Thankful for Thomas Jefferson's Trust

Among other lessons, Thomas Jefferson taught that future leaders should trust the good judgment and common sense of the American people. He thought those qualities were the rudder that would keep the ship of state on its proper course. Of course he presumed our good judgment and common sense were underwritten by a press protected by the First Amendment that would do its job of informing the people about their public business and by elected officials committed to honesty and candor.

In the period between the spring of 2002 and sometime within the past year or so, some of us lost confidence in the good judgment and common sense of the American people when a majority re-elected a president who had either made a huge mistake in trusting massively faulty intelligence or had purposely and consciously misled us. For the first time in my life I began to question Jefferson's assurances and to fear that we were in the process of becoming a fundamentally different country.

But, true to his admonition, a very large majority of Americans have now passed judgment, good judgment, on this president and are demonstrating common sense in concluding we have been led badly off course at home and abroad.

This Thanksgiving Day, among many, many blessings, I am most grateful for the restoration of American good judgment and common sense. This gratitude is qualified only by the thought that it has taken more than 30,000 American casualties to restore our true character and by the sober realization that the Democratic party now must demonstrate courage and conviction in designing a better course for America.

Comments

[sharpsteve]

30,000 is that a typo?

[BoulderSue]

I am thankful that more people seem to be aware of what kind of administration we have live under for the last seven years (my apolitical husband actually asked me to remind him to register to vote!), but they are not done with us yet. Check out what Kevin Martin of the FCC is trying to pull, seemingly on behalf of big corporate media: allowing more media consolidation."Google" The Pen. You can get all the info , write comments to your Congresspeople, Mr. Martin and your local paper if you wish, and forward the info to others. Gary, your first paragraph says it all. The common sense of a well informed public which can depend on an honorable press is essential. We all must take on the responsibility of citizenship, even be thankful for the opportunity to do so, and stop taking what we were given by Jefferson and others for granted (and don't blame the country's problems on someone else unless you are willing to assume that responsibility seriously, do something other than whine and do something about it). "A republic, madam, if you can keep it"-Ben Franklin

[Stevelagain]

I'm thankful that George Bush stood up for life and funded research which has found a way to create stem cells without destroying life and also in a much easier fashion.

It's unfortunate that the debate over science, stem, cells, and human health was HIJACKED by a pro abortion radical left who saw the death of human embryos for stem cells as a proxy way to support the 45 million baby abortion genocide they are waging in the US.

[RoddyMcCorley]

"In the period between the spring of 2002 and sometime within the past year or so, some of us lost confidence in the good judgment and common sense of the American people..."

Yeah, well, some of us didn't. Some of us took solace from the fact that the "conservatives" understood that they had to at all costs keep the American people from finding out or figuring out what they were really up to. Some of us reflected on the faith in the people expressed not by Jefferson, but by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- who based much of his strategy on a trust that if the American people knew what was happening in the south, they would demand that it be stopped. Some of us replayed in our heads over and over the words of Admiral Yamamoto in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor: "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant."


For that matter some of us held on to the faith in the people expressed by Frank Capra: "There's your answer, Norton -- the people. Let's see you try to lick that!" (The final line from "Meet John Doe.")

Some of us took from the mixed lessons of history this thought: It's a really bad idea to piss off the American people. Some of us wondered just what the hell it was going to take to wake up the sleeping giant. But some of us knew it was going to happen. "Just wait, assholes -- you're gonna get yours," some of us muttered under our breath. "And when it happens you won't know what hit you."

[Ravenlea]

I hate to be cranky, but I will be more grateful when Bush and Cheney are impeached and held accountable for their crimes.

I hope we can wrest the main stream media back out of the hands of whoever is controlling it or restore some level of integrity to it, because until we do that, democracy remains at great risk.

Still, I agree that there is at least some reason to have hope for the future and I'm very thankful for that.

[Citizenofreality]

My Thanksgiving prayer for the American people is that we will one day understand that the chimera hiding in the closet waiting to strike when our guard is down is not the most dangerous threat to our democracy. Pogo was right when he said, " We have met the enemy and he is us." And on this Thanksgiving I too have much to be thankful for, after a grueling three hour dinner with the in-laws I realize how fortunate I am that they live 50 miles away.

[deminmo]

No. the Democrats in Washington must take back
the country from a President who has lied about
many things. And one who is intent on getting
the USA into another war. They need to show
this President a copy of the Constitution he
swore an oath to. And then hold him to its
guidelines.

If they faulter now, and if the few level headed
Republicans that are left do not join the fight,
then this country is doomed.

[ChiGuy]

A lovely sentiment, but even I, a life-long Democrat, am highly skeptical that the party can actually come together and form a cohesive, forceful body determined to steer the country back on course.

[ChristopherLib]

Very much an optomist Gary. Well I try to be that as well. In large part the American people have woken up and have seen the damage the Bush administration has done to this country. The American people can make big screw up in elections, in good part due to a manipulative media, but I cannot believe a Republican will be elected next year. Not after this.

[kellygrrrl]

yes, it seems the majority of Americans have regained their composure and clarity of thought, and for that I am truly Thankful.
however
it would be something to celebrate if our Media could regain their integrity and pull their heads out of the Corporate a$$ they have been stuck in.
and
I would be most grateful to see our elected officials grow a pair and DO THEIR JOB!!!!!
prosecute, convict, impeach!!!

[BillW51]

Yes, we should be thankful for President Jefferson setting the precedent for instigating a war with Islam without Congressional approval or notification, and then coming back a year later to fund the Marines invasion of Tripoli. He started a war with countries having no ability to strike us on our own shores and presenting zero possibility of threatening us at home, but he wanted to help his business friends having trouble shipping consumer goods around the Mediterranean.

At least he did stop the foreign aid drain on the country that had been eating up 20% of our government expenditures just to pay bribes and ransoms to the Islamic pirates.

[syzito]

Do you mean to say that only liberal freedom hating lefties are correct and freedom loving conservatives are anti-american?

Common sense?;Or emotional hype and spin in order to control more details in the lives of the general public?

Democrats = A complete nanny state!!!

[thx1138bell]

"... a better course for america ..." is that like "... a new world order?" hmmm?

[mjjcpa]

Sally Hemmings

[Kendo Nagasaki]

The homeless veterans of America thank George Bush and Dick Cheeny for bringing them compassionate conservatism. Semper Fideles.