No one can be patriotic or pretend to love his country...

[nn2004]

and despise his government. - Bill Clinton

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/vidal1.html

I'm speechless.

[redqueen]

1. Why? n/t

[democratreformed]

2. At first I was speechless too

BUT, there is a difference in despising your government and the "current adminstration" running your government. Anyway, I think so.

[La_Serpiente]

3. Sounds pretty

freepish to me.

[bryant69]

4. Damn Straight

Republicans have been trying to tear down the basic idea of the government for 40 years--and too many Liberals will join in. But with no government where does that leave us? In the hands of the corporations.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[DinahMoeHum]

5. In rebuttal, I give you Mark Twain. . .

"Loyalty to the country always, loyalty to the government when it deserves it"


:kick:

[redqueen]

8. Bingo!

Once the government changes campaign financing (100% public funding, free airtime, etc.), reinstates usury laws, stops treating corporations as persons, etc.... THEN I'll stop despising it.

Bubba can kiss my hiney.

[Beetwasher]

6. Approving of your government

as in the Constitution and the various institutions that make it up, is not the same as despising the people who OCCUPY those institutions...

Yes, I'm sure for some feebleminded people it's hard to understand the distinction, but it's there for anyone with half a brain to understand.

[Bandit]

7. I believe he meant our form of government

However I don't know the context of that statement or exactly what was on his mind when he said it. I would suspect he meant our form of government and if that is the case I agree.

[redqueen]

9. He's very intelligent.

Do you really think he misspoke?

[denverbill]

12. Clinton said this in relation to the OKC bombing.

Limpballs, Savage, and the right-wing hate brigade had been preaching how evil the Clinton govt was, inspiring the militia movement that ultimately spawned McVeigh.

Apparently, Clinton somehow felt it was wrong to inspire such hatred of the US govt that people were moved to assassinate 200 hard-working govt employees and their children.

[arcane1]

10. I LOVE my government

I loathe quite a few politicians, though

[denverbill]

11. So is Lew admitted he was a traitor?

If this Clinton statement is accurate, Lew must've been a traitor for hating the govt when Clinton was in office. Right? Is that your point? Or do you know what your point was?

[redqueen]

13. Context

You really should post more of that article!

"In April 1996, a year after the events in Oklahoma, President Clinton signed an anti-terrorist law, a supposed consensus law, in which many, many trembling hands had a part, including Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole.

Although Clinton was to win the election, he did many opportunistic, but dim-witted things. He battled the opponents of the anti-terrorism law – which gave the attorney general the power to use the army against the civil population – by annulling the Posse Comitatus principle of 1878, which prohibited, under any circumstance, the use of the military against our people.

Habeas corpus, the heart of Anglo-American liberty, can remain suspended if there is a terrorist in the city. Upon being criticized by groups and individuals demanding respect for the Constitution, Clinton called them "unpatriotic." Then he waved the flag and, in true blockhead fashion, said: "No one can be patriotic or pretend to love his country and despise his government."

This is terrifying, since, from one moment to the next, it can include the majority of the people. I view this from another perspective. In 1939, could a German have considered unpatriotic for detesting Nazis? Black Tuesday is already exerting considerable pressure on our society, pushing it to become more militarized."

[WeirdSceneGoldmine]

14. Gore Vidal would not take Clinton out of context

I'm not sure President Clinton meant to apply those words to today's government. I'd guess he was talking about his government.