"The wealthy, not only by private fraud but also by common laws, do every day pluck and snatch away from the people some part of their daily living. Therefore, when I consider and weigh in my mind these commonwealths which nowadays do flourish, I perceive nothing but a certain conspiracy of rich men in procuring their own commodities under the name and authority of the commonwealth.

They invent and devise all means and crafts, first how to keep safely without fear of losing that which they have unjustly gathered together, and next how to hire and abuse the work and labor of the people for as little money and effort as possible."

Thomas More, Utopia

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Ghosts of Reason

Of all the enemies of true liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.

War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.

In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people.

The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manner and of morals, engendered in both.

No nation can preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

War is in fact the true nurse of executive aggrandizement. In war, a physical force is to be created; and it is the executive will, which is to direct it.

In war, the public treasuries are to be unlocked; and it is the executive hand which is to dispense them.

In war, the honors and emoluments of office are to be multiplied; and it is the executive patronage under which they are to be enjoyed; and it is the executive brow they are to encircle.

The strongest passions and most dangerous weaknesses of the human breast; ambition, avarice, vanity, the honorable or venal love of fame, are all in conspiracy against the desire and duty of peace.

-James Madison

15 comments:

Rue St. Michel said...

Hi Coldy - Long time, no talk. Since you're quoting J. Madison, I thought I'd throw out one of my favorites of his....

It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government.

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.
~~Madison, Federalist #51

Coldtype said...

"A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government"
-JM

Rue this is precisely what is now lacking in our alleged constitutional republic. "Our" government is now both the captive and effective tool of elites--particularly those in the financial sector and "defense" industry. The people are of no consequence.

Note the priorities:

(1) Millions of Americans face the immediate prospect of homelessness and a lifetime of deprivation while the Obama administration marshals all of the resources of the Treasury and Federal Reserve to save (and enrich) the very malefactors who created the catastrophe.

(2) As the Baby Boomer cohort (76 million strong) reels into their retirement years after watching their 401(k) plans go up in a Ponzi cloud cooked up by the Wall Street hustlers, Obama now threatens to sever the two life-lines that would save many of them from dumpster-diving in their twilight years--Social Security and Medicare.

(3) Note that while president Change threatens "entitlement" programs like Social Security and Medicare, he's INCREASED the "defense" budget by 6% over that of his irredeemable predecessor. That's correct, the nation that outspends the rest of the world combined in military expenditures (now a mind-boggling 1 trillion per annum) and has a globe-straddling 760+ bases in 130 countries will now raise the ante by 6%. Never mind that the US is insolvent.

James Madison would indeed be appalled since EVERYTHING he feared has now come to pass.

Anonymous said...

"The right of the people to keep and bear...arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country..." (James Madison, I Annals of Congress 434 [June 8, 1789])

Anonymous said...

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (James Madison, The Federalist Papers #46 at 243-244)

Anonymous said...

"the ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone," (James Madison, author of the Bill of Rights, in Federalist Paper #46.)

Anonymous said...

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
James Madison

Anonymous said...

Those old slave owners sure were a wise group of men.

Rue St. Michel said...

Their wisdom was far-reaching and deep. It's amazing that they were able to accomplish so much in so little time. Having come from despotic, tyrannical regimes - they knew full well the dangers that lurk when any form of government is put into action.

I think they did a great job, and if we'd just get back to Constitutional principles we wouldn't be in this current predicament.

Big Business and Capitalism aren't to blame: It is Big Government that's bleeding our economy dry and slashing our Rights like a Gypsy at a Fire Sale.

Just look at Social Security and Medicare. Both of those programs were sold to the people as "insurance" plans. But when government bureaucrats were confronted in court, and the legality of bringing an insurance scheme into the US Government's control, the Feds backed off and said,"Oh no...these aren't insurance plans...they're simple entitlement programs." That little tidbit never made it very far into the public domain. They lied to the people to get FDRs totalitarian plans in action.

Politicians have dipped into those funds so much they should call it the "Lewinsky Fund."

Anonymous said...

Rue-y you are so spot on.Too bad the two sausage twins will not see the light.

Anonymous said...

What's up Coldie??

I see both you and Rue-y have not posted lately. You guys have not run away together to New Hampshire, have you? LOL

Coldtype said...

I'll be posting in a day or two. Stay tuned.

Rue St. Michel said...

I whisked Coldy away to a Conservative Re-education Camp (Camp Bohemian Woods).

We're going to sacrifice him to the Great Owl and make him memorize and recite The Bush Doctrine.

Part of the ritual involves a sweat lodge, peyote, and a life size cutout of Sarah Palin. I can't disclose anymore than that....

Anonymous said...

Good one, Rue-y!!! I guess that means I do not have to check at what upscale store you guys registered.

Anonymous said...

Rue-y,dont forget to make them join the NRA and recite that the Second Amendment is an individual right.

Coldtype said...

I think not my friends.