“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” - Thomas Paine

"Common Sense For A New Century"

Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet that would light the fire that forged our nation. He called it “Common Sense.” Passed from hand to hand, patriot to patriot, it was a call to action for those Americans who believed their government had to change. It spelled out the values of a new republic. And King George III—who had forgotten his own people in favor of special interests—was replaced by a government of, by and for the people. America was born.

Like those early patriots, we face a growing threat to our liberty and justice in America today. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison spoke of the fear that economic power would one day seize political power.

That fear is now being realized—under the Bush administration, pharmaceutical companies draft our Medicare laws. Oil executives sit in the Vice President’s office and write energy bills. A majority of the reconstruction contracts in Iraq goes to corporations headed by campaign contributors to the president.

In the last six years, despite massive corporate scandals and the crash of the NASDAQ, the financial services industry managed to find almost $168 million to influence the political process. A pharmaceutical and health products industry that can’t afford to sell our seniors cheaper prescription drugs did manage to find $60 million to influence our elections. And the national debt has exploded to the point where it will cost the median American family $26,000—because the president ran up the largest deficit in the history of our country in order to pass $3 trillion worth of tax cuts tilted toward his campaign contributors.

In the matter of war and peace, there was virtually no debate by either party before the invasion of Iraq. The Bush administration uses fear to rally people to its causes. Our nation, once looked to as a beacon of hope from around the globe, now is looked at with suspicion and distrust.

Most alarming, our political process is in crisis, as the majority of Americans turns away from the most fundamental duty of citizenship—voting.

America is better than this. The time has come once again to take our country back. This pamphlet, like Thomas Paine’s, is a declaration of values and a call to action for a new generation of American patriots -- Common Sense for a New Century.

Read the rest here

"You have the power to reclaim our nation's destiny."

"You have the power to rid Washington of the politics of money."

"You have the power to make right as important as might."

"You have the power to give Americans a reason to vote again."

"You have the power to restore our nation to fiscal sanity and bring jobs back to our people."

"You have the power to fulfill Harry Truman's dream and bring health insurance to every American."

"You have the power to give us a foreign policy consistent with American values again."

"You have the power to take back the Democratic Party." - Howard Dean


Regardless of who each one of us now supports, in just a few short months we will have a Democratic nominee. Please take the time to read Dr. Dean's pamphlet as well as all our other candidates papers and positions, and PLEASE take the time to look for what we each have in common so that at the end of this process we will join forces, WE WILL DEFEAT the illegally installed and corrupt Bush* cabal, and WE WILL TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK.

Especially Common Sense! It is very appropriate for this time in our nation's struggle...

Also, this snippet from the Declaration of Independence:

WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Common Sense at my book store on sale for $5 a couple of months ago It is a treasure ! Great post , by the way Melinda

on DU instead of allowing our differences to blind us, we might actually pull this off.

That's my dream anyway. Thanks for the kind comment. :)

" Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must always undergo the fatigue of supporting it" I look forward to your fatigue.

Without "The American Crisis" to motivate the troops at Valley Forge, even more soldiers would have defected, and who knows if we would have succeeded. "Common Sense" did the same for the masses.

Paine was ahead of his time in many ways, advocating abolition and women's suffrage. One of the reasons he became out-of-fashion later on in the same America that revered him for "Common Sense" and "The American Crisis" was because of "The Age Of Reason", his critique of the Bible's veracity and organized religion.

My favorite? "The Rights of Man", his rebuttal to conservative icon David Burke on the ramifications of the French Revolution and what it meant for the end of monarchies. Paine's scathing assessment of monarchies equals my own.

I thought the man had only anger?

:evilgrin:

The other thing that continues to inspire me is his June 23 Announcement Speech:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6455&JServSessionIdr002=egd9mbtdw1.app196a&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1321

And then there's this:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=declaration_text


Eloriel

Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

There's more than 2 types of anger, despite what some seemingly think. :)

Hiya E. :hi:

you're right- we are at a crossroads.

do we go the route of George III and George W?

Or do we demand a government for the people by the people?

I dunno, Leannnnin for Deannnnnnn

:bounce::bounce:

But thanks for your kind words.

I don't see a choice - we have to use ALL of OUR righteous indignation and take our country back. If we fail to Bush and his cohorts in 2004, then all hell is sure to break loose... that is my fear, and barring a sucessful election, that is my only other hope. Scary, but what I think and how I feel.

it's so nice to have your head stuck in the sand, isn't it?

"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution"

What problem are you trying to solve with the statement that Dean=Koresh? I do believe you are challenged -- in a lesser way.

Good luck in your endeavors, I'm sure you will convince many here with these types of statements.

similar to:

When Everybody does better, Everybody does better.

just common sense.

judging by the way they act.

Cause it's a shame this isn't being read and commented on. :kick:

:hi: great book