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If Elected, Barack Obama Only Be The Sixth Black President,Certainly Not The Fi...
According to history, There have already been five African American presidents already in the United States of America. Little known historical facts cite evidence that five U.S.presidents had atleast one parent that was of "Negro" desent. That being said, what is all of the hoopla about today ? Maybe because it's been so long. This is not an atricle of ridicule, nor is it written to excite anger or controversy. These are actually historical facts of African American history that are not taught in American history. Hmm......
According to history, There have already been five African American presidents already in the United States of America. Little known ... more -
Al Gore Speaks About Constitutional Abuses
Al Gore joined with then Republican Bob Barr to bring us a stark truth: Our Democracy is in grave danger. On this July 4th I remember this landmark speech delivered by a great statesman, Al Gore. And like our founding fathers whose words are still prescient today, so are the words and warnings presented in this eloquent speech describing truthfully the abuses committed against our Constitution by the Bush administration and the enabling by both parties. And though I am displeased that neither Mr. Gore nor any prominent Democrat has specifically called for impeachment, I thank Mr. Gore with all of my heart for speaking truth to power here and for giving us a chance to share in a Democratic dialogue. Al Gore joined with then Republican Bob Barr to bring us a stark truth: Our Democracy is in grave danger. On this July 4th I remember ... more
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Our Founding Fathers On Liberty and Tyranny
To me this is what the Fourth of July is all about. Remembering the men who sacrificed all they had to take the journey to a more perfect union... a free union. We don't truly have that today, and the main reason why is because we as a people have to really want it. I question now if we really do, and that is sad. These words of wisdom and warning from men who though flawed were brilliant and who knew something themselves about slavery of the mind and soul are words to be reflected on. As John Adams said, "Liberty once lost, is lost forever." We as a people are allowing liberty to slip away as we distract ourselves and lose our focus on these words. How I wish we had men of such courage and brilliance as these to once again point us in the right direction. However, their words can be the inspiration we need to now do that. The question is: will we?
To me this is what the Fourth of July is all about. Remembering the men who sacrificed all they had to take the journey to a more perf... more -
The Election of 1800: Adams/Jefferson
Can you imagine what this campaign would have looked like on tv? I thought this was a cute illustration. Though we know that Alexander Hamilton was behind trashing both Adams and Jefferson, his preference was for Adams even though they disagreed about war with France. Personally, if I could vote and lived in that time period, my vote would have been solidly with Jefferson. Sigh if only... someone to vote FOR. Can you imagine what this campaign would have looked like on tv? I thought this was a cute illustration. Though we know that Alexander... more
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McCain Believes America is "Christian Nation"
U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful John McCain proves to be out of step with the Constitution and the American people when it comes to religious liberties and mainstream values. He claims to believe that religious tests, which are prohibited by the Constitution, should be applied to candidates. He also seems to be ignorant of the history of the U.S. government which has been celebrated for its secualr history and respect for all religious beliefs and the lack thereof when he claims that America was based primarily on Judeo-Christian values. Could McCain be any worse for America? We need a candidate willing to stand for people of all religious beliefs and people with no religious affiliations. We need a candidate who stands up for secularism in government, religious liberties, and the total Separation of Church and State. McCain has proven through this video and his connections to pastor John Hagee and Rod Parsley that he is a proud member of the Religious Right and is out to distort religion for political gain. Eight years has been enough. Show this video to your grandparents. U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful John McCain proves to be out of step with the Constitution and the American people when it comes... more
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Al Gore's The Assault On Reason A Transference Of Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson and Al Gore. Both spokesmen for truth, both statesmen of exemplary principle. But are we truly heeding their words?
"My hope that we have not labored in vain, and that our experiment will still prove that men can be governed by reason." --Thomas Jefferson to George Mason, 1791. ME 8:124
"I have so much confidence in the good sense of man, and his qualifications for self-government, that I am never afraid of the issue where reason is left free to exert her force." --Thomas Jefferson to Comte Diodati, 1789. Papers 15:326"
Let common sense and common honesty have fair play, and they will soon set things to rights." --Thomas Jefferson to Ezra Stiles, 1786. ME 6:25
"A government of reason is better than one of force." --Thomas Jefferson to Richard Rush, 1820. ME 15:284
"This blessed country of free inquiry and belief has surrendered its creed and conscience to neither kings nor priests." --Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Waterhouse, 1822. ME 15:385
"It is surely time for men to think for themselves, and to throw off the authority of names so artificially magnified." --Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 1820. ME 15:258
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And that is why I have to type this as well as a supporter of Al Gore who is now on my third time reading The Assault On Reason which to me is the Jeffersonian doctrine of our time: Al Gore stated right from the beginning that this book is not a 'candidate' book, and that is correct. It is a serious look in the mirror not only for those in our government who have abandoned reason in exchange for the politics of fear, propaganda, and expediency of men over the rule of law, but more so for the complicit corporate media that is their accomplice, and even more so for the citizens of this country used by that fear, propaganda, and expediency who on the whole constantly complain about the state of affairs but who never seem to want to get their hands dirty when it comes to truly standing up for it. This book is a primer for them in doing that, and yet I don't get the feeling that is how many see it and that is disappointing to me.
