My work has embodied Theology, art, fiction and reality. The first two-thirds of my article today is fact, on my BLOGSITE. I caution readers that, while it, if often political or theological reality, nearly, as often, when I give such clues, it is a mix of that and fiction, fantasy. Judge for yourself, which is which, but keep in mind that the Jefferson quotes are authentic.
We have heard a great deal from Priests, Ministers, popes, hypocritical war criminal politicians, "Christian Rightists" (Of which they are neither) and avaricious, media charlatans, writers, snotty commentators, brain dead, self-appointed theologians or anti-theists, about Jesus, God, Freedom, organized religion, spirituality, atheism, Arms and Government. Now it is time to consult one of the Creators of our nation and our freedom, at least that freedom which existed before the Turtle Island Crime syndicate created the Anti-Constitutional Federal Reserve, and before G W Bush and associates, The Carlyle Group and murderous, Free Booting, No-Bid contracting, Murderous Patriot Act, the evil Satanic Military Commissions act of 2006, took over.
Let us see what the Bard of Virginia had to say about it all in this collection of his brilliant ideas, some of which is amazingly similar to utterances of members of my family, Royal, rebels against church and state over the last 800 years in Italy and here.
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. However, it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." "I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive."
"Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life: if it has been honest and dutiful to society the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one."
"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."
"Most bad government has grown out of too much government.
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.
"The god who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time: the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them."
"And the day will come, when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His Father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva, in the brain of Jupiter."
"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part, which is wrong, will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.... And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
I have sworn on the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.
"A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.
Professor Bagnolo is a Renaissance man: Cultural Anthropologist, Architectural designer, painter, writer, novelist, theologian. As a child prodigy, abed with polio for almost two years, with an off the charts IQ, reading at the graduate level by 5th (more...)
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