Re: The unenviable fates of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence

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: : Dear Rich, I think your argument comes too close to the famous "the end justifies the means" to make me feel comfortable. Okay, Rich, it's very late here. Do you mind if I think about this, and postpone my thoughts till the weekend?

: : Ilse

: Rich's argument:
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: : : It is the IDEALS, not necessarily the DEEDS, these great men set forth that make us a great country. They were mortals, like you & me, and far from perfect, like you & me. What they did is set the ground work for greatness ... all WE, and those who have come before & those who will follow, have to do is live up it. No easy task, but ...

: Ilse, for you, I'll wait till you're ready ... no problemo! :) However, let me say, "the end justifies the means" is not what I was implying at all.

: Actually, the Constitution is the document which governs our Nation, however I believe one can find the spirit of those words in the Declaration of Independence ... where things might be ambiguous. What these great documents do is build a wonderful framework by which we can shape our government. It is not the fault of the writers that we have often gone astray. Sure, these men had their own faults, but the fact that they were able to look PAST their own immediate needs & set forth such inspiring guidelines for the rest of us to carry on with is a true testament to their greatness.

: I see no reason why one can't abhor some of the actions we as a Nation have on our record (as do ALL Nations!), and still marvel at the words & ideals set down by these GREAT men. The challenge is to live up to them, rather than belittle ... It's a lot like the Ten Commandments. We KNOW it's wrong to kill & steal & bear false witness against thy neighbor, yet people STILL kill & steal & bear false witness against their neighbor. So, where does the problem lay ...?


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