UK: America’s constitution produces a pure democracy we will never have

The Times ^ | 12/16/07 | Simon Jenkins

[saganite]

Looks like a prayer for Obama but you have to read the entire thing to get the drift.

[bruinbirdman]

A long, round about way to say UK needs a written constitution and that PM Brown is a cowardly EU appeaser. Then, what does one expect from socialists. To socialists, people only matter so long as they can surrender liberty to authority.

yitbos

[Ronin]

Some good stuff in there but the Bush bashing and the Obamanizing sort of distract from what would have been a keeper of an article.

[gusopol3]

losing sight of Kennedy’s inaugural admonition that “civility is not a sign of weakness”.

laughing Osama really thought so. Oops, I woke up paranoid this morning.

[freekitty]

I will not turn the leadership of my country over to the inexperienced and liars that can not admit they are Muslim and half white.

[PeteB570]

I must agree with both of your posts.

I found the first half interesting but then the ship took on a severe list to port.

[Mobile Vulgus]

What a pompous moron. We should all remember that his sort was the kind that sent a Prime Minister to Germany to face the most dangerous, evil man in human history and what was the outcome? The twerp went home proclaiming there is “peace in our times”!!

The Brits are spineless, poofters living off a well depleted sense of global superiority that died in the 1780s! They are not now and never have been either our friends, nor a worthy partner.

A pox on their weakling houses and all the houses in their neighbors, the fetid Europeans.

[ARE SOLE]

On behalf of Brit Freepers, go to hell

[djf]

As a direct descendant of those folks who sailed up the Hudson and settled in 1620, I second the motion!!

[rogue yam]

...and now a concocted “war on terror”.

With this one word I knew this essay was headed for the left-side ditch.

In its paranoid reaction to the events of 2001, America under George W Bush appeared reckless and imperialist, a bully and a “preemptive aggressor”.

There is a funny irony to the concept of "paranoid reaction". It is paranoid to think that those who have already attacked you are out to get you?

It has fought indecisive and incompetent wars against weak countries that America cannot help and can only plunge into poverty and misery.

Pre-9/11 Afghanistan and Iraq were characterized by prosperity and happiness? Our warmaking is incompetant as compared with whose? Which countries are we fighting indecisive wars against today?

To the wider world, it seems to crave enemies not friends, losing sight of Kennedy’s inaugural admonition that “civility is not a sign of weakness”.

Only leftists think the "wider world" is of one mind and that they (the leftists) speak for it. And what is this "incivility" of which you speak, comrade?

The neoconservative denizens of Washington have been reduced to...debating the uses of torture.

This is a lie, plain and simple.

They seem unable to engage with other world powers on such matters as trade reform, international law and the future of the United Nations.

Huh? Who besides John Bolton has addressed the structural deficiencies of the U.N.?

This is why America’s friends abroad have felt more despair this past five years than in the previous 50.

It's been eight years, not five. And I seem to recall plenty of despair among these same "friends" when Ronald Reagan was President. Just wait until a Republican is elected again next November. The lamenting of the leftists will be deafening!

[djf]

Since this document is somewhat the subject of the piece, here it is for all to ponder: Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of the Town of Flushing to Governor Stuyvesant, December 27, 1657

Right Honorable

You have been pleased to send unto us a certain prohibition or command that we should not receive or entertain any of those people called Quakers because they are supposed to be, by some, seducers of the people. For our part we cannot condemn them in this case, neither can we stretch out our hands against them, for out of Christ God is a consuming fire, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Wee desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand or fall to his own Master. Wee are bounde by the law to do good unto all men, especially to those of the household of faith. And though for the present we seem to be unsensible for the law and the Law giver, yet when death and the Law assault us, if wee have our advocate to seeke, who shall plead for us in this case of conscience betwixt God and our own souls; the powers of this world can neither attach us, neither excuse us, for if God justifye who can condemn and if God condemn there is none can justifye.

And for those jealousies and suspicions which some have of them, that they are destructive unto Magistracy and Ministerye, that cannot bee, for the Magistrate hath his sword in his hand and the Minister hath the sword in his hand, as witnesse those two great examples, which all Magistrates and Ministers are to follow, Moses and Christ, whom God raised up maintained and defended against all enemies both of flesh and spirit; and therefore that of God will stand, and that which is of man will come to nothing. And as the Lord hath taught Moses or the civil power to give an outward liberty in the state, by the law written in his heart designed for the good of all, and can truly judge who is good, who is evil, who is true and who is false, and can pass definitive sentence of life or death against that man which arises up against the fundamental law of the States General; soe he hath made his ministers a savor of life unto life and a savor of death unto death.

The law of love, peace and liberty in the states extending to Jews, Turks and Egyptians, as they are considered sons of Adam, which is the glory of the outward state of Holland, soe love, peace and liberty, extending to all in Christ Jesus, condemns hatred, war and bondage. And because our Saviour sayeth it is impossible but that offences will come, but woe unto him by whom they cometh, our desire is not to offend one of his little ones, in whatsoever form, name or title hee appears in, whether Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist or Quaker, but shall be glad to see anything of God in any of them, desiring to doe unto all men as we desire all men should doe unto us, which is the true law both of Church and State; for our Saviour sayeth this is the law and the prophets.

Therefore if any of these said persons come in love unto us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egresse and regresse unto our Town, and houses, as God shall persuade our consciences, for we are bounde by the law of God and man to doe good unto all men and evil to noe man. And this is according to the patent and charter of our Towne, given unto us in the name of the States General, which we are not willing to infringe, and violate, but shall houlde to our patent and shall remaine, your humble subjects, the inhabitants of Vlishing.

Written this 27th of December in the year 1657, by mee.
Edward Hart, Clericus
Additional Signers Tobias Feake Nathaniell Tue The marke of William Noble Nicholas Blackford William Thorne, Seignior The marke of Micah Tue The marke of William Thorne, Jr. The marke of Philip Ud Edward Tarne Robert Field, senior John Store Robert Field, junior Nathaniel Hefferd Nich Colas Parsell Benjamin Hubbard Michael Milner The marke of William Pidgion Henry Townsend The marke of George Clere George Wright Elias Doughtie John Foard Antonie Feild Henry Semtell Richard Stocton Edward Hart Edward Griffine John Mastine John Townesend Edward Farrington

[kalee]

The democratic lottery has already put into the spotlight not a gaggle of millionaires but a black, a Mormon, a woman, an Italian and a southern Baptist.

I am not sure about the black, but the Mormon, the woman, the Italian and, I believe, the Southern Baptist ARE all millionaires.

[Ace's Dad]

I knew something was wrong with this article when I read about the New England witches burned at the stake; they were not, they were hanged. Bad enough, but not the torture of being burned alive!

[vladimir998]

Quote from the article:

“In its paranoid reaction to the events of 2001, America under George W Bush appeared reckless and imperialist, a bully and a “preemptive aggressor”.”

Paranoid reaction? The author is a moron.

[wastedyears]

We’re a Republic, thanks.

[wastedyears]

Rudy G. - “Freedom is about authority.”

No thanks

[Verloona Ti]

For some reason, British authors are prone to describing the Salem witches as having been burned at the stake...I’ve run across that error in several books on the paranormal/occult written by Britons. But I was taken aback when I read one of those aforementioned paranormal/occult books written by a British author-who described King Charles I as having been hanged!

[vbmoneyspender]

Burning at the stake was something the British liked to do to heretics. Just ask Joan of Arc.

[mamelukesabre]

Exaggerated, overstated, and unecessarily insulting, that post does have an element of truth to it. I think your angered responses proves it.