- Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), American founding father, in his closing argument in People v. Croswell (1804), quoted in Richard Brookhiser, Alexander Hamilton: American.Never can tyranny be introduced into this country by arms; these can never get rid of a popular spirit of enquiry...It is to be subverted only by a pretence of adhering to all the forms of law, and yet by breaking down the substance of our liberties.
Something for anyone who believes in liberty to ponder in light of the Obama administration's recent decision to force Catholic institutions to provide health insurance coverage for artificial contraception.
Glenn Beck has been all over this. He had Bill Donohue from The Catholic League on today.
ReplyDeleteListin, things have gotten so steamed up that even Bishop Driscoll issued a statement (rather weak - but at least he did it.) Wow! Could have knocked me over with a feather.
The Founders knew the tyranny of the past and warned that ignorance of the past would ruin our future...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Hamilton quote.
Carol-CS
Adrienne, I am glad to hear that this is getting attention, and wonderful to hear that the Bishop of Boise has issued a statement. It would be nice if the Bishop of Spokane would do likewise!
ReplyDeleteCarol, I think that's right -- the Founders knew that tyranny had occurred before in human history, and that it would occur after they had finished their work. They tried to create a system that would prevent tyranny from arriving easily, but at the end of the day, they knew that American liberty was dependent on the virtue of our people. On that, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and later the Federalist Party and the Jeffersonian Republicans, all agreed on that point. Absent virtue, our liberty is insecure.