Submitted by:
kitonlove
03/12/11
Submitted by:
veachbum
03/23/11
Submitted by:
RitaLuSmith
03/17/11
Submitted by:
janej78
03/27/11
Submitted by:
BJ Jones
04/15/11
March 27, 2012
It was a speech that ran all of 727 words.
If you ran it through a spell and grammar check, you'd probably rewrite half of it, omitting all the passive sentences.
Fortunately Microsoft Word hadn't been invented yet.
After the obligatory, "Mr. President," it started with two simple words:
"I confess." Mainly because the man who wrote it had a lot to confess to.
Benjamin Franklin was too weak to read the speech himself, but the words were his — every single one of them. It was left to fellow Pennsylvanian James Wilson to address the Constitutional Convention, September 17, 1787:
"I confess, that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others..."
Plain fact was he sought, early on, to cultivate his character by a plan of 13 virtues, which he had trouble living up to.
He wrestled with his conscience. Sometimes his conscience lost:
"...Most men indeed as well as most sects in Religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them it is so far error. ... but though many private persons think almost as highly of their own infallibility as of that of their sect..."
But he never lacked introspection:
"On the whole, Sir, I cannot help expressing a wish, that every member of the Convention who may still have objections to it, would with me, on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility, and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this Instrument..."
Thanks to his fine words, which you can read exactly as Wilson read it, the delegates agreed that the sum was greater than the parts.
It was by no means a perfect document, and neither was the man who wrote the "confession," but when his country needed him the most, Benjamin Franklin was perfect enough.
Political bickering & horse-trading isn't new. The Founding Fathers were all white males, and ea...
-Bert
Mar. 27, 2012 8:18 AM
Submitted by:
DHeberle
03/27/11
Submitted by:
desiraedawn
04/02/11
Submitted by:
Pookiemou
03/05/11
Submitted by:
tom watson
03/15/11
Submitted by:
aryckman
04/03/11
It is nice to know that something now considered to be carved in black marble and adhered to by the letter was entered into with trepidation by a smarter guy.
Smarter than whom? You name it.
would that our present elected officials hold high Jefferson's self doubt,above their own self righteousness
Good morning STONEY & RY.....................beautifully said..................have a wunnerful day.....................
OT................am I the only one whose posts show the time an hour later than the actual post time? I'm not sure why this bugs me, but it does...................
Shirking the bonds of Colonialism must have been a frightening experience, then setting up a whole new way to govern and think would, in the memorable words of CSNY @ Woodstock, have Old Ben and the gang "scared shitless". Got up @ 2 and left NashVegas so I could catch the Smokies at Sunrise. A few orange clouds against the blue sky and the mountains of my Boyhood all green with splashes of mountain flora and whitewater. What they did is the reason a man can throw a few things in a bag and ride his metal steed singing Free Bird until he has to take a double espresso pee. North Carolina has some of the nicest rest stops in America.
I'm with Stoney. The Constitution is as imperfect as anthing human, open to interpretation, change and evolution. We are not 18th Century colonists; we live in a country with crowds of people and a large population in a high tech world and global village. Nor do we own slaves. And women vote. And trying to move us back to that world will only make the billionaires richer and the middle class poorer. Bebe, the posts seem to be in Eastern Daylight Time, not Central, if that is where you are. Kentucky time.
Political bickering & horse-trading isn't new. The Founding Fathers were all white males, and each had some degree of financial independence. The Declaration of Independence was signed on the 2nd of July of 1776 but not distributed until the 4th. Ratification, however, took a long time. Advocates of slavery successfully protected their interests. Women were seen as appropriate for marginalization. Much of the fundamental freedoms was actually a statement of unwillingness to compromise, not the other way around. Yet we are remembered as descendants of genuises of political craftsmanship, and progeny of heroes. It took until 1791 before the Bill of Rights was ratified. Despite the inefficiencies inherent in a free society, it is refreshing to see how today the Supreme Court weighs the pros & cons of critical & controversial health care reform. Even the Congress & The Commander in Chief must defer to the Judicial Branch. I'm convinced that jobs are only a small part of why so many people yearn to immigrate to our shores. We may be burdened by our highly visible warts, but we are a frog, and they come with the territory.
more on the honor rollColorful Seablue Skies, Crescent Moons, Moving Distance Stars will Guide Another Peaceful Journey Home....
Bert - Excellent, brilliantly stated, simply put. I Thank You.
