“To draw foolish portraits of each other, is a mode of attack and reprisal, which the greater part of mankind are fond of indulging.”-Thomas Paine Every election cycle, early on, civility is promised. Then, as events heat up in the mad race to election day, civility turns to accusation and acrimony. Cries of “foul!” ensue, …
Category Archives: Current Events
On Going to War for the Wrong Reasons, Fear, and Giving Up Our Character
“Character is to us, in our present circumstances, of more importance than interest.”-Thomas Paine, the American Crisis If our reasons for going to war are to protect and extend freedom and the ideals of our own founding, then it is in our interest to preserve the character of our nation. Radical attempts to alter that …
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On Differing Beliefs, Intolerance, and What it Proves
“If I do not believe as you believe, it proves that you do not believe as I believe, and this is all that it proves.” Despite all wars, hatreds, antagonisms, intolerance and abuse engendered to cure the “non-believers”, such action only serves to weaken the belief for which it is purported to serve. Tags: Thomas+Paine, Thomas+Paine+quotes, quotes+interpreted, intolerence, …
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On the Left, the Right, and the Blogosphere
“Serious argument and sound reasoning are preferable to ridicule.”-Thomas Paine And if you don’t agree with me, you’re an idiot… Tags: thomas+paine, thomas+paine+quotes, blogosphere, political+debate, debate+in+the+blogosphere, political+blogs
On the Bluster of Rush Limbaugh
“Among ridiculous things nothing is more ridiculous than ridiculous rage”-Thomas Paine Bluster and swagger, such as the type practiced daily by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, are not the domain of any prescient wisdom or truly moral indignation. It merely calls attention to itself and, more often than not, shows itself for what it is: a cheap and cynical …
On the Constitution vs. the Bush Administration
“A Constitution is the property of a Nation, and not those who exercise the Government.”-Thomas Paine, the Rights of Man George Bush barely hides his near contempt for the Constitution, apparently seeing it as something of an obstacle to his total grip on power. Several sources have confirmed his angry retort at a staff meeting …
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On the Use and Abuse of Power and Liberty
“Those who abuse liberty when they possess it would abuse power could they obtain it”-Thomas Paine The genius of the Constitution is in the assurance of liberty for the many and balance of power away from the one, or the few. In theory at least. How does that theory hold up in 2007? Tags: thomas+paine, thomas+paine+quotes, abuse+power, …
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On Striving to Look at the World with Astonishment
“Wise men are astonished at foolish things, and other people at wise ones”-Thomas Paine And it is to the higher expectations of the wise that the rest of us should always aspire. Tags: thomas+paine, thomas+paine+quotes, wisdom, foolish
On Keeping the True Cause Alive in Troubled Times
“Though the cause of America is the most honorable that man ever engaged in, I am not so dazzled by it as not to perceive the faults that are twisting themselves round it, and unnaturally claiming kindred with it.”–Thomas Paine In a troubled time such as we live, it is too easy to be dazzled …
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On the Consequence of an Out-of-Touch Government
“As this is in the order of nature, the order of Government must necessarily follow it, or Government will, as we see it does, degenerate into ignorance”-Thomas Paine, Rights of Man Isolation, an unwillingness to allow dissent, and a refusal to acknowledge realities that don’t line up with ideologies makes for ignorant governance. Tags: thomas+paine, thomas+paine+quotes, …
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