Free Republic

John Jay Member of the New York Committee of Correspondence, 1774; Delegate to the Continental Congress, 1774-76; Member of the New York Constitutional Convention, First Chief Justice of New York, 1777; Delegate and elected President of Continental Congress, 1778; Minister to Spain, 1779, Minister to treat the peace with Great Britain, 1782; Secretary of Foreign Affairs, 1784; Contributor to The Federalist, 1788; First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789; Negotiator of Jay Treaty with Great Britain, 1794; Elected Governor of New York, 1797-1801. In 1787 Jay authored three of the articles now collectively called...

Everyone Has an Opinion on the Iraq WarEveryone from presidents to comics has been quoted on Iraq. We've collected 60 of them. - - - - - - - - - - - "Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier." --Zell Miller (D) Georgia 2004 “We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.” --Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002"Iraq is a manufactured conflict for the sake of geopolitical dominance in the area." --Actress/radio host Janeane Garofalo"There's...

The cover of the New Yorker isn’t the only controversy, the article itself is very revealing. It mentions how unstable the young Senator was, as he threatened to physically kick another Senator’s a$$! It also has this little snippet of interesting information from an Obama speech on 9/19/01 speech:

Eight days after the atrocities of September 11, 2001, Barack Obama wrote a piece for the Hyde Park Herald—and blamed the attacks on “a failure of empathy.” "Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy. Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must reexamine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks. And we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of...

Benjamin Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation. 2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation. 3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time. 4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve. 5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself:i.e. Waste nothing. 6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions. 7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and...

SPECIAL TV BONUS! 13 Quotes ABOUT John McCainJohn McCain doesn't even to pretend to like conservatives--unless there's an election going on. This all may be confusing to some readers: is he or isn't he? So here are 36 John McCain Quotes, plus 13 bonus quotes about McCain--to enable the reader to make up his own mind. - - - "The first thing that I would do is call in John Kerry, Bob Kerrey, Joe Biden, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Kissinger, Dick Lugar, Chuck Hagel, and several others and say, ‘We’ve got to get foreign policy, national security issues back on...

“I am a believer in knowing what you’re doing when you apply for a job..."

"The right wing, the Christian right, has done a good job of building these organizations of accountability, much better than the left or progressive forces have. But it's always easier to organize around intolerance, narrow-mindedness, and false nostalgia. And they also have hijacked the higher moral ground with this language of family values and moral responsibility.

Source Source Ronald Reagan Quotes In commemoration of his death four years ago, Founders' Quotes will honor Ronald Reagan today. "Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefiting from their success -- only then can...

The growth of the federal government concerns every citizen of this Republic. At one time the States fought for their liberty; now they fight for their share of federal funding. The Alien and Sedition Acts brought protests from the States, the likes of which would warm our hearts in today's political arena. I thought some of you may like this diversion from the normal short quotes that I usually post (and will later this week). First, the text of the Alien and Sedition Acts SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States...

"They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast, And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow "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 of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?" Thomas Jefferson "These heroes are dead. They died for liberty-they died for us. They are at rest. They sleep in the land they made free, under the flag they rendered stainless, under the...

FR often acts as a conservative echo chamber. It is obvious that many conservative pundits and hosts visit the site. To that end I think this will be helpful to get some quotes into the Zeitgeist. There are many famous quotes of those who fought Appeasement in the 1930's, but I think it is far more telling to read the quotes of the Appeasers themselves, because it is only then that you realize that appeasement was not a dirty word forced on them, but rather something they proudly wore. These words also so closely mirror the mouthings of modern Democrats...

We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. Thomas Jefferson 1816 - letter to Samuel Kercheval There is not a more important and fundamental principle in legislation, than that the ways and means ought always to face the public engagements; that our appropriations should ever go hand in hand with our promises. To say that the United States should be answerable for twenty-five millions of dollars without knowing whether the ways and means can be provided, and without knowing whether those who are to succeed us will think with us on the subject, would be rash and...

Somebody had the quotes from Obama's books posted on a thread today or late last night that seemed to be a good set. I forgot to bookmark the thread. Does anybody know that post and please a reconfirm on the accuracy? Thanks in advance.

Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint. Alexander Hamilton Federalist No. 15. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. George Washington 1796 - Farewell Address Arbitrary power is most easily established on the...

First, the Patriot Post served this as their quote of the day: 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, 1788) This led me to the original body of work, which has some tremendous information. “But every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that...

Preface: As I am rereading Plato's "Republic" I marvel at how the knowledge we need is sitting on our bookshelves. I've provided this segment for your reading, so you may read what our Founding Fathers read. And above all, I said, and as the result of all, see how sensitive the citizens become; they chafe impatiently at the least touch of authority and at length, as you know, they cease to care even for the laws, written or unwritten; they will have no one over them. Yes, he said, I know it too well. Such, my friend, I said, is...

Founders Quote Database - PovertyBenjamin Franklin - 1749 - Poor Richards Almanack Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is. Benjamin Franklin - 1753 - letter to Collinson Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. St. Monday and St. Tuesday, will soon cease to be holidays. Six days shalt thou labor, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more...

