quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucienne

quote:

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government

The context for this quote is that it is not a quote from Thomas Jefferson.

Click here.

The "government fear the people" quote is also not Jefferson. It's actually been sourced to a 1914 debate about socialism. Here.

The above quoted source found the first instances of these quotes being attributed to Jefferson in 1993 and 1994. I'm guessing it was part of the NRA's contribution to the republican revolution.

What's odd and stupid about inventing and/or misattributing quotes like this is that the United States was a country formed by the violent overthrow of the existing government. It really isn't much of a stretch to believe that the Founders thought that first line defense against intruders and usurpers was important to the citizenry.

Without getting into a lengthy 2nd Amendment debate, it's certainly my read of the history that part of its purpose was the idea that an armed citizenry would serve as a defense to an over-reaching government. (No, "militias" did not mean National Guard, I can't believe people make that argument with a straight face). Having accepted that, the idea that today's armed citizenry serves as a disincentive to an overreaching government is quite laughable.

quote:

ORIGINAL: vincentML

OMG, Lucienne..... excellent bit of research. Thank you. I am embarrassed that I accepted the OP's quotes on his good faith assertion that he is a student of history. I believe he is, but even students make mistakes.

Well done, Lucienne, well done.

vincent

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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

Well, thing is, Tom lived in an agrarian society on a land still largely unexplored and protected in part by large oceans.

Banking substantially reduces the transaction costs of our economy. And we don't all grow our own food these days. The world Tom references no longer exists.

Now quotes about how each time we deregulate banking abuses creep in would be more to the point.

That's the topic.

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ORIGINAL: Underumam

Secondly, the government is stripping us of our freedoms on a regular basis, taking away our guns, outsourcing business, and turning day to day life in the more populated regions into a nazi-like "show your papers" existence. Yet anyone who mentions this is quickly beaten down like a of commie, and dismissed as a radical. Or oftentimes, much worse.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Underumam

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

Thomas Jefferson......

As an ex soldier, I truly love this man and what he stood for.

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ORIGINAL: DomImus

As much as I like the last quote I found this to be interesting.

I hope this one is accurate:

The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: OrionTheWolf

Before you congradulate her, you may want to do some research yourself. I am not going to get into a debate about it, but my study of the foundaing fathers, as well as other documents and letters they wrote, indicate the OP is correct on it being a Jefferson quote.

quote:

ORIGINAL: mnottertail

Well, I really don't care who said it either, I am a happiness is a warm gun kinda guy regardless.

Somebody when writing the preamble said this shit.

Here:

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide, It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history, Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and, when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence and cruelty...

~John Quincy Adams

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