This quote [1846] was in response the the Mexican War. He went to jail for a day but was bailed out [and his taxes paid] by friends including Ralph Waldo Emerson. It inspired him to write "Civil Disobedience" printed in 1848. "It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right."

When you run out of legitimate arguments, fall back on abusive argumentum ad hominem and genetic fallacy arguments. Our government works for corporations and the monied interests, as it always has from day one, not for the people. My argument Mike et al, is in the belief that it was otherwise at any other point in our history. We have always been an oligarchy of one stripe or another and continue to be one.

Wow Mike, you miss spoke -- it was NEVER reached, not "never completely reached." I noticed you presented no argument for three of the castes "not so endowed." Does it make any difference that in the South, you had to be a slave owner to be Governor? That you had to be a man of wealth to be in the legislature in all 13 States? That to vote or in other words have any say "of, for and by the people," was a purview of the the few? Does it mean anything that the electoral college or that Senators were selected by the State legislatures were buffers against the great but "equal" unwashed common people? You are living in a dream, bought and sold into the myth. You are part of the problem that prevents us from realizing the achievement of Jefferson's words my friend. The powerful always have an excuse why they, and not you, should exercise inalienable rights more perfectly than others. And you by into it apparently without giving it much thought.

Alas, it is but a quote. A closer look at the actual actions of the time will produce a much less achievement. High sounding words and I agree with them all but they were never put in action. All the Founding Fathers were white men of wealth and our system has always favored the white men, and the wealthy. There is tons of evidence for this starting with the most obvious shadow persons, Blacks, Indians, Women and the propertyless. None of the original 13 states gave voting rights to any of the above. It is an excellent goal but we have never been there, not yet anyway and you are self deceiving if you think we have. you must be smoking some good stuff or you have not read any scholarly history of the period outside of a generic history book which has created this myth of the glorious past.

J Carlton: more abusive agrumentum ad hominem is all you got. I will quote from my first post ". . . used primarily when you have no valid counter point." For all your boasts to freedom and liberty, you seem to spout a lot of hatred and unsubstantiated insults. Adds nothing to an intelligent debate, nor to your credibility. Too bad. Answer the question if you dare . . . do you advocate ending the war/occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan?

So by the standard set by Rep Paul, you all agree that pulling out of Afghanistan and Iraq and perhaps ever South Korea, we could solve the debt and budgetary crisis we are supposedly in or are you all now going to equivocate on your high remarks about the truthfullness of his wisdom? By the way, the remark 'typically "liberal"' is not an argument but a fallacy of logic known as an abusive argumentum ad hominem, used primarily when you have no valid counter argument. I don't agree with Reston for other reasons but it is simply illogical to discount her reason because she is a so-called liberal. Present some facts.

I hear that about our current President and all liberals all the time around the state I live in.