tagged w/ Thomas Jefferson
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By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that the founders of the United States would have dealt violently with marijuana growers, despite the fact that they grew the plant for commercial purposes themselves.
He said at an town hall event in New Hampshire that decriminalizing drugs like marijuana would increase the rate of addictions and increase crime.
“In general, I’d like us to be as drug free as possible and I think that it requires a much more serious approach.”
Gingrich was later asked if former Presidents Thomas Jefferson or George Washington should have been arrested for growing marijuana.
“I think Jefferson or George Washington would have rather strongly discouraged you from growing marijuana and their techniques with dealing with it would have been rather more violent than our current government,” he responded.
Both Washington and Jefferson grew marijuana on their Virginia farms. At the time, the plant was used to make a number a products, such as rope and textiles. It did not become a widely-used recreational drug in the United States until the 20th century, but some academics have claimed that at least seven early U.S. presidents used the drug in the form of hashish.
Gingrich has previously called for a more aggressive drug policy, including the death penalty for drug smugglers.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/04/gingrich-founding-fathers-would-have-violent-reaction-to-pot-growers/
Watch this video from CNN, uploaded Jan. 4, 2012.
"WTF???" Who made Newt a Historian???" I Highly Doubt the Founding Fathers would have done or said anything about the Hemp back in that day, in fact I am sure they used quite a bit of it for ropes, clothing etc....By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that the... more
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Washington Post...
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Christopher Hitchens dies; Vanity Fair writer was a religious skeptic, master of the contrarian essay
PHOTO:
(MARVIN JOSEPH/WASHINGTON POST)
- Christopher Hitchens in May 2010.
By Matt Schudel, Updated: Thursday, December 15, 9:15 PM
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Christopher Hitchens, a sharp-witted provocateur who used his formidable learning, biting wit and muscular prose style to skewer what he considered high-placed hypocrites, craven lackeys of the right and left, “Islamic fascists” and religious faith of any kind, died. He was 62. He had cancer of the esophagus.
Vanity Fair, the magazine for which Mr. Hitchens worked, confirmed his death.
Mr. Hitchens, an English-born writer who had lived in Washington since 1982, was a tireless master of the persuasive essay, which he wrote with an indefatigable energy and venomous glee. He often wrote about the masters of English literature, but he was better known for his lifelong engagement with politics, with subtly nuanced views that did not fit comfortably with the conventional right or left.
In his tartly worded essays, books and television appearances, Mr. Hitchens was a self-styled contrarian who often challenged political and moral orthodoxy. He called Henry Kissinger a war criminal, savaged Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, ridiculed both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, then became an outspoken opponent of terrorism against the West from the Muslim world.
In 2007, Mr. Hitchens aimed his vitriol even higher, writing a best-selling book that disputed the existence of God, then enthusiastically took on anyone — including his own brother — who wanted to argue the matter.
His supporters praised Mr. Hitchens as a truth-telling literary master who, in the words of the Village Voice, was “America’s foremost rhetorical pugilist.” Writer Christopher Buckley has called him “the greatest living essayist in the English language.”
Enemies vilified Mr. Hitchens as a godless malcontent. His onetime colleague at the Nation, Alexander Cockburn, called him “lying, self-serving, fat-assed, chain-smoking, drunken, opportunistic [and] cynical.”
Mr. Hitchens was a raffish character who constantly smoked and drank, yet managed to meet every obligation of a frenetic professional and social schedule. A writer for the Observer newspaper in Britain described him as “at once resolute and dissolute.”
Friends and enemies alike marveled at how the hedonistic Mr. Hitchens, after a full evening of drinking and talking, could then sit down and casually produce sparkling essays for Vanity Fair, the Nation, the Atlantic, Slate.com and many other publications without missing a deadline.
“Writing is recreational for me,” he said in 2002. “I’m unhappy when I’m not doing it.”
He seldom produced an uninteresting sentence while writing with authority on a dizzying array of subjects, including books on Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and the Elgin Marbles. Besides his political essays — usually about international affairs, seldom about domestic U.S. policy — Mr. Hitchens also wrote about strictly literary subjects, including authors Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, P.G. Wodehouse and Philip Roth.
The writer he was most identified with, though, was George Orwell, the British essayist and author of “1984.” His bracing moral courage and brisk prose were among Mr. Hitchens’s ideal models.
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Christopher Hitchens dies; Vanity Fair writer was a... more
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[Thomas Jefferson once said:
"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 . . . The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." -- Thomas Jefferson -- The Debate Over The Recharter Of The Bank Bill, (1809)]
http://current.com/15kt84c
If you take the time to read the link which Mr. Bradley has also referenced in: (http://current.com/community/93356608_who-is-running-america-the-bankruptcy-of-america-the-corporate-united-states-and-the-new-world-order.htm), and to the extent of it's truth, I ask this question: Irrespective of what past powers have done, can not we, the people, rise up and change the facts and course of our government and courts?[Thomas Jefferson once said:
"I believe that banking institutions are more... more
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CNN Opinion...
Why U.S. is not a Christian nation
By Kenneth C. Davis, Special to CNN
July 4, 2011 9:10 a.m. EDT
tzleft.davis.kenneth_revere.jpg
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson is famous for words he wrote in the Declaration of Independence
Kenneth Davis: Jefferson's other words resonate as well
Jefferson wrote Bill of Rights set up "wall of separation between Church and State"
Founding Fathers knew the dangers of merging church and state, Davis says
Editor's note: Kenneth C. Davis is the author of "Don't Know Much About History: Anniversary Edition" (HarperCollins). He posts regularly at his blog at http://www.dontknowmuch.com/.
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PART ONE...
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(CNN) -- As America celebrates its birthday on July 4, the timeless words of Thomas Jefferson will surely be invoked to remind us of our founding ideals -- that "All men are created equal" and are "endowed by their Creator" with the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These phrases, a cherished part of our history, have rightly been called "American Scripture."
But Jefferson penned another phrase, arguably his most famous after those from the Declaration of Independence. These far more contentious words -- "a wall of separation between church and state" -- lie at the heart of the ongoing debate between those who see America as a "Christian Nation" and those who see it as a secular republic, a debate that is hotter than a Washington Fourth of July.
It is true these words do not appear in any early national document. What may be Jefferson's second most-quoted phrase is found instead in a letter he sent to a Baptist association in Danbury, Connecticut.
While president in 1802, Jefferson wrote: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State ... "
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CONTINUED...CNN Opinion...
Why U.S. is not a Christian nation
By Kenneth C. Davis,... more
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Our freedom was just as much about agriculture in Colonial America as it is now part of our current fight for food sovereignty. Thomas Jefferson exemplified this at Monticello.And it it now the spirit of the sustainable/local food movement today that exemplifies the spirit that birthed our nation. To plant our seeds, to save them, to cultivate them and to use them in a way that cherishes and supports healthy soil and provides healthy food for our citizens is what freedom is all about.
Our country is now on the cusp of a new Revolution, the sustainable food revolution and I think Jefferson, Adams, Washington and those who fought for freedom then would approve of it. Industrial agriculture deems to subject us to the slavery of monoculture seeds and thought. It deems to leave us subervient to the corporate agriculture kings who do not respect true freedom. So in that spirit we must fight as hard now as we did then to preserve our freedom to plant our seeds in this good Earth to preserve our environment, our soil and our future.
You can join us in celebrating that spirit every day:
http://current.com/groups/sustainable-agriculture/Our freedom was just as much about agriculture in Colonial America as it is now part... more
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from Wikipedia
"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence and considered by some as part of one of the most well crafted, influential sentences in the history of the English language. These three aspects are listed among the "unalienable rights" or sovereign rights of man.
