Founding Father Quote of the Week
This balance between the National and State governments ought to be dwelt on with peculiar attention, as it is of the utmost importance. It forms a double security to the people. If one encroaches on their rights they will find a powerful protection in the other. Indeed, they will both be prevented from overpassing their constitutional limits by a certain rivalship, which will ever subsist between them. ~ Alexander Hamilton
Harry Reid pushing Syria vote for 9/11
Via NBC News:
Congress is scheduled to cast its first vote on Wednesday on the question of whether to authorize military intervention in Syria…Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that senators should plan to vote “sometime” on Wednesday on a motion to proceed to the Syria resolution, a procedural vote that will offer an early glimpse at whether President Barack Obama has the necessary votes in the upper chamber to support his request for authorization to strike Syria.
It seems that Harry Reid has absolutely no shame whatsoever; what kind of leader, and what kind of person wants a vote on a military strike to be held on the anniversary of two of the worst terrorist attacks in recent U.S. history? Where is the respect for the events? Harry Reid wants to have this vote on 9/11, which is bad, but even worse when you consider the “rebels” we would be helping are infested with allies of Al-Qaeda. I don’t know, it just seems to me that voting to help out Al-Qaeda affiliated soldiers when it was Al-Qaeda who attacked us on September 11th is pretty disgraceful.
Founding Father Quote of the Week
I often note with equal pleasure that God gave this one connected country to one united people – a people descended from the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in manners and customs, who by their joint counsels, arms, and efforts, fighting side by side through a long bloody war, have nobly established general liberty and independence.
~ John Jay
The Founders Would Support Weiner and Spitzer for Public Office
Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer are probably two of the biggest perverts running for office today, but who cares right? What does it matter that New York has two sexual deviants trying to get elected? After all, what a person is like in his private life should not affect how they govern while in office. It is because of this truth that I see no problem with either of these men being on the ballot, and furthermore, I believe that the Founding Fathers would have no problem with them either.
Consider John Witherspoon, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence; in one of his sermons, Witherspoon gave support for men like Weiner and Spitzer holding office, saying to his audience:
“Is it reasonable to expect wisdom from the ignorant? Fidelity from the profligate? Assiduity and application to public business from men of a dissipated life? Is it reasonable to commit the management of public revenue to one who has wasted his own patrimony? Those, therefore, who pay no regard to religion and sobriety in the persons whom they send to the legislature of any State are guilty of the greatest absurdity and will soon pay dear for their folly.” (1)
Oh wait, sorry, that’s the wrong quote; it actually goes against my point…that’s embarrassing. Well then, how about we take a look at Founding Father and great American educator Noah Webster; this quote by the guy who created Webster’s Dictionary is one of the strongest cases in favor of having people who were corrupt in their private life, hold political office:
“If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted…If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.” (2)
Oh dear, this is really embarrassing, I mean, that’s the second time I’ve done that in the space of three paragraphs. Seems Webster is actually against electing unprincipled men; okay, this hasn’t been going very well has it? But all is not lost as I still have my ace in the whole with Founder Samuel Adams; Adams was one of the most influential and knowledgeable Founders this country has ever had, I guarantee you that THIS quote by Adams is the best evidence for electing Weiner and Spitzer:
“If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.” (3)
Shoot.
For those who haven’t picked up on it by now, I am being completely sarcastic by claiming the Founders would support these two sexually immoral “men.” If you really believe that someone’s private actions and corruptions will not affect how they govern in public office, you are naïve at best or blinding yourself to the truth at worst. Obviously your private life will affect how you act publicly; how you act in your private life shows who you are as a person, and who you are as a person does not change just because you are a public official. People seem to forget that these “private sins” committed by Weiner and Spitzer both happened while they were elected officials, and it all stems from the fact that they were corrupt in their private life to begin with.
Don’t buy the lie that your private actions should not affect your public career or office; it is illogical, antithetical to reason, and it is argumentation like this that leads to bad men being elected to run our towns, states, and our nation. You want to know why we are in the mess we are in? It is because we tolerate candidates like Weiner and Spitzer, and it seriously needs to stop.
Sources Used:
1. John Witherspoon, A Sermon Delivered at Public Thanksgiving after Peace, http://westillholdthesetruths.org/quotes/309/is-it-reasonable-to-expect-wisdom
2. Noah Webster, History of the United States, http://westillholdthesetruths.org/quotes/310/if-the-citizens-neglect-their-duty
3. Samuel Adams, Letter to Elbridge Gerry, [Wells, William V., The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams, vol. 3, Little, Brown, and Co., Boston, 1865, pg 124-125]
The Bottom Line 