I'm with you, Mike, but your 'add-on' is a tall order and an ideal that has never been reached. But that is what we should be aiming for individually as well as a people. We find ourselves born into a world with natural laws and limits, with people already here, at various stages of life, in various positions of organizations, laying claim to every square inch of Earth, raising us in the culture and traditions of the time and place. Dogs got to dig and cats got to scratch -- what do humans got to do? People cannot be born 'enlightened,' but the innate drive to hunt, learn, survive, procreate leads one to have to solve problems. The struggle is built-in.

The world is like a crucible, and I am buried in ore. Life stokes the fire to separate the gold from the dross. ;-)

A child can tell the simple truth, while an adult can sermonize for hours.

"It shall be the duty of legislators and magistrates… to CHERISH the interest of literature and the sciences." That's fine; however, compulsory education by the State is a far cry from 'cherishing' an interest in literature and the sciences. People need an education, yes, but we need to LEARN what's so. Once again, it is a personal responsibility to figure this world out, a blessing to have help, and a curse to be conned.

Dale Hansen has highlighted Jefferson's warnings perfectly.
The slippery slope of social judicial activism is corrupting even the very definition of words, language itself. There is absolutely no Constitutional right to an abortion -- there is no Constitutional prohibition on abortion either. The Constitution is the rule book for the government, not the people. The courts cannot change the rules, their decisions do not make law. But once the entire context of a republican form of government is twisted from a servant government to a ruling State, somehow the restrictions on government have been placed on the people. Instead of the people regulating the government, the government is regulating the people! Those that believe the government's job is to regulate people and their thoughts, words, actions are in fact authoritarians, with lawyers and judges being the aristocracy and czars. The history of socialism is abysmal!! Where does Robert's defense of anti-religion and eugenics lead? This is utopia? Empty rhetoric and false authority.

;-) Too funny! Once a lie has been believed for so long, the truth sounds insane.

An inconvenient truth to those for whom the "science is settled." Voting can never impose truth. We can all agree on an ideal or direction, but it doesn't make it 'right' just because we all agree or disagree. Science is a continuous dialogue of propositions, theory, observations, with an intention to reveal the truth. Scientists never stop asking questions -- with an infinite universe, there is no shortage. Politics arises when scientific discoveries threaten Church or State, which depend on the weaknesses of the people. Any 'truth' that empowers or liberates putting power back into the hands of the individual can cause the establishment power structure to collapse -- once the cat is out of the bag, there's no getting it back in.

Waffler, you are right that the original Pilgrims initially established a communal/communistic plan, but it was a disaster as William Bradford's letters document. Once they abandoned that communistic plan, the community prospered -- the colony almost collapsed due to communistic organization.

The principles of Christianity and Reason, wherever they may agree, are the foundation of the American republican form of government. Many faiths do also share these principles, as do many 'reasonable' people without a religion.

However, I do not recall in the last 1000 years a Muslim, Hindu, or even Jewish people casting off the shackles of monarchy and dictatorship for a republican form of government in which the rights of the people are paramount and inalienable.

Liberty is the freedom to ask your own questions and discuss the answers. What is the real Truth? In a free country, you may ask that question, and come up with answers that are not commonly known. What happens when truth and dogma disagree? The lesson -- I either learn or suffer.

Just how long has the freeman been defending his liberty? Seems like it never ends. ;-)

Natural law is ordered; as you sow, so shall you reap, whether in words or actions. So, yes, we all are architects of the destiny we have created for ourselves in accordance with Natural law. There certainly is a Fate for those in concordance and those who are not. The 'way' in which we 'build' and 'rhyme' determines our Fate.

Thinking leads to speaking which leads to acting. Prohibition of speech is the prohibition of the acts that would follow. That's why 'education' is so important to the State -- control the mind, control speech, and control actions. It's called programming.

