giving the address is meant to be Thomas ''Stonewall'' Jackson.

Gods and Generals is an excellent movie, I would suggest you guys have a look. One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the movie is at the battle of Fredericksburg.
There, two brigades come face to face in the battle, both Irish, one on each side, killing their own kin.

[sshenry]

How did we lose it?

Simple. We traded freedom for safety and security.

We let fear of the unknown over-ride our desire for pure freedom.

Not that there wasn't encouragement; after all some of those free ridin' gun totin' cowboys were realy nasty dudes intent on doing whatever the hell they wanted, when they wanted, and to whom they wanted without caring that they were infringing on other people's freedom, and the west being what it was, there was no one to stop them from doing just that.

As soon as there was a sheriff in town, laws were enacted in order to keep the rif-raf from infringing on other peoples freedoms, but the laws infringed on freedoms themselves in order to ensure that everyone would be treated with courtesy and respect (or at least that was the intent).

I could move on to how these laws have since been manipulated to allow the rif raf (who have now shed their guns and instead brandish their checkbooks) to once again run rampant across other people's rights and freedoms in the name of maintaining freedom (have you seen the loop yet?) but I won't, because we don't need to watch westerns to see the current episodes, they're playing out right in front of our eyes.

[Carmody]

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post229996

[REILLY]

I am free not to take life too seriously. From there one can reach the rest. Much power in a tiny grain of salt.

[Lord Sidious]

Posted by Deedee (here)
Lord Sidious says: I am not gonna quote Deedee, she is obviously lost for words.

Hi Lord Sidious, Thanks for the video. Here's another one.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFEjcvIRMDo

Funny story for you.
I was in the cinema with three friends when this movie was new.
The cinema was packed, probably about 1500 - 2000 people.
When this scene came on, it was too much for me.
I leapt to me feet when the little green communist got hit by force lightning and at the top of my voice yelled
COP THAT YA LITTLE GREEN BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whereupon the whole audience burst out laughing and my friends attempted to sneak themselves into the cloth fabric of the seats.
Sometimes ya just gotta let go of the rope.
I really loved it when the little green communist figured out that Sidious was the most powerful force user ever.

PS, I didn't mean that comment about you as an insult, more of a joke.

[Borden]

I think true freedom is true perception.

No-one alive is not prone to death. Not even a Sith Lord. But death is nothing to be afraid of, and to roughly quote an old 'friend', Sidious, "If you strike me down ... I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine".

Fear is the limiter. Fear handicaps us and stymies our appreciation of ourselves. I think fearlessness is freedom. Doesn't matter how fascistic and appalling the world becomes ... because you cannot let the world dictate who you are. This world seems designed to stop us ever learning who we really are. To know yourself in a dark world is freedom beyond any physical constraints that can be placed upon you.

Not that I bloody do. Ha!

The talk and the walk ain't the same thing.

Borden.

[firstlook]

Posted by Lord Sidious (here)

Posted by firstlook (here)
It does take alot of heart to live free. I tried when I was 18 and will admit I was not ready. It really puts you face to face with who you really want top be as a person. Not an easy climb in this world. Now I'm feeling romantic for the road. I'll stop.

Great topic Lord Sid.

When I talk about this with people (nuggets?) they often say to me they wouldn't like to have been alive in the days of the ''wild west'' as it was so violent and barbaric.
My answer is usually ''And today isn't?''
I would love to have been around then, if I wasn't.
And in the drakkar, raiding the english, like my ancestors.
And in unternehmen barbaross, as I was in another life.
And in the army of the CSA, the johnny rebs.
Aha, another good point.

Being In the states I can say that I think there is always violence. But I no doubt would be more inclined to be an easy rider (horse style) back then because people were more self reliant and that causes less of the outsider mentality. These days it takes some real maneuvering to to find places that still appreciate the mentality of the land and do not feel threatened by it.

One of those topics that does truly show how less of ourselves we have become in certain respects. Anyways I will check out those westerns. Thanks.

[Lord Sidious]

Posted by Borden (here)
I think true freedom is true perception.

No-one alive is not prone to death. Not even a Sith Lord. But death is nothing to be afraid of, and to roughly quote an old 'friend', Sidious, "If you strike me down ... I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine".

Fear is the limiter. Fear handicaps us and stymies our appreciation of ourselves. I think fearlessness is freedom. Doesn't matter how fascistic and appalling the world becomes ... because you cannot let the world dictate who you are. This world seems designed to stop us ever learning who we really are. To know yourself in a dark world is freedom beyond any physical constraints that can be placed upon you.

Not that I bloody do. Ha!

The talk and the walk ain't the same thing.

Borden.

If you have the knowledge of the Sith, death may not be as relevant as you think.

Posted by Darth Sidious
Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.

Seriously though, I agree about the fear deal.
Let go of it, what do you have to lose? Your physical existance?

[pie'n'eal]

Dear Lord,


Freedom is not reacting to events,
Addressing events without clinging,
is freedom.
Result no suffering.

Imprisonment is reacting to events,
Addressing events with clinging,
is imprisonment.
Result suffering.

Tony