Chris Hedges discusses his new book. In part one of this interview his focus is on the revolutionary significance of the life of Tom Paine, a man who understood the moral imperative of revolt and was willing to pay the price. According to Hedges:
" Paine understood power in a way that Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson, all of the leaders didn't, because if you go back and look, when they began their revolt, they were hoping to make an accommodation with the British Crown. And Paine said, you don't understand how imperialism works, you don't understand the hubris that comes with that kind of power, you don't understand that these people are not interested in making an accommodation with you. And so he served many vital functions, not least of which was articulating the call for revolution, not only in Common Sense, but in the Crisis papers. He was by far the most read author of the 18th century, both in Britain and the United States."
At therealnews.com
