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[at-l] Live Free or Die

There were a few undeserving flames from individuals who obviously don't
know what a rhetorical question is all about.  It was intended to stimulate
your intellect and solicit your views as hikers and how not being able to
embrace "Live Free or Die" would affect your lives.

There were a couple of worthy responses to my rhetorical question: "I
wonder what that means?"  This is my favorite:

From: Owen <jrowen@ibm.net

I'll give you one of my answers by way of a quote from one of Rudyard
Kipling's poems -

"My son, if I, Hafiz, thy father, take hold of my knees in my pain,
Demanding thy name on stamped paper, one day or one hour - refrain.
Are the links of thy fetters so light that thou cravest another man's
chain?"
            --- "Certain Maxims of Hafiz" by Rudyard Kipling


From URL: http://nmsmn.com/~cservin/jargon/l/livefreeordie.html

Live Free Or Die!

1. The state motto of New Hampshire, which appears on that state's
automobile license plates. 

2. A slogan associated with UNIX in the romantic days when UNIX aficionados
saw themselves as a tiny, beleaguered underground tilting against the
windmills of industry. The "free" referred specifically to freedom from the
fascist design philosophies and crufty misfeatures common on commercial
operating systems. Armando Stettner, one of the early UNIX developers, used
to give out fake license plates bearing this motto under a large UNIX, all
in New Hampshire colors of green and white. These are now valued
collector's items. 

and 

From URL:  http://www.livefreeordie.org/mission.htm

The Mission Statement of the "Live Free or Die" Political Action Committee

The "Live Free or Die" Political Action Committee derives its name from the
historic and patriotic motto of the State of New Hampshire, and is
committed to preserving the freedoms for which General John Stark uttered
this symbolic battle cry during the Revolutionary War. 

The Committee's Chairman and Membership believes it is the solemn duty of
every American citizen to uphold and protect the inalienable, God-given
rights of " Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" so eloquently
stated in the Declaration of Independence. The Committee further believes
the Constitution of the United States of America is the framework to
protect those basic rights, and threats to these rights and freedoms must
be resisted - be they from foreign or domestic sources. 

The Committee and its Membership are alarmed further that the personal
liberties and freedoms that are a part of our heritage, and that we cherish
so fervently, are being threatened by a lack of domestic vigilance while
our foreign enemies continue to challenge our freedom. 

The symptoms are prevalent throughout the land: 

--Loss of control of our borders communities 
--Decline in family values 
--Increased Crime and Drug Use 
--Low citizen participation in our political process 
--Scandals involving many of our political leaders 
--Rapid and irresponsible downsizing of our military 
--An education system encumbered by the heavy hand of the 

More follows:  see the referenced URL above for more information.



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