Quotable quotes and other thoughts

Editor:

A new year, a new hope for better governance!

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready

in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

George Orwell - From a BBC broadcast of April 4, 1942

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

Human beings would believe even the most outlandish lie as long as it fell close to what they wished to be true. –Tom Clancy page 209 Chain of Command by Marc Cameron

They say that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Isaiah 5-20

When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization. Daniel Webster.

Western civilization gave rise to freedom, property rights, and entrepreneurship, and allowed those on the bottom economic rung to climb up; and gain wealth and prosperity, but education is the key.

Authoritarianism (read Socialism/Communism, progressivism, liberalism.) only stands because of government activism. .

We as a people tend to rebel against authority, hence the Revolutionary War, The Whisky Rebellion, The Civil War, perhaps to some extent the riot of Jan 6th.

Courage is contagious, but so is cowardice. Leadership is the difference.

Do we play to win or play not to lose?

Take away the 2nd Amendment and the right to self-defense and freedom dies.

Take away property rights and again, freedom goes away.

The first ten amendments – the Bill of Rights - protect the citizen from an activist government.

Ratified December 15, 1791.

Amendment I. Freedoms, Petitions, Assembly. ...

Amendment II. Right to bear arms. ...

Amendment III. Quartering of soldiers. ...

Amendment IV. Search and arrest. ...

Amendment V. Rights in criminal cases. ...

Amendment VI. Right to a fair trial. ...

Amendment VII. Rights in civil cases. ...

Amendment VIII. Bail, fines, punishment

Amendment IX. Other rights of the people.

Amendment X Powers reserved to the states.

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise, he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else. Theodore Roosevelt

“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

Respectfully submitted -- Regards and blessings

John Stiegelmeyer

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GB January 11, 2024, 9:06 pm Good stuff John! Thank you.

jS January 9, 2024, 3:31 pm Dear D.E. or who ever you are. Authoritarian is like my Father what he said and did goes. He was of good character and as good a Christian as he was able. He failed in some ways, but excelled in others. Your definitions is not what I intended as its meaning. In fact others have defined left leaning politics as it is today (not in the late 1800's or early 20 century),but as totalitarian or as you wish Authoritarian. If you draw a line - no matter how long - toward the vary left is totalitarian/authoritarian that is Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Socialism, progressiveness and in fact the way the elite and controlling actors of the democrat party wish to impose their will on the rest of us. So to are other elites among them are the likes of George Soros, and one who stated prior to the election of 2009 = B.O. "We are five days away from transforming America" On the extreme right is Anarchy. In the middle is a balance of the two extremes. Which means individual liberty, Freedom to pursue one industry whether as an entrepreneur or the owner of a startup business without unnecessary regulation or a laborer for a business owner. As Ronald Reagan said "Government is not the solution, government is the problem" in restricting the freedom of action of its citizens. Government is meant to work for us not the other way around. That is what the Founders worked so hard to give us - as Franklin said when asked "A Republic if you can keep it". That is Representatives the people elect to represent their affairs in an equitable manner. In my view that is not what is happening now and perhaps it is too late to correct. I would be curious for you to write the rest of us which quote you oppose. Is it Roosevelt, Clancy, Webster, Orwell, Lincoln, the profit Isaiah - Or is it more focused - the Bill of Rights and the rest of our Constitution. I believe that authoritarianism as you have stated is exactly what I was warning about. I do not see where I ever made mention of left or right political theory, perhaps you read something into the words I wrote that is not there. Regards, John Stiegelmeyer

DL January 9, 2024, 1:38 pm Sir, Let me introduce you to the proper meaning of Authoritarianism. Your belief that only, and all, left of center ideologies qualify, is quite rich. Lacking a drip of truth, is what it actually is. Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more noun noun: authoritarianism the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom. "he warned against the intrusion of authoritarianism in various countries" lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others. "in his authoritarianism he has displayed disrespect for the culture he works in" What is authoritarianism in simple terms? Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of democracy and political plurality. It involves the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting. What is the meaning of authoritarian in one word? demanding that people obey completely and refusing to allow them freedom to act as they wish: an authoritarian regime/government/ruler. What is the legal definition of authoritarianism? The common feature of authoritarian states is the enforcement of obedience to a central authority at the expense of personal freedoms, rule of law and other constitutional values and principles (Oxford English Dictionary; Linz (2001) What was Adolf Hitler's leadership style? What do Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Elizabeth I, and Vladimir Putin have in common? They are all examples of autocratic leadership—when one leader exercises complete, authoritarian control over a group or organization—or in the case of these famous autocrats, vast empires.

JS January 8, 2024, 4:40 pm D.E. what's your point?

DE January 8, 2024, 3:58 am Oh, John. Letting partisanship get in the way of making that last tiny little connection. "Missed it by that much." - Maxwell Smart

Opinion : Quotable quotes and other thoughts

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