On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 1:00 PM,
Dr. Lisa Earle wrote:
He has been my Hero forever-must forward...
-------Original Message-------
From: Donna Reuscher
Date: 11/23/2010 12:52:44 PM
Subject: About Thomas Jefferson
History 101.....
THOMAS JEFFERSON:
At 5, began studying under his cousins tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America" and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
At 33, took three years to revise Virginias legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello.
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of
Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the
Declaration of Independence along with John Adams
Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:
John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.Thomas Jefferson
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.Thomas Jefferson
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.Thomas Jefferson
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.Thomas Jefferson
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.Thomas Jefferson
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.Thomas Jefferson
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.Thomas Jefferson
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.Thomas Jefferson
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.
I wish we could get this out to everyone!!!
I'm doing my part.
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>> My Reply <<
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-------Original Message-------
On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 3:16 PM,
Dave Ruden wrote:
As you know, Jefferson is also one of my personal intellectual heroes. And yet like any hero, there is character and attitude to be admired and character and attitude to be rejected. Jefferson had his share of "bad" stuff. (e.g. he owned slaves, it is possible he was unfaithful to his wife with one or more of them, he believed in and acted towards the evisceration of the native Indian populations from lands rightfully declared theirs by treaty with the United States, etc). No grand perfect person was he, and hero worshipers should remember this (of all their heroes :).
With respect to the list of comments subsequent to the chronological enumeration... Surely most can agree that they don't ALL make sense today. For example:
>> To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
By this comment, there should be no taxation what so ever - there is NEVER unanimous agreement on ANY spending target. What is one person's *essential*, is another's *abhorrence*.
Secondly, let's realize that the world was still post-classical at that point, and therefore the education of those very few who were, by wealth or other stroke of fortune, able to afford it, was replete with the study of the combination of classical (Roman, Greek, Persian, etc) antiquity and Enlightenment (science, contemporary philosophy, humanism and religious freedoms, etc). I tend to agree that it is unfortunate that more of this post-classical, enlightenment ("Renaissance-man") type of education is absent from our education system today. If it were still present, we would likely not have the same degree of "herd-mentality" so easily moved by fear-mongering rather than reason. (i.e. the world would become progressively more liberal :).
And finally...
Wouldn't it be nice if the right-wing and/or Republican side of the spectrum actually *acted* upon some of these philosophical points, rather than claiming possession of them and yet hypocritically violating them !?
>> The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
As in take away from the large middle and low income classes, to fatten the wallets of the wealthiest elite of the population, who gather their wealth due to the labors of those whom the wealthy would be just as happy to pay less and less to.
>> It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.
This is clearly a hypocrisy of the Republican party. Under Democratic oversight, the government deficit was finally eliminated in the 90's, after being run up hugely by Republican control the decade prior. Then after another decade of Republican control following, the deficit is once again enormous! They Talk the Talk, but simply will not Walk the Walk. Don't believe them. They might mean it, but they won't do it.
Furthermore, "paying its own debts" also refers to raising taxes to pay for all the *stuff* government wants. Republicans won't cut programs that affect their local constituents, and insist on huge tax cuts to the wealthiest elitist segment of society. Hypocrisy.
>> I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
And removing Corporate influence and control from the PEOPLE's government is the best path to achieving this.
>> I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.
Here, Jefferson has already envisioned the Corporate take-over of our government.
But the Republicans will not allow themselves to see the take-over, nor will they allow themselves to see that Jefferson is criticizing their own actions at allowing Corporate influence over the PEOPLE's government.
... Yes, the words are all grand, and the sentiment sounds so logical. And dog-gone-it, we should all be Republicans because this is what they stand for! But.... No. No it isn't. Not really. Not when you witness their actual action in Congress and the White House.
So frankly, it seems to me, that this is all an argument for becoming a Democrat. They've got their issues, but they generally believe in taxing(i.e. paying now) for services rendered, believe in social diversity and inclusiveness, and believe in government by the PEOPLE, not by the Corporations (although I wish they believed in this more with action than we've been seeing).
So tell your right-wing friends to "Come on and Join us! The water is fine!"
:)
Love you,
---Dave.
