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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: one_less who wrote (65914)	5/16/2006 3:07:04 PM
From: jttmab	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

I have no idea how TJ would respond to your question. I might be interested in knowing what he would have to say, if he had the view of American evolution that you and I have. His historical perspective is fairly inconsequential, except to the extent that it has contributed to our current knowledge and understanding. What if his historical perspective was: ~"It was just a simple lead in sentence that would be appealing to the masses. I never really meant it. I've got slaves in case you haven't noticed and there's no plan to let everyone vote, let alone negroes or women. We're keeping this Republic to white property owners. Of which I'm one of them. But the white property owners aren't going to win this war of independence on their own. We need fodder. And the masses are fodder. And don't expect me to defend Monticello if and when the British come. At the first sight of redcoats I'm out of here. I was given the task of declaring independence and arousing the masses to battle. Did you see the part I wrote about "absolute despotism"? That was a good one. And even to my surprise they bought into it. Here we had colonies under the British Crown that had no direct taxes on the inhabitants. And everything was pretty much done on local rule. The Crown even footed the bill for our entire defense. Even when we in Viginia decided it was our right to invade and take property in French territories. The few times the Crown attempted to tax the colonies, e.g., the Stamp Acts, they were never enforced. The big mistake the Crown made was who they targetted in their taxes. The Stamp Act: legal documents and newspapers took the hit. Talk about dumb. Tax the lawyers and the news media. Not a bright move on King George's part. Then they threw in taxes on dice and playing cards. Relatively expensive item reserved for us wealthy. Didn't any of you folks notice that John Hancock was the richest man in New England? It wasn't a coincidence. But do you think that story is going to get the masses up in arms against the redcoats? The richest man in New England not wanting to pay tax on dice. No way. Hence the Declaration of Independence. Creative writing at it's best, if I do say so myself."