“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.” – Thomas Jefferson (1788)
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First Principles: The Natural Progress of Things Is For Liberty To Yield and Government To Gain Ground
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Tagged First Principles, Gain, Government, Ground, Liberty, Natural, Progress, Thomas Jeffeson, Yield
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On Foundations Known
On Foundations Known
by Michael Doyle
Revolutions come from old foundations known
And the principles of justice clearly shown
This then is society's first sense of duty
Part and parcel to the truth of American beauty
And equally distributed across humanity
When philosophers talk about bravery
There is the physical sense and morality
The part is deeper tackles the sense of immortality
Trampling it underfoot to be replaced by the good
That somehow we, the People, have known and understood
Down through the centuries of English Common Law
And merely waits for our souls to valiantly recall
The heritage of the past is something we must nurture
So that these seedlings can prosper into our future
This is the eternal vigilance that is the price of liberty
It serves to prevent the few from stealing from the many
It's surely a theft that takes this world's freedom
And seeks to move a republic into a corporate fiefdom
We must fight against that which reeks of fascism
And confront our self-rule with a renewed sense of optimism
Truth is the one honest commodity, forever absolute
It is the greatest of the cardinal attributes
That set the wheels of the universe in their motion
It is this sense of virtue that educates with its devotion
(c) November 29, 2023 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged American Beauty, Bravery, Cardinal Attribute, Commodity, Devotion, Distribute, Duty, English Common Law, Equal, Eternal Vigilence, Fascism, Few, Fiefdom, Forever Absolute, Foundations, Freedom, Furture, Good, Heritage, Humanity, Immortality, Justice, Known, Many, Morality, Motion, Nurture, O, Optimism, Philosopher, Physical Sense, Poetry and Poems, Price of Liberty, Principles, Recall, Republic, Revolution, Seedlings, Self-Rule, Society, Soul, Theft, Trample, Understood, Universe, Virtue, We The People, Wheels
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First Principles: What A Man Does For Others, Not What They Do For Him, Gives Him Immortality
“What a man does for others, not what they do for him, gives him immortality.” – Daniel Webster
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Tagged Daniel Webster, First Principles, Give, Him, Immortality, Man Does, Not What They Do, Others
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Thought For the Day: The Best Use of Good Laws Is To Teach Men To Trample Bad Laws Under Their Feet
“Revolutions are not made; they come. A revolution is as natural a growth as an oak. It comes out of the past. Its foundations are laid far back. The best use of good laws is to teach men to trample bad laws under their feet.” – Wendell Phillips, human rights activist and attorney (29 Nov 1811-1884)
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Tagged Bad Law, Best Use, Come, Foundation, Good Laws, Made, Mankind, Natural Growth, Oak, Past, Revolution, Teach, Thought For the Day, Trample, Wendell Phillips
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Path of Humility
Path of Humility
by Michael Doyle
Like a vagabond in the night
I was just hoping to find the light
Growing tired of relying on my own sight
I was determined to get it right
Turning my habits to be set free
As God came to save me
I found my path in Gideon's Bible as I read
From the nightstand by my bed
Thanking God for all he has done
I turned from Satan to follow the Son
I no longer need any hiding places
As His joy is resplendent on my face
I put all my faith in His name
Jesus has taken my shame
Lifting my eyes to find that I'm on God's side
And I no longer hide behind my walled-up pride
True courage has been found as a new man
And I am determined to do what I can
To live my life true and openly
And walked in a path of humility
(c) November 28, 2023 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Bed, Deteermine, Deteremine, Eyes, Faith, Gideon's Bible, God, God's Side, Habits, Hide, Hiding Places, Hope, Humility, Jesus, Joy, Light, Name, New Man, Openly, Path, Path of Humility, Poetry and Poems, Pride, Read, Rely, