Open Thread, Ruminations

President’s Day *Open Thread*

52 Comments

Today is the day we celebrate President’s Day. According to History.com, this holiday came to be to celebrate Washington’s birthday, and then got moved for the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. And, as the site mentions, along with Lincoln’s birthday on 2/12, it is now basically considered a holiday to celebrate all presidents.

I want to share a few quotes from our first president to celebrate his birthday (2/22), and the reason for the holiday. From Brainy Quotes:

~ If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

~ Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

~ The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.

Wow, right? How prescient, how prophetic. Anyone who says that those who wrote the Constitution could not possibly know what we would be facing today are so, so wrong. They knew how government can become. They fought a revolution against the tyranny of a government, for heaven’s sake – who would know BETTER than they?

And I thought the following quotes were interesting in light of the current raging debate over gun control:

~ Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.

~ The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.

And there ya have it.

A few more from our first president:

~ I have no other view than to promote the public good, and am unambitious of honors not founded in the approbation of my Country.

~ The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.

~ Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.

~ It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it. (Read more HERE.)

It is not hard to see why President Washington was called out of retirement to join the Constitutional Convention. A man with this intellectual, moral, and patriotic sensibilities, is exactly the kind of person who needed to be a part of that groundbreaking, monumental undertaking. And he is a man all Americans can be proud of having as the first president of the United States.

Speaking of pride in the United States, here are the Teas Tenors performing, “Proud To Be An American”:

What nice voices these men have!

On another note, my friend, Katmoon’s post is a very nice companion piece to my post on the conversation with Dr. Benjamin Carson on Sunday, “Think For Yourself & Open Thread.” Kat makes some good points, and also highlights some independent thinkers and writers in her post. I recommend her post to you.

Have a good President’s Day! Feel free to share your favorite quote(s) from Washington, or any other presidents that are meaningful to you. And feel free to share anything else at this Open Thread.

52 thoughts on “President’s Day *Open Thread*”

  1. Ferd Berfle says:

    Out of 300+ million Americans, why can’t we come with just one who could approach the eloquence and intelligence of our founders? Where is the Ben Franklin, the George Washington, the Thomas Jefferson, or the John Adams? Where is a Madison when we sorely need one?

    In lieu of great citizens with great ideas, we elect small-minded men who possess only the ability to lie, cheat, steal, or talk. Where are the statesmen? Where are the real Americans?

  2. oowawa says:

    Amy, I love the citations you posted from President Washington calling attention to the dangers of Government. This is the point on which many of my arguments with my liberal son turn…..but I can’t much complain about that–I raised him that way! Anyway, he sees government as the protector of the environment, the last resort of those who cannot help themselves, the only force to counteract the selfish greed of the mighty business interests and the billionaires–you know, the whole line…..

    Now I agree completely with Washington. I still abhor the “too big to fail” megacorporations and their multi-national interests, but now I understand that they use and cultivate Big Government to carry their agenda behind a smokescreen of wedge issues. Government is to be feared and mistrusted. Someday my son will understand that too. He’s getting a little uneasy with Obama, but I’m sure he went out and voted for him. Sigh……

    • Ferd Berfle says:

      Part of the problem lies in what is not being taught in school. Critical thinking is out and political correctness is in. Logic and reason are traded for persuasion (spin). Colleges and universities are not turning out Renaissance men and women but little automatons. Hell, when I was in college, I got grief for having a minor in philosophy. “What do you need that for?” was the ongoing question. I didn’t try to explain.

      • kinthenorthwest says:

        Most schools are too busy teaching to the test so that they can keep their funding.
        Everytime I sub in the 4-12 garde level I am appalled at what our kids of this age don’t know about our country..H3LL I am not talking the current conflicting politics. I am talking just our own country’s history..

    • Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy says:

      Thanks so much, oowawa. As I was reading through quotes of Washington’s, I was really struck by his humility, his passion for the country, and his moral center. Can you imagine any of our politicians saying this today: We are persuaded that good Christians will always be good citizens, and that where righteousness prevails among individuals the Nation will be great and happy. Thus while just government protects all in their religious rights, true religion affords to government it’s surest support. Yeah, me neither.

      You can read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_washington_2.html#OxmpiKJYo5dDUzMt.99

      As for your son, oowawa, I remember being where he is not so long ago myself. I bought so much of the propaganda, I am now ashamed to admit it. But once I finally admitted that the Party was not what or who it said it was, the cards came tumbling down. Now I see how much they infantilize us, how much they rely on the media to mislead and distract us, and how much the deceive us. Never again will I allow myself to be in that place.

