About
Our Founding Fathers had a great fear of government. They pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to an endeavor designed to give their posterity the tools to ensure that government would always be controlled by the people rather than the reverse.
Over the past eight or so years, I have become more and more disillusioned by our government as I saw how willingly people would trade the illusion of security for the very real erosion of liberties. I found it interesting that Democrat and Republican partisans both objected to many of my perspectives even while disagreeing even more vehemently with each other.
Democrats would label me a fascist for my pro-life stance even as Republicans called me an anarchist because I asked them explain why alcohol was fine but marijuana verboten. Of course my Libertarian friends courted me heavily seeing what they believed was a kindred spirit, however they become disillusioned by my unwillingness to throw the governmental baby out with the bath water.
So where did that leave me?
Captain O’ Captain….it left me to chart my own path and so I have.
My path has no name, yet I believe most Americans believe as I do, yet are drowned out by the din of polarizing forces from the left and right. If I had to give it a name I’d say we were all CommonSensicans or, if you prefer, CommonSensicrats.
That brings me to the point of this community, The DAILY TOL. TOL, of course, stands for Tree of Liberty, taken from one of my favorite Jefferson quotes. You will see a great deal from Jefferson on these pages. Were he suddenly quickened today, I’ve no doubt he would in short order begin to foment rebellion. That said, no violence will be advocated here, nor will hateful speech be tolerated.
My fervent hope is that, over time, we will attract sharp minds and sharper wits that will lend voice to these pages, but will do so will some amount of civility and decorum so lacking in today’s public discourse.
Challenge ideas. Do so passionately, but leave the personal attacks to others. Sadly, the netroots are riddled with destinations that have become commonly known to house vitriolic hate that does nothing but further divide a terribly fractured nation. We will not become yet another haven for such ill-formed arguments and divisiveness.
DAILY TOL will be moderated but not in service to any ideology. Steering clear of threats, racism, and personal attacks will ensure that your unedited thoughts will be shared by an audience as diverse and robust as we all make it.
So let’s begin this grand experiement and see what develops. Let’s refresh the Tree of Liberty with the power of our ideas and clarity of our words.
~tol
February 6, 2009
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