I have stated many times how I would feel regarding Mr. Gore leading us in a system envisioned by Jefferson, and I am absolutely heartbroken at the turn of events these past eight years after fighting for him for so many years before that. He will always be my president, and has been since December 13, 2000. However, as he has stated as well, this is not about him but about all of us, and he has done more for this world as a statesman than any of the cretins that stole this Democracy from us and for that he will have my undying respect because he has done it and continues to do it against all odds with a conscience and moral awareness I frankly do not believe politicians possess or are allowed to possess.
He is the premiere American statesman of our time which has come with many years of service through wisdom and pain, and the words I read and am again reading in his book were not read with the eyes of someone just looking to use quotes in them to prop him up as a 'candidate' in a toxic system that wronged him and us for political expediency. I see clearly what he is talking about in this book. And what he is talking about is exactly what Thomas Jefferson spoke of in his time when he was one of the premiere American statesmen: and that is that a Democracy is only as 'Democratic' as the people make it. It cannot be done from the cheap seats. It must be hands on or it is lost. And that does not always mean from a political place, for surely as we have seen those who work outside to bring change inside have been more successful in bringing that change.
more at the link. Thomas Jefferson and Al Gore. Both spokesmen for truth, both statesmen of exemplary principle. But are we truly heeding their words? ... more -
Thomas Jefferson's Anarchist Sentiment
From the HBO Miniseries, John Adams. John Adams (Paul Giamatti,) Ben Franklin (Tom Wilkinson,) and Thomas Jefferson (Steven Dillane,) discuss the Constitution. Jefferson's sentiments are truly those of a freethinker. Which is why I have always loved his writings and agree wholeheartedly with his sentiments. Which is more than likely why the Constitution is open ended in that it gives the American people the opportunity to change their form of government if it should not suit the needs of the people or turn towards tyranny... that is, if they are not too distracted or fearful to notice. From the HBO Miniseries, John Adams. John Adams (Paul Giamatti,) Ben Franklin (Tom Wilkinson,) and Thomas Jefferson (Steven Dillane,) ... more
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Division into political parties and George Washington's farewell address
The framers considered political parties to be self-serving factions that cultivated dissent and were ultimately detrimental to good government. Though the framers had not written provisions into the Constitution dealing with political parties, by the end of George Washington's second term, the issues of national government had divided the nation into two distinct and hostile factions: the Federalists and the Republicans.
The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, advocated strong central government. Concentrated in the northeast, they preferred a system under which the population would choose their government officials based on merit and reputation rather than politics, and in which elected officials would rule without the direct influence of the people. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and others who found Federalist thought offensive, developed a markedly different view of good government under the Washington administration. With their stronghold in the South, Republicans claimed that liberty could only be protected if political power were rested firmly in the hands of the people and those government officials closest and most responsive to the people
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In the midst of building hostilities, Washington decided to resign from office after his second term. On September 19, 1796, the American Daily Advertiser published Washington's Farewell Address to the nation. The basic premise of the address was a condemnation of political parties. Washington warned that the development of parties would destroy the government, and worried that special interest groups and foreign nations would easily dominate the factions. On this note, he implored future generations to avoid embroilment in the affairs of other nations, and concentrate on the development of "efficient government" at home, free from foreign influence. Washington left office in March 1797, leaving the nation still very much divided.
Commentary
As of the early 1790s, most Americans remained convinced that political parties were a detriment to good government. The framers had neither desired nor planned for the rise of political divisions. In fact, in Federalist No. 10 of the Federalist Papers, James Madison, one of the leaders of the Republican party, had argued that one of the strong points of the Constitution was that it would prevent the formation of political factions. It was commonly assumed that should factions rise to a position of political power, they would act to achieve selfish goals at the expense of the public good. However, this concept of political parties began to crumble as opposition arose to Hamilton's initiatives as Secretary of Treasury. Many political leaders began to view an opposition party as necessary to check the power of the ideological majority in the national government, and as a means to provide a more fully encompassing examination of the issues presented to the national government. Thus, gradually, political parties took their place as an integral part of American government.