Origin and phrasing
The seventeenth-century cleric and philosopher Richard Cumberland wrote in 1672 that promoting the well-being of our fellow humans is essential to the "pursuit of our own happiness." John Locke, in his 1689 "A Letter Concerning Toleration," wrote that "Civil interest I call life, liberty, health, and indolency of body; and the possession of outward things..." Locke wrote in his 1693 Essay Concerning Human Understanding that "the highest perfection of intellectual nature lies in a careful and constant pursuit of true and solid happiness." Locke never associated natural right with happiness, but in 1693 Locke's philosophical opponent Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz made such an association in the introduction to his Codex Iuris Gentium. William Wollaston's 1722 book The Religion of Nature Delineated describes the "truest definition" of "natural religion" as being "The pursuit of happiness by the practice of reason and truth." The 1763 English translation of Jean Jacques Burlamaqui's Principles of Natural and Politic Law extolled the "noble pursuit" of "true and solid happiness" in the opening chapter discussing natural rights.
The first and second article of the Virginia Declaration of Rights adopted unanimously by the Virginia Convention of Delegates on June 12, 1776 and written by George Mason, is:
That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.
Benjamin Franklin was in agreement with Thomas Jefferson in downplaying protection of "property" as a goal of government. It is noted that Franklin found property to be a "creature of society" and thus, he believed that it should be taxed as a way to finance civil society. The United States Declaration of Independence, which was primarily drafted by Jefferson, was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The text of the second section of the Declaration of Independence reads:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_happinessfrom Wikipedia
"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is one of the... more
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The following are effective immediately!
9.1 Fertilizing the Tree of Liberty
Effective immediately, no one is allowed to use Thomas Jefferson's quotation, "The tree of Liberty needs to be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants," unless they first use all their own blood. Demanding others contribute blood as well would be socialist, and good patriots know that Jefferson wouldn't promote socialism. They don't know what socialism is, but god damn it, they're sure Jefferson would be against it as much as he was against sex with free white women.
There are already too many armchair warriors. You know the type. They're constantly using Jefferson's quote from the safety of their computer keyboard. They've got an extensive NRA bumper sticker collection proclaiming their willingness to die to subsidize the Firearms Manufacturing Industry. And when bin Laden was killed, they gasped "We got 'im!" at the TV before collapsing back into their recliner, crushing their last crate of Ho-Hos.
No more quoting Jefferson for them!
But what about people who actually do shed blood and try to sell that act as serving the cause of liberty? Heck, that's a perfect description of murderer Timothy McVeigh. Look, if you really want be an American martyr, or launch a jihad for Jesus made in the USA, or you just feel like dying because some lobbyist tricked you into doing so by converting select passages of the USA's historical documents into a sales pitch, you have to remember this is the land of personal responsibility, individuality and initiative. So you first. Water that tree with every last drop of your own blood and only your blood. The rest of us will add the fertilizer.
9.2 Extreme Makeover: Polygamist Cult Edition
Effective immediately, polygamist cults need to start dressing the women hotter. What is the point of being god's chosen ones if all your many wives look like identical extras from Little House on the Prairie? Come on, polygals! Sex it up! More Hefner, less heifer!
And polyguys, I know you're not fans of equality, but you've got a part to play, too: get some new clothes! For heavenly father's sake, overalls are as likely to impress the chicks as tweeting them a picture of your penis. We all can't be on the cutting edge of fashion, true, but at least try for something post-eighteenth century.
With these simple tips, you'll all be looking your best on national TV when the FBI inevitably raids your compound.
9.3 Pirate Sludge Not Worth Seein'
Effective immediately, there will be no more Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The need for this requirement should be self-explanatory to anyone who has seen the movie. Yes, I said movie, not movies, since the only thing that changes from one noisy mess to the next is the title. Of course you know I'm kidding. Everyone knows the title doesn't change! Only the subtitle does.
Sincerely,
Larry Nocella
Third Left Tenant, Sub DivisionThe following are effective immediately!
9.1 Fertilizing the Tree of Liberty... more
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Hundreds of people danced at the Jefferson Memorial in DC this past saturday in response to the arrest of Adam Kokesh of RT and others the week before in defiance of a no dance law. I especially liked the dancing Thomas Jefferson.Hundreds of people danced at the Jefferson Memorial in DC this past saturday in... more
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RESISTING TYRANNY IS BOTH A UNIVERSAL RIGHT AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD.