Greetings of the Day Villagers.
Ben Franklin had much to apologize for, but fortunately, even more of which to be proud. A notorious skirt-chaser, he never officially married the mother of his children, and his son took the stance of a Tory/royalist against his father's leadership for the independence of the colonies.
Known to drink and eat to excess, he still tried to find a middle ground among the appetites in his 13 points life plan. A curious man, he invented and originated dozens of projects that have improved American life. Good on him for supporting the "flawed, but the best we have" Constitution of the USA!!
Much of the strength & efficiency of any
Government in procuring and securing happiness to the people, depends, on
opinion, on the general opinion of the goodness of the Government, as well as
of the wisdom and integrity of its Governors. --Benjamin Franklin
I do not concern myself with the self -righteousness of
those who govern us as much as I am concerned about their own self interests. Mr. Franklin understood that government must
rely on its own innate goodness and the
wisdom and integrity of its Governors.
"This is my last election. After
my election, I have more flexibility."
paolos ~
Let us pray that his words are prophetic and that it is his last election after which he will have the flexibility to go home shopping in Chicago.
Glad you appreciated the "Arigato" (thank you) video… that made two of us.
S~the Arigato film was exquisite. Arigato
I believe I'm smarter today because of yesterday! Ya'll are a smart bunch!!
I collect and distribute little green pics of Ben. Each a little note from him.
I can't wait for tomorrow!
we seem to be so atuned to the 30 second thought sequence,we don't often take a moment to factor in reality. Fellings,rather than facts,pervade our political momentum. It is the modern day mob mentality. It existed back in Ben's time as well, but it was,by definition,way more local;therefore, its effects were localized as well. Total picture requires more thought,study,and actual fact collection. I miss that in the National forum.
How about this: let us just concede that there is not and has never been but one perfect man.
That way we can honor and/or celebrate the great, good, even brilliant things that men with feet of clay have done without pointing out the failings and frailties that made the doers human.
It is tiresome, speculative, gossipy, useless, old news, boring and…
It taints the past, sours the present and clouds the prospects for an uncynical future.
"it depends on opinion" according to Ben and our opinions are up to us.
Stoney ~ I have a wee bit more insight on this than you, although the information I have is available to all. Yes it is just my opinion, but I believe that from what I have read, once he got past the incident of his mother's tea party with the Commander, George Hall is about as near perfect as a man can be.
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history
when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson
Well, I left the name out so as not to embarrass the man… is all.
It is interesting to observe that just as little kids are drawn instinctively to play with trucks or dolls, certain topics elicit more response from one gender than the other.
All the posts are really good and thought provoking (especially RY's TJ quote), but as I check back in and read more, I still have nothing to add. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson have always been my favorites and I have always thought their contributions to who we are today unequalled, but still and all I think I am going to take a nap. Maybe its the low pressure system.
"...[and] I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
"Can you create commerce in order to control it?"... "...[it seems] that [would] change the relationship between the government and the individual in a very fundamental way." Justice Anthony M Kennedy today in the Supreme Court hearings on the constitutionality of the health care law.
O.T. for Bebe---time is EST and you, most likely are like me....Central time..
EDT?
Sipping on Spartenburg's finest since The Marshal Tucker Band, an RJ Rocker Bald Eagle Brown Ale. Sign at bar in Shelby, NC says $10 charge for being mean or grouchy. I shall not.
My fingers are crossed that the wise and supposedly unbiased judges on the Supreme Court, are having deep thoughts about the ObamaCare pages! Let us hope that they realize that the Constitution did not give the Federal Govt. the license to make us buy a certain product!!
The clocks went forward one hour last weeked. Coco cat is delighted as food time comes sooner. We have been basking in super hot weather which has brought out all the spring flowers at once.
I don't do American history.
CST...... Central Standard Time...... When it is 8:00 in New York( which is EST )' it is 7:00 in Chicago (CST) and as you travel West, about 50 miles to my little City of DeKalb,.... Well ,it is 6:45 or thereabouts,.... Depending on how fast you were driving and if you had the windows open.
...everything just drops off once you get to the Mississippi 'cos.....
Stoney,
You will have your copy of "The Train Ride" this week. Priority went out today.
33 1/3 C note ~ pitiful. I should have chucked a petard or two.
That would have livened things
up.
coin operated mirror works free if you wear a powdered wig...
For those insomniacs with nothing better to
do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-PtozBKSBE