This morning, I read an article in Newsweek titled "The Founding Fathers, Unzipped". It lays bear some historical facts about a few of these revered gentlemen that calls into question whether opponents of Automated Traffic Enforcement should invoke their memory when railing against ATE and citing articles - whose facts they have not checked by reading the source documents.
The Newsweek article is to the point when it said: "Facts, as John Adams insisted when defending British redcoats after the Boston Massacre, “are stubborn things.” He would be horrified by the regularity with which American history is mangled in the interests of confirming prejudices." (emphasis added)
This seemed timely with Independence Day close at hand. Invoking patriotism and the "Founding Fathers" is one way to tear down an opponent without having to have any facts on your side.
The last two pargraphs of the Newsweek should be considered: "With adult history buffs so deluded about the reality of the American past, it’s even more alarming that the National Assessment of Educational Progress recently rated history as the subject at which students are least proficient. This wouldn’t matter if history were just some recreational stroll down memory lane. But it isn’t. In the fiery debates of Americans long dead can be discerned the lineaments of the same core issues that divide us today. Right now, the education that might inform such a debate has turned into a schoolyard shouting match.
As the electioneering rises to a din, those who dare to read history for its chastening wisdom will be fatuously accused of “declinism.” But it is those who reduce history’s hard and honest reckonings to exceptionalist chest-thumping who will be the true agents of degeneration. As one of Jefferson’s favorite books, Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, so luminously argued, there is no surer sign of a country’s cultural and political decay than an obtuse blindness to its unmistakable beginnings."
I thought it might be interesting to see which forum topics had invoked the "Founding Fathers". Six were against cameras and one against screening by the TSA
Are Red Light Cameras All That Bad? http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21615
... manpower to personally accuse citizens in the way the founding fathers intended." interesting theory jgermann wrote: ...
Forum topic - DrewDT - 03/26/2009 - 11:27am - 415 comments
TSA Sexual Assault http://www.poi-factory.com/node/31202
... own mind. The fact that the quote is from one of the "founding fathers" and seems to support agruments that red ligh cameras (and now ...
Forum topic - chewbacca - 11/17/2010 - 6:29pm - 230 comments
Nassau County, NY admitting that Red Light Cameras used to shrink defecit http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30623
Government positions as envisioned by the founding fathers were never intended to be a "job" where you got paid for it. ... " --Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence Founding Fathers did not have it right Strephon_Alkhalikoi wrote: ...
Forum topic - fletchz - 09/20/2010 - 11:55am - 32 comments
Traffic Camera REVENGE !!!! http://www.poi-factory.com/node/27651
... outlines the derivation of many of the ideas held by the founding fathers. The “literal” manifestation of revolution is ...
Forum topic - nansoutey - 02/15/2010 - 12:00pm - 97 comments
BEWARE!!! Phoenix Speed Cameras Out of Control http://www.poi-factory.com/node/20862
... the state would get your "tax." Good Luck! Our Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves>>> bronc wrote: ...
Forum topic - bronc - 02/22/2009 - 10:30am - 86 comments
Garmin Nuvi 760 http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6873
Just picked mine up today from Circus City. It is certainly different some I like some not a big deal. If you already have one of the 600's. You might want to wait and get some more opinions. It does NOT support WAAS (even though a LOT of the on ...
Forum topic - markn455 - 10/25/2007 - 7:29pm - 130 comments
Federal judge dismisses suit against city's red-light cameras http://www.poi-factory.com/node/9923
... or maybe even spit on your petunia? My guess is the Founding Fathers' skin would crawl at some of the s*(& we allow to occur in ...
Forum topic - squirrelproductions - 01/24/2008 - 9:55pm - 39 comments
Speed and Red : my reasoning http://www.poi-factory.com/node/4507
... Oh sure, they whine and cry, but nothing else. If our Founding Fathers could see us now, they would probably have second thoughts ...