Stephen Lendman of OpEdNews points out that history is replete with lectures and directives on the public revolt against corrupt government. Even our own Declaration of Independence anticipated that we may find ourselves in our current situation, where our legislators and government have violated their fiduciary and responsibility to the people, in favor of select others and for their own personal enrichments.
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "All who govern in the interests of themselves rather than of the common good are tyrants...., ...If the lawmakers (i) are motivated not by concern for the community's common good but by greed or vanity (private motivations that make them tyrants, whatever the content of their legislation), ...one has the right of forcible resistance; as a private right this could extend as far as (KILLING THE TYRANT) as a foreseen side-effect of one's (LEGITIMATE SELF-DEFENSE)."
Later, John Locke, "the Father of Liberalism" and renown English philosopher, wrote: "there can be but one Supream (sic) Power, which is the Legislature, to which all the rest are and must be subordinate, yet the Legislature being only a Fiduciary Power to act for certain ends, ( the people's welfare and will), there remains still in the People a Supream Power to (REMOVE OR ALTER) the Legislature,
Thomas Jefferson wrote: "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God." Our own Declaration of Independence cites the following: "...governments are instituted...from the consent of the governed...whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends ( acting in the people's best interests )...it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government...".
Indeed, suffragette Susan B. Anthony urged: "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God". And we all know, that women would never have gained the rights that they now have, if they did not demand them and fight for them!
I am grateful to Stephen Lendman for incorporating all of these quotations into one article, for validating my feelings that common people have once again been victimized by our government, and for vindicating my sense of rage against, and intolerance of those legislators who's life's occupation is striving to exploit and enslave each of us. All of us can now take solace in the fact that the greatest of saints, philosophers, politicians and human rights advocates recognized that governments can become corrupted, and that when they do, it is both our right and obligation to dissolve that government; if we choose, and to reform whatever one might be in our best collective interest!
This is the point of, by the way, and the non violent; ( their personal preference ), process that Revolution 2.0 is pursuing: http://www.osixs.org/Rev2_menu_intro.aspx
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Resisting-Tyranny-A-Unive-by-Stephen-Lendman-101224-901.htmlRESISTING TYRANNY IS BOTH A UNIVERSAL RIGHT AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD.
Stephen Lendman... more
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EXHIBIT A
Before You Vote, A Word From Thomas Jefferson
"Experience has shown that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."
Thomas Jefferson
Our forefathers gave up everything for their nation. Did you know that the British tortured 5
of the original 52 signers of the Declaration of Independence until their death? Three were permanently exiled into Spanish territory. Almost a quarter of them had their homes burned to the ground. Some were millionaires who gave their fortunes up to support the Revolutionary War and died penniless. They didn’t make these sacrifices for us to throw it all away.
We weren’t sitting with them at the table when they authored the greatest instrument of government ever made, The U.S. Constitution. However we can assume that they weren’t pleased with the only form of government they had known and were determined to make this new government better.
Admire the forethought of one of our great American founders; Thomas Jefferson. Imagine when he made that comment. Was it made as they were discussing the design of the constitution? They decided to make terms of congress every 2 and 6 years for a reason. Although they didn’t place caps on term limits as they did for the President, I don’t believe they intended for us to continue to elect the same people until they suffered from Alzheimer’s. You won’t find a congress member serving 20 years during the 1800’s and our nation and the people both prospered.
As we look at the many problems facing our nation, we can only blame ourselves. The reason for the disconnect between congress and real American life is clearly shown below.
