Crawled out of a lovely snowbank in New Hampshire (Loon Mtn, but up to good old funky Cannon Mtn. this morning) today to offer a brief comment.
Re BD's enjoyably libertarian Do American citizens require everything in their lives to be controlled by their "betters" in government?, I would add one simple rhetorical question: Since when, in human history, have governments ever been determined to be the fonts of wisdom and virtue except in theory?
American exceptionalism contains the notion that government is a necessary evil, requiring containment and strict limitations by a virtuous people and a muscular Constitution to handcuff the state. The state is the enemy of individual freedom. GW: "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
Indeed, democratic governments and democratic republics, as schoolmarms often forget to mention, contain dangerous germs of emotional or greedy mob rule which are lacking in ideal philosopher-kings.
GW also said this: "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth." God knows he knew about teeth, having lost all of his.
Never even went to college, ol' GW. Or high school either. Far from a genius general too but brave as a terrier in the face of bullets. A very great man, greatest in his humility and his aversion to state power.