“One hundred nations in the UN have not agreed with us on just about everything that’s come before them, where we’re involved, and it didn’t upset my breakfast at all.” –Ronald Reagan, on the international reaction to the U.S. invasion of Grenada, November 3, 1983 The above quote just about summed up The Great Communicator’s take on pegging U.S. foreign policy to international approval rates. Liberals take a different view. Seemingly, liberals equate international approval-–especially by the Europeans–-with the worthiness of a U.S. foreign policy goal. What would American foreign policy look like under Democrats/liberals? Forget about Jimmy Carter and...

Some guests are included in today's quotes - not all are founding fathers... “The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is... legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay... If such a law is not abolished immediately it...

You all do a fantastic job nominating the Quote of the Day, I thought it might be fun for you to pick your favorite for the Quote of the Year. You can use the links below to select the one that you think merits the title of Quote of the Year. You can post the entire quote or the date and name of your favorite. January February March April May June July August September October November December

“In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature.” James Madison 1788 - Federalist No. 52 “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” James Madison 1788 - Federalist No....

Do you miss this guy? I know I sure as hell do… ‘Here’s my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.’ “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

“SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when...

"It is one thing to be subordinate to the laws, and another [for the Executive] to be dependent on the legislative body. The first comports with, the last violates, the fundamental principles of good government; and, whatever may be the forms of the Constitution, unites all power in the same hands. Alexander Hamilton 1788 - Federalist No. 71 After reading the above quote, scroll down to the legislation that follows in this thread. "The regular distribution of power into distinct departments; the introduction of legislative balances and checks; the institution of courts composed of judges holding their offices during good...

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. John Adams 1770 "It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth - and listen to the song of that syren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and...

“[R]eligion and virtue are the only foundations, not of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all government and in all the combinations of human society.” John Adams "May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy." George Washington (letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, August 1790) "[R]eligion, or the duty which we owe to our creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and...

Video clips of Obama's former spiritual adviser's most controversial remarks

“Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favour; a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason. As a long and violent abuse of power, is generally the Means of calling the right of it in question (and in Matters too which might never have been thought of, had not the Sufferers been aggravated into the inquiry) and as the...

The Best Quotes From Ann Coulter's 'Treason' by Ann Coulter "McCarthyism" means pointing out positions taken by liberals that are unpopular with the American people. As former President Bush said, "Liberals do not like me talking about liberals." The reason they sob about the dark night of fascism under McCarthy is to prevent Americans from ever noticing that liberals consistently attack their own country." -- Ann Coulter, P. 4 "Liberals don't mind discussing who is more patriotic if patriotism is defined as redistributing income and vetoing the Pledge of Allegiance. Only if patriotism is defined as supporting America do they...

Notable & Quotable March 11, 2008; Page A21 Seth Grahame-Smith writing about Hillary Clinton at HuffingtonPost.com: She has no idea how many times I defended her. How many right-leaning friends and relatives I battled with. How many times I played down her shady business deals and penchant for scandals. . . . She has no idea how frequently I dismissed her husband's serial adultery as an unfortunate trait of an otherwise brilliant man. For sixteen years, I was a proud soldier in the legion of 'Clinton apologists'. . . . She's become a political suicide-bomber, happy to blow herself to...

"Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act. In this relation, then, the new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a NATIONAL constitution." James Madison (Federalist No. 39, 1788) "The convention have done well, therefore, in so disposing of the power of making treaties, that although the President must, in forming them, act by the advice and consent of the Senate, yet he will be able to manage the business of intelligence in such a manner as prudence may...

I'm looking for a quote or a statement from some offical or former official of Armalite or Colt who was at a committee meeting, hearing or court case, who made a statement to the effect that the Colt AR-15 was never manufactured in a selective fire or full automatic mode, and never was made for the military, but for civilian use only. I've tried to google various permutations to find what I'm looking for, and I can't seem to narrow down the search enough. If this rings a bell to anyone, could you please post the statement or a link...

“It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth - and listen to the song of that syren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole...

"The nation which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest." George Washington 1796 - letter to Alexander Hamilton "It is an object of vast magnitude that systems of education should be adopted and pursued which may not only diffuse a knowledge of the sciences but may implant in the minds of the American youth the principles of virtue and of liberty and inspire them with...

George Washington The entire letter is here. It's worth the few minutes it will take to read. To anticipate & prevent disasterous contingencies would be the part of wisdom & patriotism. What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a single step. But how irrevocable & tremendous! What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis...

“[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.” Thomas Jefferson It is a wise rule and should be fundamental in a government disposed to cherish its credit, and at the same time to restrain the use of it within the limits of its faculties, "never to borrow a dollar without laying a tax in the same instant for paying the interest annually, and the principal within a given...

“As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust: So there are other qualities in human nature, which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form. Were the pictures which have been drawn by the political jealousy of some among us, faithful likenesses of the human character, the inference would be that there is not sufficient virtue among men for self-government; and that nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying...

