He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
- Thomas Paine, 1737-1809, English-born American pamphleteer, political philosopher
(Oil, ca. 1858, by Bass Otis, after George Romney, Independence National Historical Park.)
Image Source: National Parks Service On line Books - Signers of the Declaration
Caption: Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense, did not emigrate to America from England until 1774, but he became an ardent patriot.
Here are some blogs inspired by Thomas Paine:
Thomas Paine, The First American Blogger: His Words in Today's Context - ThomasPaineBlog.org
Thomas Paine Common Sense - Tom Paine.com
Tom Paine's Clubhouse: A Home for Twenty-First Century Conservatives - TomPainesClubhouse.blogspot.com
Thomas Paine Friends, Inc. - Strives to renew public recognition of the great defender of liberty, justice and human rights.
This is the Avenue to Success for 04/28/09
Avenues to Success offers an opportunity for parents of college students to enroll them in an unique subscription service and, at the same time, support student programs at a college or university of their choice! They receive a daily motivational quotation specifically selected to help keep them focused on achieving their goals in life.
Thomas Paine's writings provide us with much to contemplate today on what constitutes the just society. More than anything else he attacked entrenched privilege. Sadly, many who quote him these days do so very selectively and out of context. Paine, like Franklin, was very much influenced by his association with the French school of political economists, the Physiocrats. This comes out very clearly in his pamphlet, "Agrarian Justice."
For readers who want to learn more about Paine's life and his ideas, I invite you to visit the website of Thomas Paine Friends (www.thomaspainefriends.org).
Posted by: Edward J. Dodson | April 28, 2009 at 12:39 PM