Forum topic - optical6925 - 06/25/2007 - 1:14pm - 23 comments
This morning, I read an article in Newsweek titled "The Founding Fathers, Unzipped". It lays bear some historical facts about a few of these revered gentlemen that calls into question whether opponents of Automated Traffic Enforcement should invoke their memory when railing against ATE and citing articles - whose facts they have not checked by reading the source documents.
The Newsweek article is to the point when it said:
"Facts, as John Adams insisted when defending British redcoats after the Boston Massacre, “are stubborn things.” He would be horrified by the regularity with which American history is mangled in the interests of confirming prejudices." (emphasis added)
This seemed timely with Independence Day close at hand. Invoking patriotism and the "Founding Fathers" is one way to tear down an opponent without having to have any facts on your side.
The last two pargraphs of the Newsweek should be considered:
"With adult history buffs so deluded about the reality of the American past, it’s even more alarming that the National Assessment of Educational Progress recently rated history as the subject at which students are least proficient. This wouldn’t matter if history were just some recreational stroll down memory lane. But it isn’t. In the fiery debates of Americans long dead can be discerned the lineaments of the same core issues that divide us today. Right now, the education that might inform such a debate has turned into a schoolyard shouting match.
As the electioneering rises to a din, those who dare to read history for its chastening wisdom will be fatuously accused of “declinism.” But it is those who reduce history’s hard and honest reckonings to exceptionalist chest-thumping who will be the true agents of degeneration. As one of Jefferson’s favorite books, Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, so luminously argued, there is no surer sign of a country’s cultural and political decay than an obtuse blindness to its unmistakable beginnings."
I thought it might be interesting to see which forum topics had invoked the "Founding Fathers". Six were against cameras and one against screening by the TSA
Are Red Light Cameras All That Bad?
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21615
... manpower to personally accuse citizens in the way the founding fathers intended." interesting theory jgermann wrote: ...
Forum topic - DrewDT - 03/26/2009 - 11:27am - 415 comments
TSA Sexual Assault
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/31202
... own mind. The fact that the quote is from one of the "founding fathers" and seems to support agruments that red ligh cameras (and now ...
Forum topic - chewbacca - 11/17/2010 - 6:29pm - 230 comments
Nassau County, NY admitting that Red Light Cameras used to shrink defecit
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30623
Government positions as envisioned by the founding fathers were never intended to be a "job" where you got paid for it. ... " --Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence Founding Fathers did not have it right Strephon_Alkhalikoi wrote: ...
Forum topic - fletchz - 09/20/2010 - 11:55am - 32 comments
Traffic Camera REVENGE !!!!
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/27651
... outlines the derivation of many of the ideas held by the founding fathers. The “literal” manifestation of revolution is ...
Forum topic - nansoutey - 02/15/2010 - 12:00pm - 97 comments
BEWARE!!! Phoenix Speed Cameras Out of Control
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/20862
... the state would get your "tax." Good Luck! Our Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves>>> bronc wrote: ...
Forum topic - bronc - 02/22/2009 - 10:30am - 86 comments
Garmin Nuvi 760
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6873
Just picked mine up today from Circus City. It is certainly different some I like some not a big deal. If you already have one of the 600's. You might want to wait and get some more opinions. It does NOT support WAAS (even though a LOT of the on ...
Forum topic - markn455 - 10/25/2007 - 7:29pm - 130 comments
Federal judge dismisses suit against city's red-light cameras
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/9923
... or maybe even spit on your petunia? My guess is the Founding Fathers' skin would crawl at some of the s*(& we allow to occur in ...
Forum topic - squirrelproductions - 01/24/2008 - 9:55pm - 39 comments
Speed and Red : my reasoning
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/4507
... Oh sure, they whine and cry, but nothing else. If our Founding Fathers could see us now, they would probably have second thoughts ...
Forum topic - optical6925 - 06/25/2007 - 1:14pm - 23 comments