Happy Birthday Dutch by: Malcolm A. Kline, February 06, 2008 Today would have been President Ronald Reagan’s 97th birthday. Showing the foresight that marked his life, he neatly analyzed a pivotal shortfall in American education at the end of his final televised address as president in 1989. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise,” he told the nation.” “And freedom is special and rare,” he said. “It’s fragile; it needs protection.” “So, we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s...

I pronounce it as certain that there was never yet a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous. Benjamin Franklin (The Busy-body, No. 3, 18 February 1728) Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks-no form of government can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea, if there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men....

“We can achieve much more in peace than we can ever achieve in these needless, unconstitutional, undeclared wars.� “Don’t we know if we sacrifice security for liberty we lose both, that’s what is happening in this country today!�“If you look at every problem we’re facing today its because for the lack of rule of law and the constitution.�“We live way beyond our means, with a foreign policy we can’t afford and an entitlement system that we have encouraged.�“With politicians like these, who needs terrorists?�“NO! I’m saying that we should take our marching orders from our Constitution!�“…[the neo-cons] said we’d be...

America's most influential blog is the Daily Kos. Democratic members of Congress post on the blog, Democratic presidential contenders cater to them, and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas is considered to be a mainstream figure amongst Democrats. Keep all of that in mind as you read these excerpts and quotes, all of which come from the Daily Kos writers, not from commenters on the blog: 10) "I wrote a diary a short time ago about how the Bush administration helped ruin my marriage. It wasn't because my husband was a Bush supporter or anything...it was because of all the stresses...

Oliver Ellsworth "Liberty is a word which, according as it is used, comprehends the most good and the most evil of any in the world. Justly understood it is sacred next to those which we appropriate in divine adoration; but in the mouths of some it means anything, which enervate a necessary government; excite a jealousy of the rulers who are our own choice, and keep society in confusion for want of a power sufficiently concentered to promote good. Oliver Ellsworth, Reference: Essays on the Constitution of the United States, Ford, ed. (146); original The Connecticut Courant [Sheehan (4:4)] "All...

“Would it not be better to simplify the system of taxation rather than to spread it over such a variety of subjects and pass through so many new hands.” Thomas Jefferson "The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. George Washington (Farewell Address, 19 September 1796) "The God who gave us...

— Some quotes from Thursday's Republican presidential debate in Boca Raton, Fla. ___ MIKE HUCKABEE _ On the Iraq war and President Bush: "I supported the president when he led us into this, as did the Democrats, and I think we owe him not a lot of scorn. We owe him our thanks that he had the courage to recognize there was a potential of weapons of mass destruction and rather than wait until we had another attack, he went and made sure that it wasn't going to happen from Saddam Hussein. Now, everybody can look back and say, 'Oh,...

The people in general ought to have regard to the moral character of those whom they invest with authority either in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches. " John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. IV, p. 267. "Look well to the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust. " Matthias Burnett, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwalk, An Election Sermon, Preached at Hartford, on the Day of the Anniversary Election, May 12, 1803 "Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character...

Monday, January 21, 2008 Who Said It: Al Qaeda, Or A Democrat? The latest edition of 'Who Said It' in Rush Limbaugh's monthly newsletter is a withering assault on the Democrats' handling of the war against Al Qaeda. In Limbaugh's characteristically poignant way, he prints a series of quotes, some from Al Qaeda and some from defeatist Democrats, challenging readers to determine who said what. Using their own words, Limbaugh illustrates exactly how in synch Democrat leaders are with Osama bin Laden and his thugs. Take a look: 1. "This is George Bush's war. He is responsible for this war....

"Fred Thompson is perhaps the most substantative candidate to run for President in many years. He has taken the time to think about what should be the relationship between the government and the governed. He has framed his thoughts within the context of a set of bedrock conservative principles that animates his thinking and generates sound ideas about where America should be headed." - Rick Moran, Real Clear Politics "Fred is right on the issues, and there's little doubt his positions are firm. Research his stances; read his position papers. You'll find he's very strong in all areas important to...

[T]he Constitution ought to be the standard of construction for the laws, and that wherever there is an evident opposition, the laws ought to give place to the Constitution. But this doctrine is not deducible from any circumstance peculiar to the plan of convention, but from the general theory of a limited Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 81 (482) The constitution of the United States is to receive a reasonable interpretation of its language, and its powers, keeping in view the objects and purposes, for which those powers were conferred. By a reasonable interpretation, we mean, that in case the...

The Education Intelligence Agency is proud to present the 2005 Public Education Quotes of the Year, in countdown order. Enjoy! 10. "After all these years, I'm sorry to say my recommendation is this: Forget about self-esteem and concentrate more on self-control and self-discipline." -- Roy F. Baumeister, professor in the department of psychology at Florida State University. (January 25 Los Angeles Times) 9. "When the students don't learn, the school must change." -- Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, addressing the National Governors Association. (February 27 Los Angeles Times) 8. "If the United States is to preserve our system of free public...