They Can Take Away Our Lives...
Lileks notes the surprising source of a Lebanese protest sign:
But that picture is interesting for a third reason: The words on the placard are from "Braveheart." That's what William Wallace shouted to rouse the troops. I'm not quite sure what it means – it's one of those sentiments that falls apart when you interrogate it too closely, but on the other hand it makes sense, somehow. Except that you would be dead, but free. But Free! But dead.
Braveheart is one of my favorite movies, and I've always found that line reminiscent of one of my all-time favorite Robert Heinlein quotes:
You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.
I was greatly surprised when I googled that quote and learned that it came from "If This Goes on…" I could have sworn it was one of Lazarus Long's famous aphorisms.
But no matter.
Either way. It's all good.
Anyhow, whether the writers of the screenplay were influenced by Heinlein or they came up with the line on its own, it is about as straightforward a libertarian credo as you could ever hope to find.
And where do we find such a sentiment proudly displayed?
Why, the Arab Street, of course.
A while back, I used to ask people seven questions about the future. The first one was:
The present is the future relative to the past. What's the best thing about living here in the future?
I think the answer has got to be: Stuff Like This.
Comments
I know Lileks was being funny, but the quote actually makes sense in the context of the Gibson/Wallace speech.
The choice that the soldiers had was to live a longer life that counted for nothing under the tyranny of Longshanks, or live a life of purpose and be free to the end.
Anyway, you gotta love those Lebanese protest babes.
Glenn Reynolds contrasts the two protest groups here:
http://instapundit.com/archives/021602.php
and makes a hilarious observation about one of the pro-Syrian protestors who doesn't look demented enough to be part of that crowd.
Posted by: Stephen Gordon![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.blog.speculist.com/nav-commenters.gif)
|
March 16, 2005 06:10 AM