PIML 96052202 / Forwarded to Patriot Information Mailing List: From: "Alex DePena" Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 00:12:18 +0000 Subject: Food for thought: Republic Just a little food for thought. The nature of a Republic is too little understood these days. I had to educate myself on the subject. I found the words of Thomas Paine helpful and inspiring. Thomas Paine said that: "In republics, such as those established in America, the sovereign power, or the power over which there is no control and which controls all others, remains where nature placed it - in the people; for the people of America are the fountain of power.... This sovereignty is exercised in electing and deputing a certain number of persons to represent and act for the whole and who, if they do not act right, may be replaced by the same power that placed them there. In a republic, the people retaining the sovereignty themselves, naturally and necessarily retain freedom with it; for whatever the sovereignty is, there must be the freedom be; the one cannot be in the one place and the other in another. When a people agree to form themselves into a republic...they mutually resolve and pledge themselves to each other, rich and poor alike, to support and maintain this rule of equal justice among them. They therefore renounce not only the despotic form, but the despotic principle, as well as being governed by mere will and power, and substitute in its place a government of justice. By this mutual compact the citizens of a republic put it out of their power, that is, they renounce, as detestable, the power of exercising at any future time, any species of despotism over each other, or doing a thing, not right in itself, because a majority of them have strength of numbers to accomplish it." | Alejandro DePena | Freedom + Responsibility of action = Liberty (F+R=L) * Patriot Information Mailing List * http://constitution.org/piml/piml.htm * A service to help inform those who have an active interest in * returning our federal and state governments to limited, * constitutional government * Send messages for consideration and possible posting to * butterb@sagenet.net (Bill Utterback). * To subscribe or unsubscribe, send message with subject line * "subscribe patriot" or "unsubscribe patriot" * Forwarded messages sent on this mailing list are NOT verified. * See World's Smallest Political Quiz: www.self-gov.org/quiz.html * Libertarian is to LIBERTY as librarian is to library (DePena) * PIML grants permission to copy and repost this message * in its entirety with headers and trailers left intact.