Reisunorg

I seem to be on a roll with reading about some inspiring, relevant quotes. This came by way of Robin Williams’ “Man of the Year” movie.

In the movie, Robin Williams’ character quotes Mark Twain as saying “Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its one sure defense.”

Mark Twain is known for his irreverence in his writings and his views, but now more than ever do we need insight such as his, when too many people, for different reasons, want to stifle irreverence, and really just plain thinking and questioning authority. That is really what makes the United States of America great (or used to), that we challenged everything, from conventional wisdom to authoritarian rulers. We now seem so cowered by “terrorism” that we would give up all our rights to be a free people (and the home of the brave) to an unjust and undeserving administration just for the illusion of safety.

I know I am not alone in revering Abraham Lincoln, and thinking he was the best president this nation has ever had. Each time I go to the Lincoln Memorial I read the Gettysburg Address and the 2nd Inauguration speech on the walls and get chills. I came across a quote database site (www.quotedb.com) and some of his quotes. This one struck me as particularly apt, in this day and age when our constitutional freedoms (that so many have died to protect throughout our history) are slowly being taken away in the guise of fighting terrorism (which is in itself odd, because terrorism’s main goal is to cower and intimidate the target into altering its behavior—precisely what we are doing)

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.