It Paines Me

March 16, 2007 9:55 PM

Thomas Paine is sometimes forgotten, but dealt with some modern predicaments. Quotes, letters & essays, and an assortment of his writings.
posted by Gnostic Novelist (7 comments total)

"Let Them Eat Thomas Paine" is one of my favorite Dillinger Four songs. That man could spit fire like the best of 'em.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 10:25 PM on March 16, 2007

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

oh dear!
posted by infini at 1:52 AM on March 17, 2007

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Heh.
posted by octothorpe at 5:13 AM on March 17, 2007

I'm a big fan of Thomas Paine. I absolutely adore Age of Reason and there's quite a bit of wisdom for contemporary times in Common Sense. I'm quite sure he's doing backflips in his grave now with our current political situation.
posted by Chocomog at 6:43 AM on March 17, 2007

Another Paine fan here—certainly the most unjustly treated of the Men Who Made America, both in his time and later. If there were any justice, he'd have a memorial on the Mall and schoolchildren would memorize his words.
posted by languagehat at 7:55 AM on March 17, 2007

You know who else wrote a book? Hitler! That quipped, I think it's so cute when "conservatives" point to noted revolutionary Tom Paine as if they have anything to do with him.
posted by davy at 10:31 AM on March 17, 2007

In college I wrote a paper called "Thomas Paine and Biblical Inerrancy", which was a review of TP's book, The Age of Reason. For those not familiar, the book was an expose of the ridiculous contradictions in the Xtian Bible (and a few observations on the other "revealed" religions invented by humans).

I chose the title from a phrase Jerry Falwell used often in those days that profferred the idea that every word of the King James Version was without error and, of course, the direct 411 from GAWD his ownself.

Tom Paine was the Che Guevara of his day. He and old Ben Franklin are the only FFs I respect (and i'm not sure about Ben sometimes).
posted by aiq at 3:43 PM on March 17, 2007