I think this rings so true today as when Adams wrote it is because it speaks to human nature. That does not change. I am with you 21st century patriot. I am a part of the 99%- you know the group the press was paid to snicker at and not take seriously-they did yell very loudly-"there's an elephant in the living room" They continue to meet and are now working to offer a bill to congress to make sure what happened does not again. I don't think we should make light of each others suggestions on how to gain control over these leeches-that we elected. It is complicated, I don't personally believe in any violence-it was good enough for MLK, it's good enough for me, but i do think it is prudent to learn how to shoot a gun, i wonder how many have never even handled one? I think it is prudent to bank with small home town banks and boycott the large-wells fargo for example-let's hurt them where it counts, in their money! Let's continue to write to our rep. in the congress locally and federally about what we don't like. There are many things we can do and maintain our jobs-those of us who have them, and our lifestyles-mine is being eaten up quickly by inflation-DO NOT let them tell you inflation is in check-groceries have gone up over night! Go to the local farmer markets for food when available-don't favor the large conglomerates when you don't have to-expect to spend a little more, but is it worth it to you? Fresher food and you know it's not sprayed with chemicals. A win win for us all.Plus a farmers market is a lot more fun. Visit local farms that raise chickens and cows humanely and get good references and buy. Learn to stock up and know about survival tactics. I think it is all good, but PLEASE get involved somehow, we must now, I do believe they will continue to take what we have to fill their coffers. i am no longer voting, what would happen if no one votesI YOu can't vote the bums out Mike-the rich, the system gets ahold of them and they are just fodder for them or they become them. I used to believe that our government had it's faults but was basically intact and there to do good. I no longer believe that, it took only 2 years to change a lifetime of wrong beliefs.I am not the drama q. type, it is that I do believe our way of life is being seriously threatened and we have stood by in our quiet worlds, watching what they put on tv and eating our fat, chemical soaked foods and being endoctrinated to be consumers-they actually planned to encourage people to spend there money after WW2 because that put many to work-how stupid is that? You know, Germany never did that on purpose, they down play consumerism and export great products and they are looking pretty balanced right now! and put our money into 401k's and other accounts for retirement which-oh surprise-the rich figured out how to use that pool of cash to benefit themselves and we are left holding the bag(which is empty) Listening to them blame all the evils of america on us. It is not difficult if you read history the way it really happened and gather a couple of veiw points,to realize that the rich will not stop until they are made to stop.There are a few exceptions, but most are Sociopaths that are brilliant and will continue to go through every loophole there is to rob us of our money, health, choices, rights, and then blame it on us-WHICH WE WILLNO LONGER ACCEPT! We have been too comfortable for too long. We can do something if we are together and I hope we do, i know I am, are you with me?

Great statement and happening now within our country through the corruption of the elected official by the large group of wealthy in our society. I believe they do not think of us as anything more than pawns to be used and played to benefit them and I believe they think that about congress because congress has allowed them power. Apparently it is not enough to serve the people that elected you in a fair and thorough manner, just the ones with cash. Join the 99% as it starts up or do something you believe in-just do something! Yeah-it's that bad. And Mr. Adams reminds us, it's our duty.

I love it, timeless and shows how this intelligent, thoughtful and moral man had the *** to say it. Yeh!

Well DUH!! Why would you ever arm a group of people that you took captive, stripped them of everything-everything, and then treated them poorly. What do we all think would have been the consequence to allow Slaves to have guns for hunting and protection? They were even very hesitant to arm them in the latter part of the cival war when they finally allowed them to form their own (of course) regiment-they wouldn't really be able to do the old-"don't ask, don't tell thing"- but they were segregated- naturally. White men just love the power they have been given, don't they? Allowing for a handful of truly forward thinking and brave people, this kind of crap still happens today.

It is true, we are slaves to a corrupt system if we continue to allow it. I think this is one of the most thoughtless remarks he made-and he made a few-why would he want to paint a graphic picture of what he was making the young-sometimes 13 yo-endure? JPS

Hi Klause. Have you read the complete speech? This speech is given by a 28 year old Lincoln attempting to qwell the mobs who were hanging, burning, raping and generally killing blacks in the worst way. For being black.They were also killing people that had anything to do with blacks.And then killing any one that had anything to do with those people and so on. Lincoln was a waverer. He wanted to have a political future, but I believe he knew and believed slavery was not right. He "hooded" these convictions within many of his speeches and, I believe, to a great degree, is why he appeared to change his mind often. He was a guy that had depression and also felt he had to keep quiet about a deep seated belief so he could personally benefit. It's tough to be king.Hey- Instead of observing, try marching with the 99 percent or get involved else where-before all our rights are stripped away and we are not what so many men and women DIED to protect.

Why do you think that? I am not being argumentative, but I really want to know what Obama (who I did not vote for) is doing so wrong? PS-Anthony, I could not agree more, we do have to take something back that we gave away a long time ago. That is the power to change what is not wanted. We are unable with the corrupt government and big banks/money system/fed the way it is running it all now. It seems so entrenched, and so wrong, I stood with the 99% and will continue to do so as they were the only ones I know that brought the injustices to light, or rather, exposed the elephant in the living room.

To confederate, macclenny- Maybe concentrate on what is really going on, the very wealthy and our government loving, LOVING that we are a divided people. It just keeps us from the real things we should be doing as a people and they just LOVE we are so ignorant.It makes it easier for them to continue to take everything from us if we continue to act and talk divided, if we continue to allow them the power they have. Those Southern and Northern "Gentlemen" started a war that many of the rich did not fight, and if they did, they were sent in as commissioned officers. I don't know about you, but I come from modest means and that means my family and friends would have been slaughtered. THAT had nothing to do with black or white, That had to do with money.

I want to know if the British had anything to do with starting, funding, covertly engaging the southern states to succeed. If the South succeeded, the cotton so important to them would continue, and of course, at the expense of continued slavery for blacks(which were imported to the US by England to begin with) they, in turn, could continue to make it into fiber to ship to India to make the cotton fabric, and in exchange for opium, in the middle East, ship that to the Chinese to keep them under control. Oh my God, is this really true? I have gotten so many conflicting views on this. I tend to believe that England did or does believe very much in Imperialism. That the American Government was poised to be a truly great nation of vast assist and brother hood around the world, and of course increasing the change in their own pockets, increasing the standard of living in a real way for all it's citizenry, until a few key figures in government decided that England would succeed in it's mission and they sure did not want to be thought of as the ones who dumped their tea-alligned with them. It has been down hill ever since. Could it be, we were pawns for them so they could divide us and take the western area of the US? We were not friends at the time and they made it their business to invade and take over any country they felt of benefit to them. Yikes! I used to think of Lincoln and Roosevelt with admiration, was I duped? Were we all? I went back to college last year and married a guy who I could not find a solid argument against so many of the wrongs that have happened. Before then, I believed in the flag and Mom's apple pie. Now I just believe in the pie. And every day I find out new evidence (or is it?) pointing to the crooked and downward trail our government has taken-and that includes with us. Is it really as bad as I am seeing now? Perhaps I need to stop thinking in black and white, but there is right and wrong, isn't there? Post any good material so I can read more and learn what I need to know. Love the internet...