LONGEST SERVING SENATORS
Robert C. Byrd 47 years
Strom Thurmond 47 years
Ed Kennedy 43 years
Daniel K. Inouye 43 years
Theodore F. Stevens 37 years
LONGEST SERVING REPRESENTATIVES
John Conyer 41 years Edolphus Towns 23 years
Bud Cramer 16 years John M. Spratt Jr. 23 years
Clay E. Shaw 25 years Jim Saxton 23 years
Christopher Smith 25 years Major R. Owens 23 years
Frank R. Wolf 25 years Solomon P. Ortiz 23 years
Gary L. Ackerman 23 years Allan B. Mollohan 23 years
Howard L. Berman 23 years Sander M. Levin 23 years
Michael Bilirakis 23 years Marcy Kaptur 23 years
Sherwood Boehlert 23 years Nancy L. Johnson 23 years
Rick Boucher 23 years Lane Evans 23 years
Dan Burton 23 years
If Thomas Jefferson were here today he would aim his musket at every one of us. The above list is not exhaustive and there are far too many double digit serving members of congress.
One of the problems that alarm me the most is that about 1 of every 300 children
born in the U.S. are born autistic. The CDC is investigating this matter now
because nobody knows why. I believe it may have to do with chemicals and
medication that are filtering down through our genes and chromosomes.
25% of hospitalizations in the U.S. are caused from adverse reactions from medications. The Tories have infiltrated the FDA and pharmaceutical company representatives sit at the same decision making table as the FDA when approving drugs. We have medications that make us see blue, go blind, kill others or ourselves or die of heart attacks.
Our borders are similar to floodgates for terrorists to easily penetrate and congress
does nothing to stop it.
George Bush has enacted something he calls the Patriot Act that would be better
named the Communist Act. There are words we will not say on the phone or type
on the computer. We are becoming scared of our own government. Imagine what Thomas Jefferson would have to say to George Bush about his Patriot Act.
Congress members feather their own nest with pay raises; yet will not raise the
minimum wage for hard working Americans.
Our government is allowing companies to kill us. An employee at A&M
University came home to find his two beloved birds dead and bleeding. They
were located near his kitchen. Turns out they died of cancer from Teflon pans
made by Dupont. Dupont has known that this Teflon substance causes harmful
odors. The EPA praises itself for phasing out Teflon pans by the year 2015?
I can continue with many serious problems facing our Nation. Our government
is becoming a puppet for American business and the needs and wants of the people
are being ignored. I believe we can solve all of our problems by taking Thomas Jefferson’s advice.
It’s time to put petty political differences to the side and let congress know whom
they are serving. Take Thomas Jefferson’s advice and vote American – Operation
Clean House.EXHIBIT A
Before You Vote, A Word From Thomas Jefferson
"Experience has... more
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A random roundup of humorous, weird, stupid, and wtf articles. This week: The Church of John Coltrane, finger bangs by Jesus, celebrity burping videos, Gary Busey working the pole, Alan Simpson on "Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dogg", hairy penis lost to evolution, canned cow farts, the Chinese Boob Clamp, and the famous Charlie Sheen sandwich.A random roundup of humorous, weird, stupid, and wtf articles. This week: The Church... more
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Posted at 6:43 PM ET, 03/10/2011
Jefferson bible gets rehabbed
By Jacqueline Trescott
Photo: The Jefferson bible. (National Museum of American History)
When Thomas Jefferson was 77, he went back to a project he had been thinking about for decades. Sitting in Monticello, using candlelight and a knife, he cut New Testament verses in four different languages from six books to create his own bible. Jefferson, saying he was selecting his own "morsels of morality," removed verses on any miracles, as well as the resurrection.
For more than 116 years the Jefferson Bible, as it is known, has been one of the iconic possessions of the Smithsonian Institution. Now a group of conservators and curators have removed the 86 pages from the original binding and are examining every inch to stabilize its condition, study its words and craftsmanship, and guarantee that future generations can learn more about the artifact and the man.
Standing in the paper conservation laboratory at the National Museum of American History Thursday, the team showed pages from the small red book, put together like a scrapbook.
The pages, with verses glued on each side, are brittle and stiff -- 90 percent show some damage. Jefferson used an mix of animal glue and starch as an adhesive. The handsewn binding is tight, making the spine rigid.
On one table in the basement workshop, Jefferson's title page for "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" is elaborately written in his clear hand.