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Washington's Farewell Address was a direct response to the fractioning of the American people. From a clearly Federalist point of view he extolled the virtues of neutrality. He pleaded for American political neutrality, that citizens not be forced to choose between political alternatives, but rather choose their leaders on the basis of merit and reputation. He further pleaded for international neutrality, exhorting Americans to avoid "political connection" with Europe, hoping such avoidance would remove the divisiveness of foreign policy from the American political dialogue and allow US leaders to concentrate on domestic goals. While he could not stop the rise of political parties, which had already become a fact of American political life, his plea for neutrality and vision of an isolated America would inform American foreign relations into the twentieth century. The framers considered political parties to be self-serving factions that cultivated dissent and were ultimately detrimental to good g... more -
The Rule of Reason: From Jefferson To Gore
"Shake off all the fears and servile prejudices under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1787. ME 6:258 Papers 12:15
The above words spoken by the greatest American statesman, Thomas Jefferson, are very important words regarding American Democracy today. And as Mr. Gore so aptly and eloquently illustrated in his speeches in January 2006 and October 2005, they are words that have slowly been eroded in the ever present atmosphere of government/corporate ownership and manipulation of our airwaves, our newspapers, and our thoughts.
This proliferation of corporate ownership (used to send out propaganda messages to the public ever so subtly while freezing out free thought and important information essential to sustaining true free and balanced Democratic thought not only in the marketplace but in our communities,) has also spawned a society more concerned with distractions for entertainment rather than the preservation of our Democracy. Even today we see that a vast number of Americans have been brainwashed by subliminal suggestion to think that anything they see on TV has to be true. They think the government would never do anything to hurt or lie to them and that no matter how many elections are stolen that the process is still fair and sound. And as a result of this blind trust and in many cases fear brought on by this propaganda they do not then take it upon themselves to research, to read, to analyze, and to then think with their own reason to form their own opinions.
These are the exact types of people George W. Bush and his Neocons look to target, and unfortunately to the detriment of this Democratic Republic they have to date been successful. And to be honest this has been going on for decades.There have also been many scientific studies done over the years on the affects of television viewing amongst the masses. Those who are involved in the political end of it know about these studies as well and that television is a medium that can be manipulated to give the desired effect regarding propaganda. They then use it well, and their mantra is if you control the media you control the masses. And to a great extent it is true.
However, this is not being governed by the Rule of Reason, this is being governed by people the likes of characters in a George Orwell novel. And it has not only eroded colorful and passionate political discourse in this country as well as truth, it has eroded the very Democratic Republic Jefferson and the Founding Fathers so passionately envisioned all those years ago.
The Rule of Reason was also the guidepost used by our Founding Fathers as they searched for the freedom they did not know under King George III. They had then come from an aristocracy, a government ruled not by reason but by divine right. And it was this rule by divine right, the presupposition that wealth and absolute power trumped reasonable free thinking men (and most certainly women) that prompted these seekers of truth and freedom to birth the United States of America.
And now in this age of technology those who hold absolute power have so many more mediums with which to exert that control besides the written word. In one of his speeches regarding media, Al Gore spoke of "digital brown shirts." This phrase seems to have ruffled the feathers of some at the time, but I believe it is accurate. For there is no better example in my opinion of a modern digital brown shirt than Clear Channel Communications which has been in the pocket of the Bush administration as it slowly gains more and more control over the airwaves.
more at the link "Shake off all the fears and servile prejudices under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call... more -
Thomas Jefferson's Solar Architecture
Jefferson's design of the University of Virginia is a dialogue with sunlight and landscape. As the landscape architect Anne Spirn wrote, the lawn "linked two sources of knowledge: books and nature."
Photo: U.Va. News Services/Chris Myers
When I served as the dean of the school of architecture at the University of Virginia, I had the privilege of living in a house designed by Thomas Jefferson. Had I simply inhabited a singular Jeffersonian home, the experience would have been a source of profound and inspiring pleasure, but the house was only one part of a magnificent whole. Known as Pavilion IX, one of 10 classical pavilions facing each other across the university lawn and linked by colonnaded walkways to Jefferson’s domed Rotunda, the house is part of a unified “academical village” widely considered the greatest piece of architecture in America. So to live in Pavilion IX was to be immersed in an exquisite essay in architecture, and to feel a deep appreciation for the legacy of design.
