Friday, April 11, 2014

‘I’m quite confident that we’re going to rebel against this abusive government’

I think that we’re in a period today comparable to the American founding period in two senses: one, we’re worried about decay — we’re worried about whether we’re squandering our legacy and whether we’re calling into question whether people can really govern themselves — but also because, and this is the heartening part of this, today as never before in my lifetime, Americans have rekindled their interest in the founding era and the founding principles. Look at the wonderful sales of biographies of the founders: Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison. Look at the Tea Party, which I think frankly is one of the great events of my lifetime.

The American people go through life with a little crick of their necks from looking back at the past, and that’s healthy. We always relate to the Declaration and to the Constitution and here, along comes the Tea Party movement named after something that happened in 1773: the Boston Tea Party. And it’s called us back to reverence for, and understanding of, and insistence upon, the founding principles of limited government. So, in a good sense and a bad sense, I think we’re in the founding period. We’re in a period like our founding when we considered first principles and worried about the possibility of decay.

-- George F. Will --
 
all of it here

and then try this
Turns out mankind probably brewed beer before it baked bread. That shows your priorities were straight right from the beginning. It was probably an accident that started primitive man to understand fermentation of grain. But they sure liked what they got when it fermented.
summer's coming gang. . .

 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've heard it said that in colonial times beer was referred to as "liquid bread."

midnight rider said...

And I have read that the Pilgrim's landed at Plymouth Rock, in part, because they ran out of beer. The water on the Mayflower (and most other ships of the time) wasn't potable so beer was a substitute. And they ran out and got thirsty.

;-o

Pastorius said...

With women around, beer becomes a necessity.

Take that anyway you want it.

Anonymous said...

As one that simply cannot enjoy either beer or wine, while a good brandy, whiskey or bourbon straight up in a single shot is a divine gulp, my comment will be limited to G. Will's statement/title of this post..."‘I’m quite confident that we’re going to rebel against this abusive government’.

By 5:30 a.m., my son and I were at boat house this morning as his team is preparing for Crew competition season to begin. At the waterfront, there is no internet connection, so I brought along Trevor Loudon's book of nearly 700 pages to busy my mind as intense fog kept me from enjoying the view as the sun struggled to burn off this fog.
Although I've had this book for several months, it was only this moment where I could focus on the book.
Having only read the prologue, I thought this thread's title an appropriate place to share the following quote beginning @mid 3rd paragraph...
"...The reality is that if America loses it's comic dynamism, it's ability to generate huge wealth, it will inevitably also lose its military superiority.
If America loses its position as the world's number one military super power, who will take its place?
The Universe abhors a vacuum. If America is no longer the world's leading military power, someone else will be."

TBC

Anonymous said...

Cont'd from above:
"Realistically, that can only be Russia or China, or more likely, an alliance of Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Vietnam. Such an alliance is already partially built through the little publicized Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Founded in 2001, the SCO is an economic, political and military alliance binding Russia, China, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. SCO "Observer" states include Iran, India, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Afghanistan. "Dialogue Partners" include Sri Lanka and Belarus.
Add to those neo-communist ruled countries such as South Africa and Brazil, the Latin American leftist ruled nations such as Equador and Argentina, most of the Islamic nations and international Islamic terrorism, and you have a huge potential power bloc. All allied against the United States."
TBC

Anonymous said...

Cont'd from above:
"As the U.S. Dollar slowly sinks and America's prestige and power goes with it, Russia, China, and Iran grow bolder. America's allies such as Israel, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Poland, and Georgia, can all see the writing on the wall. The message is clear. Every man for himself, or make your peace with the "Evil Axis".
America's allies are looking at the leadership coming out of Washington and they are horrified. If America got into a major war with Russia or China tomorrow, many of them would stay neutral. If Russia, China, Iran and all their allies all attacked a weakened and disarmed America in ten years time, it's hard to imagine anyone coming to Uncle Sam's aid. Some current "friends" may even join the anti-U.S. alliance. The Western alliance would struggle to win WWIII today. In another decade, there may be no Western alliance left to even fight.
If America continues down the current path of impoverishment and disarmament, it is only a matter (of) time before combined forces of Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Vietnam, and their Islamic protégés come to dominate the planet.



From Trvor Loudon's "The Enemies Within"

Pastorius said...

Great quote, Anonymous.

Thank you.