Never forget an ancient maxim handed down from generations unkown. "You can always beat the system by following the rules." That's a rough paraphrase. Those desolate night fires where all man's truth resides don't always translate well across all time.

A supreme trio of quotes for the day. I pick Benito's because it displays the wily charm of a leader doing a sham apology to the citizens. In that it is a gem! There are times when frank honesty, whatever the ulterior motives, is the best way. If "Ben" made an error it was one of hubris when he hooked up with Adolph. The classic quote on Ben is, "He made the trains run on time." He defined his nation as all peoples may be described. After all, we simply want our governments to work. They must be there when we need them. They must be a positive force for good. From personal experience I have learned that the people will accept a burden if they know that it is necessary and will have a long term benefit for them. If you make your case honestly, they may grumble, but they will sign on. If you fail to deliver, you are dead meat. Ben knew that! He got caught by a more wily player and we all know the result. While Germany was divided in half for many decades, Italy was left to dog paddle in its own pollutted pond. there is justice in the end.

To differ with a Roman is to tempt fate. Here I go! In ANY organization, as situations arise, questions of how, why, who, when, etc. do blossom. God gave us 10 commandments, but we can't display them in a public space. When everyone does the right or correct or honest or whatever thing, the need to provide laws does not exist. If no questions arise, no laws need to be written. There's the rub. Think of the everyday questions that arise. Where can I park my car? First off, it should be "may." That's a rule of grammar. Is grammar thus corrupt? You may park on the street. How about during snow storms? Oops, not until the streets are cleared of snow from curb to curb. Why go on? It is not a corrupt state that makes laws necessary. It generally is people asking for something. It's like the joke about Bill Clinton meeting with the pope. Bill announced the meeting a success with agreement on many things. The pope was troubled as agreement had not been reached on all ten commandments. Go figure.

One of the eternal problems is the total lack of parents with experience raising children. Here and there we do have a parent with "batches" of children by different spouses. In these cases, there is a chance for improvement based on experience. Whether it resides in the genes or develops via taboos, legends, religion, philosophy, etc., there is a force at large in the world that strives to guide us. I believe it has a divine origin, but that is personal and controversial. Frankly, if someone proposed licensing parents to me, I would have the person locked away in a dungeon never to see the light of day again. Well, maybe not. That might not go over big with the God I believe in.

It's a pity we don't study more of what he had to say. These words speak to the problem at hand.

I am most happy to find out that I am not alone in my reaction to this quote. He's ready for some Kool-Aid of the Johnson variety. I've held minor positions of responsibility to the citizens of my community, so I know the obligations. I also know that those "inalienable rights" of each and every person do not go away. We have pretty much done away with the "divine right rulers," but that does not mean that Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is a dead issue.

Today's trio strikes me as an indication that the author would like to believe in a representative form of government, but can only believe in a hoax. Without being so crass in words, I believe he/she is correct. Mostly people want their basic needs met. Careful! They want a stable place to live, sound money, transportation facilities, law enforcement, etc. and they want to be left alone. It shouldn't cost too much either. The standard way to power is to tell people who are mostly getting along ok that they are in fact downtrodden by an elite that is out of touch with them. The new kid on the block will fix all their problems. The Who said it best, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!" and the music is great. Remind you of anybody here abouts?

Jefferson may just be our greatest founding father for his insight regarding behavior as cited in this quote. The reference to wolves is unfortunate. A. Woods is correct regarding their functioning method. I have read that there in no documentation of a healthy - non rabid - wolf ever attacking a human. They did take care, literally, of the founders of Rome.

Is this the scientology dude? It's still a great quote. A keystone piece of living is to accept responsibility for your choices and the outcomes. Too many people never learn this and we all pay the price of their ignorance.

Calhoun remains one of our lesser known great political thinkers. His stand on states rights gave him a bad name which remains undeserved. He came up with the the idea of the consenting majority. One of my professors way back when called it the first original political idea from the USA.

The high ground to be sure. I do wonder how he would feel about the media releasing things that are damaging to the nation. In the past there was a degree of restraint. FDR was not shown to be confined to a wheel chair. It just wasn't done. Somewhere along the way we have lost that kind of sensible restraint. I believe it started with the amendment that limited a President to two terms or ten years. That was a bad move. Things have been more partisan ever since.

This man led an inspiring life. He loved hiking trails in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. There is nothing quite like this pursuit for clearing your head and centering your soul. One of the all time greats on the Supreme Court. This quote captures perfectly the concept of the intent of the authors where our Constitution is concerned.

Spoken like an umpire!

Ronald Reagan was a great President, right up there with the best of them. He was an "everyman" from the heartland of America, and he lived the American Dream. It was his faith and belief in our country's heritage that enabled him to do great things and connect with the people on their level. He was always able to overcome adversaries by the simple fact that he believed in something and that something was America. JFK stood by while the Berlin Wall was erected and then went to Berlin and made his "Ich ben" speech. Reagan went to Berlin and said, "...tear down this wall!" and the wall came down. So much for Camelot.

Our Constitution gives our President the responsibility, as commander in chief of our armed forces, to do what is necessary to preserve, protect, and defend our country. When America is under attack, that power is appropriately given to the President as the leader elected by the people. This power can be checked by Congress if they feel it must. The bottom line remains that some ONE must be empowered to act when the situation demands it. Be glad and thankful that the men who have held this office have carried our nation through many difficult times without becoming dictators or kings. Prof. Tribe perhaps forgets that in much of the world, his opinion on this issue would land him in jail at best, or he could just go "missing."