Indeed, I think Jefferson saw himself first and foremost as a designer. Among all the achievements of his productive life, he wanted to be remembered for three things, inscribed on a stone obelisk over his grave at Monticello: “Author of the Declaration of Independence, Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, And Father of the University of Virginia.” This from a man whose distinguished career included eight years as president of the United States. For Jefferson, his activities were less important than the things he designed, suggesting a mind keenly attuned to the ways in which the poetic ordering of things could create a vital legacy.
And it is a vital legacy. In the things Jefferson made—from Monticello to the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, which matured into the Bill of Rights—we see a design sensibility that speaks to us today. We see balanced composition subtle enough to include tradition and invention, science and aesthetics, nature and culture, freedom and responsibility. We see a breadth of interest that took in politics, economics, natural history and an agrarian’s attention to the living earth, and rendered them visible in actions that changed the world. We see an architect, embracing both the practical and the poetic. We see a man who, were he with us today, would likely be calling for “Declarations of Interdependence” that recognize that our ability to pursue wealth, health and happiness is dependent on other forms of life, and that the rights of one species are linked to the rights of others.
"TODAY Jefferson would be calling for "Declarations of Interdependence" that recognize that our ability to pursue wealth, health and happiness depends on other forms of life."
William McDonough, FAIA
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Simply inspiring, and a legacy we must continue.
Jefferson's design of the University of Virginia is a dialogue with sunlight and landscape. As the landscape architect Anne Spirn wrot... more -
Thomas Jefferson from the Grave!
This letter arrived on my doorstep today. I was shocked but pleasantly surprised when I read it!
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Time For A Revolution? Ask The Founding Fathers
From the fantastic HBO series, 'John Adams.' Inspiring yet sad to see this spirit is now lost in our Congress. It will be up to us to bring it back. We cannot fail these men and women who gave all they had to birth this country. From the fantastic HBO series, 'John Adams.' Inspiring yet sad to see this spirit is now lost in our Congress. It will be up to us to ... more
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HBO: John Adams
The life of John Adams and the struggle for American independence are the themes of this magnificent depiction that premiered on HBO last night. I was riveted by it. It is the most authentic production I have ever seen of the time period and the men and women who shaped our country. I highly recommend it to everyone and to have their children watch it with them. It is a seven part miniseries, the first two parts being presented last night to be continued next Sunday.
It was so emotional to watch as well. To see Americans who truly put laws above men and who truly appreciated what it meant to fight for freedom brought me to tears thinking of where our country has gone since then. Where are the Jefferson's, Franklin's, and Adams's, of today?
This program also explores the relationship betrween John and Abigail Adams, which to me was the love story of the Revolutionary period, and also showed that women of that time were just as passionate and involved in this fight as the men.
It was surely fortunate for all of us today that these men and women lived at that particular time. Had they not, it is hard to tell where we would be today.The most wonderful part of this is that you see them not as Gods, but as humans with faults. Humans who through this grand experiment were just as scared as we are today.
While I weep for the future of this country today, after watching this I still have some hope that the spirit that lived in them lives in us just a little bit today. However, I shudder to think what these men would say if they came back and saw what Washington DC has become. I do not believe there is one man or woman in our Congress today who has the spirit and courage of conviction they had.
Question: If there were a new Continental Congress held, would you go as a delegate knowing what you would be sacrificing? I would. The life of John Adams and the struggle for American independence are the themes of this magnificent depiction that premiered on HBO l... more -
Here Come The Thought Police
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h1955/show
Something else you won't see in the "mainstream media" while they distract Americans now with more Natalie Holloway stories and what Britney Spears did for Thanksgiving, as if I give a damn. This bill is sweeping in its vagueness regarding how it will and can be enforced and is something we should be crying out loudly against. Will environmental groups now be branded as "homegrown terrorists?" When are the hearings going to start in branding Americans subversives now for opposing this "war" or wanting a cleaner planet? Rep Harmon should be ashamed of herself for this bill. It does absolutely nothing to fight "terrorism" but everything to strip an already bare Democracy of the last vestiges of freedom of speech we thought we had. I will state this, however: No piece of paper is going to stop me from expressing my views or standing up for what I believe in because this bill is not only the antithesis of all Americans have died for to preserve this nation, it is an embarrassment to Democrats. To think a Democrat would even think of this is appalling. I can then only presume that Thomas Jefferson, and those who stood up to the first King George would have also been considered, "homegrown terrorists." Seems like we are going backward instead of forward. And pay very close attention to it regarding the Internet and the subtle language used in criminalizing free speech here. http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h1955/show ... more
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Thomas Jefferson
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Thomas Jefferson