David, I have spent a couple decades studying religions, philosophy, and physics, and I can still admit that I do not know of the life to come, if any, after death. I have 'decided' to NOT eliminate any of the possibilities, but to keep them all under consideration. There is plenty to discover about myself and life while I continue to live and breathe. There is plenty to do and contribute with what I have. I find all the classic 'life-lessons' built-in -- can I really avoid them? Heaven and hell can be right here on Earth. Prayers to God are often answered through other people -- that is their gift and their honor.

An honest inquiry will yield an honest answer, if I don't have too much invested in what is not true. I believe that if God is, then if He speaks here and He speaks there, the messages will not disagree. I have found many agreements between sacred scriptures recorded around the world, some many thousands of years old. An allegorical interpretation of Christ's passion play yields many agreements with ancient Vedic texts. Astrology forms the basis of every known religion today -- while some believe that 'paganism' has co-opted Christianity, the 'solar-mythos' of Jesus is nearly a direct copy of Mithra who was the 'christ' of the day in Mithraism which reigned in Europe-Asia for 1000 years.

What may God do? What about all the rest of the world before Jesus' time, and all the billions who worship God in other lands and cultures? What about other planets and suns? The universe is bigger than what a traditional Christian view can hold -- it has fiercely opposed any scientific discovery that challenged a 5000-year old Earth and other literal translations of the Bible. But I believe even Jesus as an allegory makes Christ real in the 'spiritual' domain and a very real 'way' for people to be in 'communion' with Jesus and all that he means to the person. I believe God talks to us however he will. Even Christians around the world have different languages and the word for God and Jesus are not the same words in English. In what language does God require I speak to Him? If religion is true piety in practice, it matters not the form of God, for we are merely being instruments of that 'good' will. Creation is constant, we are not simply burning out. We are continuing the song, in harmony, and for me, that is fulfilling the will of God (as best as I can). I do believe God's Grace is His to give however he wills, despite what religionists have defined. If God is Love, where does he draw the line? Where do I? Cheers! ;-)

Music IS the best! It combines all the rest in this Uni-verse. "You are what you is!"

Beautiful! The power of the word -- Truth rules, and anyone can wield its sword (speech). Tempered with Love, truthful speech is how I wish to speak and what I like to hear. The humble nobility of the common man/woman is thus empowered by seeking/speaking truthfully.

The consumers/readers share the responsibility, as the suppliers are merely fulfilling a demand. The real question is why are we so attracted to disaster and mayhem and so little interested in good news? Rumor, gossip, intrigue, crime -- appealing to the basest of desires in order to make money. What happens if there is no bad news? Make it up!

Siren songs are still the media's bread and butter.

'Fake News' guaranteed... ;-)

The revelation of the truth occurs through telling the truth.

Yes, the Plymouth Colony was originally organized with communistic ideals. The plan failed miserably, which Bradford documents further in his letters. Once the plan was scrapped, people started managing themselves and prospered as a community more than under the communistic plan.

George Washington has no equal. Should we heed his words, America will always shine.

Thank you, all! It has been an honor. I am grateful for this life and for all life. I thank Nature's God (in whatever form that may be) for the undeniable gift that life and this world is. Thanks for the opportunity!

Even as nearly every MSM company has become the mouthpiece for government propaganda, honest thought and dialogue continue to bubble up through the cracks. Stopping the Truth is like a Whack-A-Mole game. ;-)

Today, it is language itself that is twisted to redefine the meaning of 'rights,' such as 'hate speech' and 'free speech zones'. In America, 'hate speech' is not a crime -- the Constitution prohibits Congress from making laws that abridge the right to free speech. All of America is a Free Speech Zone. But words do have consequences, and the speaker is not free from that. Free speech zones on college campuses are more akin to a rubber room where you can rant and rave and foam at the mouth -- it is evident that these fenced in areas are for crazy people, and that is how their speech is treated.

I completely overlooked the 'privileged' part. ;-) That changes the context of the whole quote.

Truth has a resonance; it 'rings' true. The process of discernment requires the ability to speak in order to put words to the test -- do they ring or fall flat?