There are 12 different types of paper and 7 different types of ink," said Janice Stagnitto Ellis, the museum's paper conservator. "We took tiny samples of ink from the ruled line. The paper fibers are weak."
Jefferson was meticulous, she said, leaving precise gaps in each book as he removed the verses that supported his religious and moral beliefs. He used two English texts, as well as two French and two Greek and Latin, arranging his selections in chronological order over four columns.
He was also an editor. "Apparently he didn't like the construction here of "for as in a day," so he edited out the 'as.' " explained Ellis, pointing with a silver microspatula to the little square where he had eliminated the word.
As old as it is, the bible has still held its secrets. This week the team found a watermark on one of the paper inserts and discovered the manufacturer was P. A. Mesier, who owned a papermill in the Bronx.
This is a private document he created for himself," said Harry R. Rubenstein, the chair of the museum's political history division. "He never sold it because he didn't want it to be public. He wanted to avoid bringing back the arguments that he was anti-Christian."
This is the second important conservation project the museum has undertaken in recent years. A team repaired the Star Spangled Banner in an open laboratory in full view of the public. "This is a smaller object but of equal importance," said Brent D.Glass, the museum director. The Bible project "really captures what we do. We collect, we preserve and give access to the public."
The conservation is estimated to cost about $225,000 from public and private funds. Completed in 1820, the book stayed in Jefferson's family until the Smithsonian purchased it from a great-granddaughter in 1895. The Smithsonian librarian paid $400 and displayed it at the 1895 Atlanta Cotton Exposition. In 1904 the Government Printing Office made copies and, for decades, they were distributed to new congressmen.
Once the study and conservation are completed, along with complete color digital scanning of every page, the book will be reassembled, using its original sewing holes and Moroccan leather cover. It will be displayed for four months, beginning in November, along with a new 21st century website to accompany.
By Jacqueline Trescott | March 10, 2011; 6:43 PM ETPosted at 6:43 PM ET, 03/10/2011
Jefferson bible gets rehabbed
By Jacqueline... more
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I didn't see this on Current yet, so I thought I'd add it to the discussion:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/01/newsflash_thomas_jefferson_sup.html
This is actually a follow-up to a Forbes blog (http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/17/congress-passes-socialized-medicine-and-mandates-health-insurance-in-1798/) about the "Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen" of July 1798. This was a law that authorized the creation of a government operated marine hospital service and mandated that privately employed sailors be required to purchase health care insurance.
The original Forbes piece is more about the history of the Act itself. The Washington Post article is about Thomas Jefferson's support for the legislation.
Even though it's an imperfect comparison to Obamacare, it does point out that many of the founders of this country thought the idea of taxation in exchange for government run health care was the right thing. And as it gains traction in the blog-o-sphere, it's challenging those Tea Party members who cite Jefferson as their hero.
What are intelligent people's thoughts on "government run health care" these days, anyway?I didn't see this on Current yet, so I thought I'd add it to the discussion:... more
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"By applause, who's for Team Jacob? By applause, who's for Team Edward? By applause, who's on Team I don't give a rat's ass." Stand-up comedian Chris Martin sucks the life out of the audience by talking Twilight July 15, 2010 at Cozzy's Comedy Club's open mic in Newport News, VA. Slim Bloodworth is the MC.
http://www.ChrisMartinComedy.com"By applause, who's for Team Jacob? By applause, who's for Team Edward?... more
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Description of a singular Phenomenon
seen at Baton Rouge, by William Dunbar, Esq.
communicated by Thomas Jefferson, President A. P. S.a
Natchez, June 30th, 1800
Read 16th January 1801.
A phenomenon was seen to pass Baton Rouge on the night of the 5th April 1800, of which the following is the best description I have been able to obtain.
It was first seen in the South West, and moved so rapidly, passing over the heads of the spectators, as to disappear in the North East in about a quarter of a minute.
