Dan, you hit the nail on the head - "properly informed" OK we all have a weapon (guns or whatever) now comes the day to use them - who tells us to use them and how are we to confirm or deny the reason for the call to arms. Who will be the peoples spokesperson; who will lead the charge and against what? We are stupid to believe a gun in a shoe box will protect us from anything; in actual fact it will probably be used against its owner - so it's back to those wild west days. Please tell me what you will do with your gun/s I assure you it will not be the “OK Corral”.

He did say attributes... The sovereignty of the individual is absolute and his birth right - what happens after that is any body's guess. But in reality no individual, state, of country, is totally independent - no individual, state, of country can afford the luxury of supreme authority.

At what point of betrayal do I have the right of self defense - I always love it when people say "Guns don't kill people do". Out of interest I ask a question of our learned fellows herein: What are the key principles for peace and how are they attained?

Yes, Archer, and they all walked away in shame. I'm sorry, but I do not believe in God - I believe we are all responsible for our own actions and those actions should be built upon basic tenets of communal living. We live in communities and those communities have certain laws and those laws are basically “do unto others as you would do onto yourself” From that simple belief and understanding are other laws that protect the individual from the majority and so on and so on… We vote for spokesperson’s to represent those laws but unfortunately it’s not the system or politics but our hearts that really are the factor. The question really is; are we able to transcend our ignorance and prejudice and become what we truly are? We contrive to survive and until that ends and the new age of enlightenment descends on us we will remain at war and like a cancer eat away at the very heart of our existence.

Archer, you are a Gentleman, thank you.

Archer, how can we get the Government and the supreme court to abide by Article ll?

Very good Logan. From these giddy thoughts of a sublime future based on the use of reason and senses to the reality of today’s government based on fear and greed, have we become mere slaves forever indebted to a system that requires only absolute submission (your either with us or against us). The problem will occur when the slaves have no money or resources to survive, then we will see the ashes and the phoenix. But, governments are clever, they will always allow us enough to survive just so we don't cross the line into total anarchy. We must break down the walls that divide us from nature and once again control our own destination - let's grow our own food and barter for other food and resources - what would happen to fast food and the Wal-Marts of the world... True value will occur when survival is the primary driving force.

NO government should base their authority on fear and intimidation. What would John Adams say today to our politicians and their practice of government? I believe he would admonish them and imprison most. What great Liberal minds there were in those days - we must stop all this rhetoric of this and that and roll up our sleeves and actually achieve the dream we once had – in the words of Thomas Jefferson “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government”. We honor this mantra by action and not words. Let us also take our heads out of the sand before the sand engulfs us totally. The quote is excelent but alas wrong as we can tell by our present American inhabitants.

Prophetic on both fronts - the military complex and oil business invasion of Iraq which provides them fat profits while taking the bread out of the mouths of the poor - we have no shame, summer soldiers and sunshine patriots... It's amazing, we put in Prison a guy for dope and yet we allow corporations and government to be free after raping the poor and causing death and destruction to thousands - Paine, where are you to rebuke such a time?

Logan, very good - the more we extend the philosophy of reason and kindness, a universal religion that has no boundaries, the more we will experience each others hearts and through that process be less likely to pick up the sword of terror, fundamentalism and fear mongers.

I'm sorry, but I find this incredibably niave and presumtious. I'm sure it was written for a reason, one which we are not privy too.

Indeed! Indeed! while we "contrive to survive" (who said that guy's?) it will remain a dream. Of course ther are those taht do but there is 95% (may be higher) that don't. To have freedom you must first have discipline

The key for great Cities is to live in them as a villiage - London is my home town and its full of fabulous villages

An observation, which on reflection, is honest

That's what created his "Black List"

Tyranny is not just the wielding sword, it can also occur silently when the populous is kept uninformed, uneducated, and propaganda flourishes, when the individual is blinded by fear and insecurity, and when governments and corporations manipulate media. Today this is less likely to take place as many are connected to the internet – but even this can change as it too is now the target of those who wish to keep us under the yoke of suppression.

Yes, always say sorry or apologize as soon as possible because the longer you leave it the less likely you are to act and therefore provide a loss of integrity - yes, carpe diem or Just do it!

Well Archer, Waffler, Carlton and Logen you said it all - well done

He forgot three others; independence, courage, and freedom. In actual fact he provided unwittingly, the three that would be our downfall, unless of course that's what he meant - silly me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4SSvVbhLw

Pat, you made the bed and now you can sleep in it! The biggest heresy of all time are the words from PB - The strategy of accusing others for their own actions as always been the policy of tyrants and despots - it’s a propaganda that’s works well for the GOP. Reston, good, but to forgiving. If we are what you all say we are then why the hell are we not invading Uganda or the Sudan - oops, sorry, you don't have anything we want...

Jim, you must have your eyes and ears closed to the recent and biggest social program of all time is - taking place now by bailing out the banks, giving oil companies big tax beaks and by the Fed laying down and rolling over - yes, we have a social program but its for the rich and let the poor remain poor and the disfranchised remain disenfranchised, and the those unable to care for them selves just throw to the dogs... O yes Jim, what a wonderful ideology. Waffler, you did well... take no notice of these neocons. Yes, we socialize our losses and privatize our profits - typical... George Carlin who died over the weekend said it best "We are not members of the club"

An apt statement considering the last eight years of the Bush Administration and the road to heaven is paved with evil.

So Bush who is responsible for the death of thousands is not as you say a "scumbag" It’s amazing what tweaks our responses. Mike, excellent! And Warren, you would be advised to stand in his shadow.

We are all collaborators in creation, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc, etc. and he knew that well...