COMMON SENSE; Revisited
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The Foreign Policy of the Founders
July 24, 2009 at 08:05 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedPost under:The idea, in fact, was to be fully engaged with all nations in commerce without getting involved in the alliances and wars that plagued the rest of the world. The hope was that the United States would set an example as a free nation that did not get involved in wars unless attacked. With that policy in place, people of other nations would strongly desire the peace and prosperity of America and follow its example, thus creating a free, prosperous, and more peaceful world.
The idea of a strong defense was balanced with the belief that a large standing army was also a danger to the peace of any nation. General Washington was one of the biggest proponents of a strong defense, but he was also the one who spoke most often about the risks of having too large of a standing army.
The Founders wanted a strong militia, and the militia, they believed, consisted of all of the people. The Second Amendment was not just about the right to bear arms, it was also about having a citizenry that was armed, well trained, and organized to come to the defense of the nation if necessary.
"The way to secure peace is to be prepared for war. They that are on their guard, and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure, and negligent." -Benjamin Franklin
"There is a rank due to the United States among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war." -George Washington
The fundamental philosophy of the Founders toward other nations is just as valid today as it was 230 years ago. Its basic principle is the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is a rule that applies as much to nations, which are made up of individuals, as it does to individuals. This is the fundamental policy that needs to be followed today.
While the wording might be slightly different in various countries, religions, and cultures, that same principle is found in every major religious and spiritual tradition:Christianity: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets," Matthew 7:12, King James Bible
Confucianism: "Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you." Analects 15:23. "To treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you." Mahabharata 5:1517Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." Number 13 of Imam Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths
Judaism: "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Leviticus 19:18
Native American Spirituality: "All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." The Great Law of Peace
Buddhism: "...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another? Samyutta Nikaya v. 353
Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai-shang Kan-ying P'ien
Many argue that the world is more dangerous today because of advanced weapons technologies, terrorism, biological weapons, scarce resources, and so on. It is precisely because of all these factors that the United States, the most powerful nation on earth militarily, must set an example that creates less volatility in the world and less acrimony.
The words that best described the nation's original foreign policy and the policy that should be pursued now were spoken by Thomas Jefferson during his first Inaugural Address in 1801: "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."
Unfortunately, this is not the policy that has been followed in the last century.
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Reality Zone
July 15, 2009 at 03:43 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedEdward Griffin's website. You can find updated independent news articles, some excellent videos and recommended readings.Organization under: -
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Ron Paul
July 14, 2009 at 06:49 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
Ron Paul, WTO Demands Change in U.S. Tax Laws (2002) http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/paul10.html.It’s hard to imagine a more blatant example of a loss of U.S. sovereignty. Yet there is no outcry or indignation in Congress at this naked demand that we change our laws to satisfy the rest of the world. I’ve yet to see one national politician or media outlet even suggest the obvious, namely that our domestic laws are simply none of the world’s business.
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Thomas Paine
July 14, 2009 at 05:58 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
Edwin Almiron Greenlaw, James Holly Hanford, The Great Tradition (Scott, Foresman and Company, 1919) p. 297.These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
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Marcus Tullius Cicero
July 08, 2009 at 04:32 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
Attributed to Marcus Tullius Cicero, Congressional Record, vol. 114 (April 25, 1968) p. 10635. This passage was reprinted in U.S. News & World Report (July 29, 1968) p. 15.The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt.
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Hermann Goering
July 08, 2009 at 04:28 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
Mark Gerzon, Leading Through Conflict (Harvard Business School Press, 2006) p. 22.Naturally the common people don’t want war. Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist disctatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
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Michael Scheuer
July 08, 2009 at 04:24 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
Michael Scheuer, Imperial Hubris (Potomac Books Inc., 2008) p. XV.U.S. forces and policies are completing the radicalization of the Islamic world, something Osama bin Laden has been trying to do with substantial but incomplete success since the early 1990s. As a result, I think it fair to conclude that the USA remains bin Laden’s only indispensable ally.
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George Washington
July 08, 2009 at 04:21 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
George Washington, 5th Annual Message, Address to Congress (December 1793).There is a rank due to the United States among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.
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Benjamin Franklin
July 08, 2009 at 04:16 pm by COMMON SENSE; RevisitedQuote under:
William Cabell Bruce, Benjamin Franklin, Self-revealed (The Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1917) p. 168.The way to secure peace is to be prepared for war. They that are on their guard, and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure, and the negligent.
