“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his [...]
“Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country.” Noah Webster, On the Education of Youth in America, [...]
“The Grecians and Romans were strongly possessed of the spirit of liberty but not the principle, for at the time they were determined not to be slaves themselves, they employed their power to enslave the rest of mankind.” Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 5, 1778
“It has been said that all Government is an evil. It would be more proper to say that the necessity of any Government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists; and the problem to be solved is, not what form of Government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect.” James Madison, 1833
“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that [...]
It doesn’t require expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose socialism on a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed or the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of life and death over that business or property? Such machinery already exists. The government [...]
“[W]hen all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another.” Thomas Jefferson, letter to Charles Hammond, 1821
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at [...]
“Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.” Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, 1821
“[D]emocracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.” James Madison, Federalist No. 10, 1787
Pointman is a Hoosier who works in the IT industry, is an amateur photographer an avid motorcycle rider, shooter and firearms collector.
Please feel free to email Pointman at pointman -at- pointmanspage -dot- com.
The masthead graphic "Road to Oakalla" was taken during a motorcycle ride to the Oakalla covered bridge on 23 May, 2007 with a Canon A85 digital camera (F5.6, 1/125 sec exposure). Additional images from the visit are in the Oakalla bridge gallery.
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