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Outstanding as always Don! Perhaps these few paragraphs from Common Sense will shock you and your readers. Keep in mind, when Paine wrote it and he said of the situation that it never happened before...we cannot make that claim now. We can only turn away from the history left behind by Paine. Only people who have no idea what their legacy really is, will silently fear these words. God bless you Don! I think you have made me find an older post on the subject.

Yours in liberty (and I have some chair oil if you need it)

Vince

"The present state of America is truly alarming to every man who is capable of

reflection. Without law, without government, without any other mode of

power than what is founded on, and granted by courtesy.

Held together by an unexampled concurrence of sentiment, which is

nevertheless subject to change, and which every secret enemy is endeavoring

to dissolve. Our present condition, is, legislation without law; wisdom without

a plan; a constitution without a name; and, what is strangely astonishing,

perfect Independence contending for dependance.

The instance is without a precedent; the case never existed before; and who

can tell what may be the event? The property of no man is secure in the

present unbraced system of things. The mind of the multitude is left at

random, and feeling no fixed object before them, they pursue such as fancy or

opinion starts.

Nothing is criminal; there is no such thing as treason; wherefore, every one

thinks himself at liberty to act as he pleases. The tories dared not to have

assembled offensively, had they known that their lives, by that act were

forfeited to the laws of the state."

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Only my friend Vince would post a pertinent excerpt from "Common Sense" here. Thomas Paine was one of my early heroes. He was treated harshly by his own country, including George Washington. Obviously, we need a lot more "Common Sense" in our mad, mad world. Thanks!

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