Ayn Rand's wildest dream came true.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

Not sure what Alan Greenspan makes of the deterioration of the GOP, but I'd like to hear from him.

"Rand described Objectivism as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute".

10 years ago the "tea party took flight. Notably two of its biggest championship are gone - Paul Ryan and David Koch. But the damage is done. Two Russians seem to be responsible for the destruction of our democracy. Did Rand intentionally intend to destroy our country?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivism#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DObjectivism_is_a_philosophical_system%2CRussian-American_writer_Ayn_Rand.%26text%3DRand_described_Objectivism_as_%22the%2Creason_as_his_only_absolute%22.?wprov=sfla1

[sprinkleeninow]

1. Required reading in HS. I dint go into her bio. She was a

ЯUSKI?

[Crunchy Frog]

2. Yes, she was a Russian. They've been after us for a long time.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

3. I never thought that she may have intentionally come up with Objectivism...

...to destroy US.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

4. Or. maybe it was a theory formed by committee and espoused by Rand

[Champp]

11. And the Republicans enable ongoing Russia attacks on America

the repubes and the ruskis amplify each other's lies, Propaganda-Plus. It's an international cesspool of lies and grift.

[Grins]

6. Required reading?

Why did your school hate America?

William F. Buckley and Alan Wolfe hated her. And so did Gore Vidal. (Imagine a conversation between Buckley and Vidal about her!)

Best quote I found (and there are some real gems out there!):

“Atlas Shrugged’’, a book that’s never been read all the way through by anyone with a girlfriend.” - Bill Maher.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

8. 2017 article

https://qz.com/882493/donald-trump-paul-ryan-and-andy-puzder-say-they-love-ayn-rands-controversial-philosophy-heres-what-us-republicans-keep-getting-wrong-about-it/

"US Republican leaders love Ayn Rand’s controversial philosophy—and are increasingly misinterpreting it."

“Selfishness is a virtue.”

The true religion of the GOP is comprised of the cinematic scriblings of a Russian woman. That is a hoot and a half!

[HAB911]

14. While conveniently ignoring her atheism

[csziggy]

10. There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

[Kung Fu Monkey -- Ephemera, blog post, March 19, 2009]”
― John Rogers
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/atlas-shrugged

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

12. Posted this a few days ago

Reposting here because it’s relevant:

[JanMichael]

13. That's a fabulous quote. I was apprehensive at the start...Orcs...

Then again I read the Hobbit, Return of the King and Lord of the Rings, starting at 8. I was a weird kid.

[FakeNoose]

19. Born in Russian but I'm pretty sure she became a naturalized US citizen

In her later years she collected Social Security. LOL!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

5. Creepy website and university...

https://newideal.aynrand.org/aris-expanding-influence-in-latin-america/

Greenspan? Shrugged...

https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/12/hitchens-200012

[njhoneybadger]

7. Ayn Rand was an Atheist and thought Christians were stupid.

She also didn't like Paul Ryan and thought Libertarianism was her philsophy with religion added to it. The Republican Party is an amalgamation of many rotten things the world has seen throughout its history.

[lapfog_1]

9. she didn't like Paul Ryan?

what exactly made her, on her death bed, hate a 12 year old?

Ayn Rand (January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982)
Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American retired politician who served as the 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives

or was it some other Paul Ryan?

[njhoneybadger]

16. Sorry, I was thinking Ron Paul.

[hatrack]

15. I thought Christopher Hitchens said it pretty well . . .

[Hortensis]

17. CJC Milley, on January 8 still working to save our nation, sat down and

jotted some thoughts about those who attacked the Capitol. This is from Woodward/Costa's Peril.

"What is this amorphous thing that just happened on the 6th. Who are these people?" He jotted rapidly:

6MWE (Six million weren't enough)
Extreme Tea Party
Qanon
Patriot Movement
We Are the People Movement
Nazis
Proud Boys
The Oath Keepers
Newsmax
Epoch (The Epoch Times)

Milley summarized and scribbled.

Big threat: domestic terrorism.

Millie concluded that some were Brown Shirts, a U.S. version of the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing, and that it was a planned revolution.

"Steve Bannon's vision coming to life. Bring it all down, blow it up, burn it, and emerge with power."

This summary of his thoughts didn't mention Russia, but of course he'd be far more aware than us of Russia's decades of efforts to subvert our nation. Russia fed and augmented what was already here and already eager to burst into flames.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. I don't think the GOP is very Randian these days

They've rejected reason in a major way, aren't interested in productive achievement, and their "individualism" is heavily qualified by grouping together to hate other groups - which is their defining characteristic. Rand wouldn't admire them - note that people like Bannon have an ideology of nationalism and using religion to exclude others.

The modern GOP is about hate, not selfishness.

And there's no sign she "intentionally intended to destroy our country"; she was an extreme anti-communist, who fled after the revolution. The USA was the most capitalist place she could have come to.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

20. The Tea Party is very Randian. And the Tea Party IS the GOP.

What TFG means is a means to an end, plus racism. We can honestly say they are the new age American Nazis. They don't actually burn books, but they do everything they can to negate American history and critical thought.

Rand wrote the way, Kochs funded it and reaps its rewards.