      Hopefully, your son won’t for much longer, either…

  3. kinthenorthwest says:

    Excellent job RRRA — Just love the quotes…Seems to many have forgotten what our forefathers knew…
    I was turned on to this about the One president I will not be and refuse to honor this Presidents Day ..
    I feel there will be a few laughs in it for all of you..
    Rush Limbaugh: Obama’s Birther State Of The Union 2013

  4. kinthenorthwest says:

    This was one of the interesting quotes from MSM..for Presidents day

    George Washington
    “To contract new Debts is not the way to pay old ones.”
    You can’t get out of debt if you keep digging. But more than 200 years after Washington wrote these words in a scolding letter to one James Welch, people still try. They cash in retirement funds or home equity to pay credit card debts. They take out high-rate debt consolidation loans. They borrow from one payday lender to pay another.

    Washington leased land he owned on the Kanawha River to Welch, who never paid up. Instead, Welch apparently pretended that he owned Washington’s land and attempted to borrow from others using the land as ersatz collateral.

    Washington’s April 7, 1779, letter to Welch (read it here on the Online Library of Liberty) demanding payment is scathing. “I have heard too much of your character lately not to expect tale after tale, and relation after relation, of your numerous disappointments, by way of excuses for the noncompliance of your agreement with me,” Washington wrote, adding later that “however you may have succeeded in imposing upon, and deceiving others, you shall not practice the like game with me with impunity.”

    The letter reveals another important truth about money, which is that people who are upright, responsible and honorable are often at a disadvantage in dealing with people who aren’t.
    Washington died later that year, and the leased lands returned to his estate
    http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/money-lessons-from-past-presidents

    • Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy says:

      Kin, what a great comment! Is this, then, the origin of someone “welching” on their debts? Sure seems like it to me!

      And YES – one cannot pay off a debt by INCREASING the debt! That is clear from the get-go. Not that most folks in DC can be accused of using logic…

      Very true – those who are honorable will always do the honorable thing; those who are not, will not. People often take advantage of those with generous natures.

      One thing my dad taught me was never, ever lend money to someone and expect to get it back. If you lend it, assume you will never see it again, and consider that before saying yes. Good advice, that…

  5. and just think of how much access this administration will have to everyone’s medical records…God help us.

    Obama Seeking to Boost Study of Human Brain
    By JOHN MARKOFF;
    The Obama administration is planning a decade-long scientific effort to examine the workings of the human brain and build a comprehensive map of its activity.
    February 18, 2013, Monday

    The National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation will also participate in the project, the scientists said, as will private foundations like the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Md., and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle.

    A meeting held on Jan. 17 at the California Institute of Technology was attended by the three government agencies, as well as neuroscientists, nanoscientists and representatives from Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm. According to a summary of the meeting, it was held to determine whether computing facilities existed to capture and analyze the vast amounts of data that would come from the project. The scientists and technologists concluded that they did.

    http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reality-play/201302/are-we-about-map-the-entire-human-brain

    http://academiccommons.columbia.edu/download/fedora_content/download/ac:147970/CONTENT/Neuroview_v21.pdf

    Data Access and Ethical Considerations

    We feel strongly that an effort such as the BAM Project should be put squarely in the public domain. Because it will requirelarge-scale coordination between many participants, and because the information will benefit mankind in many ways, it makes sense for this project to be run as
    a public enterprise with unrestricted access to its resulting data. There are also potential ethical ramifications of the BAM Project that will arise if this technology moves as swiftly as genomics has in the last years. These include issues of mind-control, discrimination, health disparities, unintended short- and long-term toxicities, and other consequences. Well in advance, the
    scientific community must be proactive,

    • Ferd Berfle says:

      I suppose the Kool-Aid isn’t enough since it only goes so far. Now Obongo wants to find new and novel ways to maintain and augment his future brownshirt corps.

      “representatives from Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm.”
      No vested fucking interest here, huh?

      As a scientist, I would NOT participate in such a study, public or private. If this were about disease, that would be one thing but trying to understand how the brain works is part and parcel of its control.

      Count me as a definite “out”.