It appeared to be of the size of a large house, 70 or 80 feet long and of a form nearly resembling Fig. 5 in Plate IV.b
It appeared to be about 200 yards above the surface of the earth, wholly luminous, but not emitting sparks; of a colour resembling the sun near the horizon in a cold frosty evening, which may be called a crimson red. When passing right over the heads of the spectators, the light on the surface of the earth, was little short of the effect of sun-beams, though at the same time, looking another way, the stars were visible, which appears to be a confirmation of the opinion formed of its moderate elevation. In passing, a considerable degree of heat was felt but no electric sensation. Immediately after it disappeared in the North East, a violent rushing noise was heard, as if the phenomenon was bearing down the forest before it, and in a few seconds a tremendous crash was heard similar to that of the largest piece of ordnance, causing a very sensible earthquake.
I have been informed, that search has been made in the place where the burning body fell, and that a considerable portion of the surface of the earth was found broken up, and every vegetable body burned or greatly scorched. I have not yet received answers to a number of queries I have sent on, which may perhaps bring to light more particulars.
Note. The above communication was accompanied by an account of the first invention of the Telegraphec extracted from the works of Dr. Hook.
Mr. Dunbar was induced to forward this extract to the Society, as he supposed it had been less noticed than it deserved to be. But it was deemed unnecessary to print the Paper, as it may be seen in the works above mentioned, and is referred to by Dr. Birch in his history of the Royal Society. Vol. 4th, page 299.
–Transactions of the American Philosophical Society
Vol. 6 (1802), p25
Click to enlarge
Penelope.uchicago.edu has a webpage with the full entry, plus plenty of notes assembled by Bill Thayer. If the above interests you, the notes are well worth reading.
Here’s just a tidbit from the notes:
Thomas Jefferson, who at the time of this report was Vice-President of the United States, and would become President not much later. Several other items from William Dunbar were also passed along to the American Philosophical Society by Jefferson and included in the same issue of the Transactions. Dunbar, a resident of Natchez, was a tireless investigator of natural phenomena of the lower Louisiana, at the time still Spanish territory: rainfall, winds, rainbows, fossils, the Mississippi delta; he also writes of sign language among the native peoples in the area.
At the time this note was read, the existence of meteorites was a hotly debated topic, and it was not until 1803 with Jean-Baptiste Biot’s report of the fall of a meteor near the Norman town of L’Aigle that scientific opinion accepted that things do fall out of the sky; had Baton Rouge been in densely populated Europe where the terrain made investigation much easier, Dunbar and not Biot might have been the man whose name would attach to the history of meteoritics. On the other hand, the same issue of the Transactions includes several notes explicitly discussing meteors and meteoric stones — but this is not one of them.
…
If the observation of the object’s size is anywhere near accurate, it was not a meteorite: an object of this size, entering earth’s atmosphere at a speed typical of objects falling to earth from space, would probably have left a much larger trace of itself, and would almost certainly have killed the observer and anyone else near the fall. Scientists currently gauge the size of the iron meteor that created Arizona’s Meteor Crater, for example, at roughly 50 meters, only about twice the estimate reported by Dunbar.
Further confirmation that this was no meteorite seems to be given by the object’s speed. …Description of a singular Phenomenon
seen at Baton Rouge, by William Dunbar, Esq.... more
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Recent hyperspectral imaging of Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence shows that Jefferson made an interesting word correction when writing the document. He had originally had written the phrase “our fellow-subjects,” but changed it to “our fellow-citizens.” This appears to be a moment of enlightenment. The moment when Jefferson started thinking of himself and his neighbors, not as subjects of another nation, but as citizens of their own... as Americas.Recent hyperspectral imaging of Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the... more
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Used in the classic sense love is defined as the willingness to lay down your life for someone. Contrasted with today’s common use the word seems way out of place and there’s nothing of equal value to replace it.
The word as used today the word has become synonomous with “ really like.” In that sense I suppose it is possible to love popcorn---but it would have to be really good popcorn! But I wouldn’t be willing to die for it no matter how good. This begs the question---How are you defining “love?”Used in the classic sense love is defined as the willingness to lay down your life for... more
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