“A Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both.” Talk about a prescient prediction of Obama’s election and reelection!
Republicans and conservatives haven’t established effective “means of acquiring” the right information. Americans have ceded unprecedented levels of power to their government because they don’t have the right knowledge.
Too many on our side seem to be waiting for something to happen that will magically transform enough independents into clear-thinking voters. That’s not going to happen. Worse news is that we’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up to the political left when it comes to mass communications.
Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
“Through fear of giving offense.” Yep, Patrick Henry not only thinks that not wanting to upset anyone is a bogus excuse — he thinks it’s treasonous. Sorry. The stakes are too high now and they’ve gotten that way because our side holds its tongue for fear of offending.
Let’s save the country, persuade the persuadable, and leave the offended to their growing up process.
Everyone has family and friends that rank among the low information crowd. Through conversation and email and the right use of social media there are countless opportunities to bring them out of darkness and into the political light.
The voters have to be convinced that a “change of men” is needed. We all know that will require an enormous amount of work. Again, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I’m all for the intervention of Divine Providence but you are going to have to expend some energy too.
I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.
The most effectual means of preventing [the perversion of power into tyranny] are to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts which history exhibits, that … they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes.
The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.
Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
No one more sincerely wishes the spread of information among mankind than I do, and none has greater confidence in its effect towards supporting free and good government.
Whenever people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.
Again, I repeat: Let’s save the country, persuade the persuadable, and leave the offended to their growing up process.