As long as government runs the schools and/or sets standards for what will be taught, we should not expect an intelligent population as a result. Stir in unionized teachers and all hope is lost. Teaching was considered a profession, but that has gone by the wayside. If you really want to be frightened with what is going on in schools, look into attention deficit disorder. The little darlings can now be drugged. Brave New World anyone?

Wow! Never thought of that speech that way! As to the cause of the Civil War, it was all about power and states rights. I love our Constitution, but if you view it as a contract, it provides no method for a member state to leave. Amendment or revolution remain the only options. The first state's rights issue was the Hartford Convention of 1812. The South was really worried about the coming changes in the balance of power in Congress. There was an even balance which protected the southern agrarian economy against the northern manufacturing economy. As new states were being added, the balance in Congress could change and go against the South. It also could be seen that the new states would be "free" rather than "slave." This may have something to do with the unique right that Texas was given to divide into up to four states. The curious fact about the century following the Civil War was how the South was "protected" in Congress. Senority determined who would chair committees in Congress and it just happened that most of the important committees were chaired by southerners. They tended to be returned to office more reliably than the rest of the members. It bought the South nearly a century of protection. Today it can be said, The South Has Risen Once Again!

The pendulum is always moving. The mass of us suckers just don't always see it. Gold makes the rules as "Joe" said above. The ones selling out are always and ever the people we entrusted with the levers of power via the voting machine. Yes, there are corporate citizens and they do have rights and responsibilities just like all citizens. While we argue about unfairness and all the distracting issues, our dear sweet Congress goes on its merry way feathering its various individual member's nests at our expense and to our ultimate destruction. Party on fools!

Barry Goldwater was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness'" to borrow a phrase. He was too far ahead of his time. It was a glorious few years. He and JFK were friends and both were looking forward to running against each other for President in 1964. We all know what happened, but we cannot know what might have been. Barry did lead to Reagan and for that we can be thankful. We will never know who was responsibile for what happened in Dallas. It's funny/weird how the time worn search for motive among those who benefitted from the death is rarely pursued when a President is killed. It tells you something.

The right of free speech exists in truth for everyman. The ego problem of we English speaking people tells us that we are God's gift to the world. When we Americans forget the truths we say are self evident, we deny our fellow man all over the world. A man, or woman, who does not enjoy free speech has sold his/her birthright somewhere along the line. Different strands of experience over the centuries have evolved various answers to the equation of governance. I would agree with the Senator that we English speaking folks have done a very good job. We should never forget the fact that other more or less continuing civilizations in Egypt, China, and India trace back to several thousand years BC. We have a bit over one thousand years from what I understand to be British Isles based civilization. Let's check back on our egotism a few thousand years from now before we pontificate.

As ever, Tom is correct. The first thing to remember about our Constitution is that it represents the second American Revolution. Generally, this is not taught. The delegates assembled were authorized to amend the Articles of Confederation. Instead, they replaced them. They did not have that authority. Except as it was granted by the Declaration of Independence as that right to replace what does not work where governance is concerned. The people always retain that right. Ronald Reagan was fond of reminding other foreign leaders that “In America, the people rule.” It is we, the people, who have mostly given up that right in exchange for convenience and gifts from Uncle Sugar. It is interesting that the occasional efforts to call a nationwide convention to amend the Constitution – don’t go picky on the exact details, you know what I mean – is about the only way we the people can get Congress our representatives to make a big change that we want. It is the ultimate check and balance - the fear by our Congress-people that their cushy, corrupt, gravy train will come to an end. Fortunately, for them, the people don’t even know or understand this. A bang or a whimper will not be our end. It will be a Congressional Hearing on steroids in sports!

Glad to see PJ included! I love his stuff! Our only ultimate defense lies in that wonderful Bill of Rights line, ever under attack, "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed!" Notice that our current CIC and his lady delight in joking about her right to "bare arms." Subtle, NOT!

Hoover has long been held responsible for the Great Depression. As time has passed we have learned that this was not true, but the tarnish has not been removed. His fault was that he was an engineer by training. You can not bring that discipline to the realm of politics and get a good result. Jimmy Carter may have had the same flaw, but I digress. I believe our current CIC is looking for a horse. God! Please help us!

Understanding from the French, now there is a surprise! And maybe not. The nation-states of Europe pursued a somewhat forced ethnic identity as a basis for government. It was called nationalism and it ruled that stage at least until WWI. Just below nationalism was the quest for power, as ever. Dear old Queen Victoria thought she could bring an end to all this nonsense by having a slew of kids and marrying them off to all the royal houses of Europe. It didn't work and she was a bit daft to say the least. We do find Europe engaged in a process of nationalism along with unity a century later. The Balkans, long called "the powder keg of Europe," have now become a multiplicity of ethnic states. The former USSR has likewise disintegrated along ethnic lines. At the same time, we find Europe becoming some sort of union with a common currency, freedom of travel, and a loss of internal tariffs. In some respects their borders are now more free than the ones between our own states here in the USA. Fancy that.

If there is a significant difference between the UK and the USA, this quote captures it. Everyman's home is his castle! We have forgotten the concept of "everyman." We have allowed our government to cross this fundamental line in the sand, and it is our loss. Civilization across the ages remains an attempt to delineate the rights of the individual, the duties of a citizen, and the power of the state. Christ said, "Render unto caesar the things that are caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." He fails in this doctrine to address the right's of man. At age 66 I suddenly and for the first time find this curious. I will stop right there!