01/26/2004: 
Arcanum
An excerpt from a letter that Benjamin Franklin wrote to Pennsylvania Governor Robert Norris
How odious it must be to a sensible manly people, to find him who ought to be their father and protector, taking advantage of public calamity and distress, and their tenderness for their bleeding country, to force down their throats laws of imposition, abhorrent to common justice and common reason! Why will [he] make himself the hateful instrument of reducing a free people to the abject state of vassalage; of depriving us of those liberties which have given reputation to our country throughout the world?Patriot Act anyone?
4 Annotations Submitted
Tuesday the 27th of January, rafuzo noted:
Try about three dozen laws enacted in the past twenty years. Most of what the Patriot Act does is consolidate and slightly extend them, which is why most of it has survived constitutional challenge. I'm not a defender or apologist for it, but for fuck's sake, get it right and read the fucking document before you comment on it.
But anyway, it's a good quote regarding the 20th century US government in general.
Wednesday the 28th of January, awiggins noted:
For fuck's sake, I already read it.
Wednesday the 28th of January, rafuzo noted:
Then for fuck's sake, don't pass it off like the Patriot Act is the sum total of all government transgressions on freedom.
Wednesday the 28th of January, awiggins noted:
I have neither the time nor the inclination to write out every transgression that the Government has perpetrated on the people over the years. My comment on the quote by Mr. Franklin merely referred to the government's latest shenanigans, and was in no way meant to place all blame for the current world order on the Patriot Act. Thank you for pointing out my grave inaccuracy in this matter.
