Subject: Origin of Left & Right
I have often wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "Right"
and Liberals are called the "Left."
By chance I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible:
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to
the left." Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)
Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen.
You have to be one of dumbest idiots ever. Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin were liberals. The conservatives [Torries] at the time didn't want to succeed from England. Also the actual phrase comes from France not your book of fairy tales. It refers to left and right side of the chamber of parliament, as in where they sat.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah? What kind of liberal was Washington? For starters he was a FreeMason - not too many of them are liberals, I oughta know. The way I learned it, he had no political party or leanings, he simply provided leadership.
ReplyDeleteLikewise Franklin on all points above. Jefferson was not a FreeMason but he expressed admiration for the fraternity. All of them were staunch believers in the Second Amendment.
George Washington on the Citizenry's Right to Bear Arms:
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth keystone... the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable... more than 99% of them by their silence indicate that they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference. When firearms go, all goes, we need them every hour." - Washington's Address to 1st Session of Congress
Thomas Jefferson on the Right to Bear Arms:
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms. . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." -Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774-1776
Benjamin Franklin, using the colonial term for the hand of God, “Providence,” here testifies to his belief that God’s hand was ever active in the birth of our nation:
“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
Below are two more quotes from Franklin that express his understanding of God:
“My dear friend, do not imagine that I am vain enough to ascribe our success [Revolution] to any superiority…If it had not been for the justice of our cause, and the consequent interposition of Providence, in which we had faith, we must have been ruined. If I had ever before been an atheist, I should now have been convinced of the being and government of a Deity!” — Letter to William Strahan, August 19, 1784
“I must own I have so much faith in the general government of the world by Providence that I can hardly conceive a transaction of such momentous importance to the welfare of millions now existing, and to exist in the posterity of a great nation, should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler.” — On the impact of Independence on generations of Americans during the Constitutional Convention
This doesn't sound like any of the Liberal doctrine I have been exposed to; the historical record doesn't tell us their opinions on abortion.
Of course, what would I know? I'm just a lowly knuckledragger, that's why I spent twenty-five years in Airborne and Special Forces outfits. Recently a Georgetown pol science major explained to me how Reagan was a moderate. He must have been right - never mind the fact that by the time he was born I was already a paratrooper in the 82d.
Speaking of which, this blog is not now nor has it ever been a bulletin board for anonymous shit-talkers. You want to call me names - there is an email link over to the right there; it will be my pleasure to arrange a personal meeting so you can tell me how you feel directly to my face.
Around here, if you want to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk. -S.L.
"The conservatives [Torries] at the time didn't want to succeed from England."
ReplyDeleteThat's "secede" you freaking chucklehead ... not "succeed." If you're going to flame someone, at least have the common courtesy to proofread - rather than simply spellcheck - your pablum.
FWIW ol' Anonymouse up there hasn't taken my up on my offer for a personal encounter.
ReplyDeleteIn the Army we used to call this: "Your mouth is writing checks that your ass can't cash."
Probably a 19 year-old, zit faced freshman at Cal Berkeley who just dipped his wick for the first time, and felt like giving his two cents to the man.
ReplyDelete