[upchuck]

Maybe you're thinking about Alexander Tytler's quote:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

― Alexander Fraser Tytler, 1747 - 1813

Where do you think we are in Tytler's second paragraph progression? IMHO, it started with LBJ's "Great Society."

Regarding Tytler's first sentence, remember the USA is a Republic, not a Democracy.

[xrmusn]

Regarding Tytler’s first sentence, remember the USA is a Republic, not a Democracy.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Yes, I am aware of that but I could always play the ‘LIB’ role and call it a Representative Democracy or at least say that is what I meant to say....HA HA

Of course LIBSPEAK is an entirely different language.

As to the statement etc I thought I had heard that it went back to Plato’s time or at least snippets of it...

Then again a lot of ‘olden stuff’ can be read and interpreted to suit ones OWN mind.

I used to like to tell ‘them’..
.You may be right the 2nd doesn’t specifically say I can arm myself
BUT
It comes closer to telling me I can arm myself a lot clearer than the 1st says one can burn the flag, get an abortion, disrupt a public meeting all in the guise of exercising ones 1st amendment rights.