Wednesday 30 June '10 show notes

  • Guests:
    • Stephen Moore, Economist and policy analyst; member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board; contributing editor for National Review; latest book "The Return To Prosperity".
    • Don Siegelman, Governor of Alabama 1999-2003.
    • Historian Justin Vaisse of the Brookings Institute talks to Thom about his new book "Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement".
  • Topics:
    • Have the bankster terrorists blown up the bank tax that would have helped Main Street instead of Wall Street?
    • The Kagan hearings.
    • Is Don Siegelman getting a second chance in Karl Rove's pursuit of him?
    • What is a neoconservative and do they want to rule the world?
  • Bumper Music:
  • Today's newsletter has details of today's guests and links to the major stories and alerts that Thom covered in the show, plus lots more. If you haven't signed up for the free newsletter yet, please do. If you missed today's newsletter, it is in the archive.
  • Quote: "Town meetings are to liberty what primary schools are to science; they bring it within the people's reach..." -- Alexos de Tocqueville, from "Democracy in America".
  • Article: "Orders from General Thomas Gage to Lieut. Colonel Smith, 10th Regiment Foot", April 18, 1775.
    "Lieut. Colonel Smith, 10th Regiment Foot,

    Sir,

    Having received intelligence, that a quantity of Ammunition, Provisions, Artillery, Tents and small Arms, have been collected at Concord, for the Avowed Purpose of raising and supporting a Rebellion against His Majesty, you will March with a Corps of Grenadiers and Light Infantry, put under your Command, with the utmost expedition and Secrecy to Concord, where you will seize and distroy all Artillery, Ammunition, Provisions, Tents, Small Arms, and all Military Stores whatever. But you will take care that the Soldiers do not plunder the Inhabitants, or hurt private property.

    You have a Draught of Concord, on which is marked the Houses, Barns, &c, which contain the above military Stores. You will order a Trunion to be knocked off each Gun, but if its found impracticable on any, they must be spiked, and the Carriages destroyed. The Powder and flower must be shook out of the Barrels into the River, the Tents burnt, Pork or Beef destroyed in the best way you can devise. And the Men may put Balls of lead in their pockets, throwing them by degrees into Ponds, Ditches &c., but no Quantity together, so that they may be recovered afterwards. If you meet any Brass Artillery, you will order their muzzles to be beat in so as to render them useless.

    You will observe by the Draught that it will be necessary to secure the two Bridges as soon as possible, you will therefore Order a party of the best Marchers, to go on with expedition for the purpose.

    A small party of Horseback is ordered out to stop all advice of your March getting to Concord before you, and a small number of Artillery go out in Chaises to wait for you on the road, with Sledge Hammers, Spikes, &c.

    You will open your business and return with the Troops, as soon as possible, with I must leave to your own Judgment and Discretion.

    I am, Sir,

    Your most obedient humble servant Thos. Gage."
  • Quote: Reflections on the French Revolution, Edmund Burke.
    "The Chancellor of France at the opening of the states, said, in a tone of oratorical flourish, that all occupations were honourable. If he meant only, that no honest employment was disgraceful, he would not have gone beyond the truth. But in asserting that anything is honourable, we imply some distinction in its favour. The occupation of a hair-dresser, or of a working tallow-chandler, cannot be a matter of honour to any person—to say nothing of a number of other more servile employments. Such descriptions of men ought not to suffer oppression from the state; but the state suffers oppression, if such as they, either individually or collectively are permitted to rule. In this you think you are combating prejudice, but you are at war with nature."
  • Article: Thomas Jefferson: On the Omission of a Bill of Rights from the Constitution.
    will now tell you what I do not like. First, the omission of a bill of rights, providing clearly and without the aid of sophism for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, restriction of monopolies, the eternal and unremitting force of the habeas corpus laws, and trials by jury in all matters of fact triable by the laws of the land and not by the laws of nations. To say, as Mr. Wilson does, that a bill of rights was not necessary because all is reserved in the case of the general government, which is not given, while in the particular ones, all is given which is not reserved, might do for the audience to which it was addressed, but it is surely a gratis dictum [a mere assertion], the reverse of which might just as well be said; and it is opposed by strong inferences from the body of the instrument as well as from the omission of the clause of our present Confederation, which had made the reservation in express terms.

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