      • I know Amy, i was doing some reading in advance for tomorrow and I found the original eference in the new york times, which I did not reference as a source as they claimed they couldn’t find further information; so that got me right off the top: then i went looking and found the pdf and so forth. Transparent my ass, take their guns, control their minds, re-educate their youth, how much more does this take over by the o-government need to be spelled out? And you can bet under Obamacare they will have free reign to play with people’s minds, literally as some sort of care offerred(shiver).Another example, gas going up in the last 30 days, every day to the point of being we are nearly at $4.00/gallon here-yet morons want to occupy Keystone, while wearing clothing that is manufactured by factories that use gas, and no one asks them while they are waiting for their imagined clean green energy, how the hell they plan to,live, Mommy and daddys basement will be cold, very cold.

    • kinthenorthwest says:

      I remember when I first saw the mess on the Obama BC. I think it was over at NoQuarter.
      I remember thinking boy some of the Hillary people are really off their rockers…Even though I was a die-heart Hillary supporter at that time.
      On that issue and many more Obama issues i can no longer believe that the citizens of our country are just turning their backs on them…It does not seem to matter what the evidence is, Obama can do no wrong in too many eyes..
      To me what is worse is how little evidence it takes to crucify anyone with a name that opposes any of Obama’s viewpoints. H3LL you don’t have to have a name to be crucified just because you disagree with the policies that Obama is almost literally imposing upon the American people.

  7. “Together, answers to these questions can open the doors to deciphering the neural code, as well as unlocking the possibility of reverse-engineering neural circuits (Frakenstein much?)

    . In addition to promoting basic research,we anticipate that the BAM Project will have medical benefits, including novel and sensitive assays for brain diseases,diagnostic tools, validation of novel biomarkers for mental disease, testable hypotheses for pathophysiology of brain diseases in animal models, and evelopment of novel devices and strategies for fine control brain stimulation to rebalance diseased circuits. Not least, we might expect novel understanding and therapies.” pg. 974

  8. Ferd Berfle says:

    The latest foolishness from Colorado:

    Rep Joe Salazar (D):
    “There are some gender inequities on college campuses… that’’s why we have call boxes, that’s why we have safe zones, that’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, then you pop out that gun and you pop, pop around at somebody.”

    How any woman can vote for a democrat is far, far beyond me.

    http://weaselzippers.us/2013/02/18/colorado-dem-on-why-women-dont-need-guns-if-you-feel-like-youre-going-to-be-raped-when-you-may-actually-not-be/

    • kinthenorthwest says:

      I was going to night school at UCLA and ended up with some car problems…
      Out of the 3 call boxes I passed not one worked…There were no patrol cars/carts anywhere to be found. Luckily I came across a professor who was coming out of one of the locked up buildings. He let me back in so I could use a pay phone to get some help…
      My husband at the time had a fit..For some reason I did not know that on the UCLA campus there was a rash of rapes on the campus. About 1 a week for over 4 or 5 months….Turns out until a couple of weeks before my incident the upper crust at UCLA had been able to keep it under raps..Plus the fact many girls had not come forward until it had bee publicized .
      H3LL with call boxes or security….
      It just actually depends on the college as to security or decent security…While going to colleges I found two that had visible security at night for the women; often volunteer students but it was better than nothing..One community college sit up a program after I talked with the security department.
      H3LL with all the cuts to governmental and educational spending, I bet college security is being cut too.

      • Ferd Berfle says:

        That is why students who pass a background check should be allowed to at least have a weapon locked in their trunk. This is as a bare minimum. When you ask a cop why he/she is armed, they say to defend themselves. Shouldn’t all law-abiding citizens have the same rights? I mean, really.

      • Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy says:

        Holy smokes, Kin – thank heavens that professor was there! And I am sure there are campuses that are safer, but there are reasons why women are taught self-defense, and for some, that means carrying a gun. I have said before that guns scare me, but if a woman knows how to use one, has obtained it legally, and feels safer carrying one for protection, who the hell is THIS jackalope to tell her any differently?

        I swear – just twenty years ago, even TEN, women’s groups would have been pissed off at the implication that women were SO STUPID they would just whip out a gun and start shooting at whatever moves, just blasting away at anything because maybe, just maybe, they felt like someone was following them. Please. What a sexist, offensive thing to say. Grr.

        • kinthenorthwest says:

          Amy I too have had a fear of guns that is why I am taking my time getting one. H3LL I will most likely have my concealed to carry license long before I get have any type of gun to shoot much less carry…

  9. Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy says:

    Check out this Washington quote. Again, quite prophetic: Let me now … warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

    This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

    The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.

    But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

    From: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/18/its-george-washingtons-281st-birthday-here-are-his-5-most-important-warnings-to-congress/

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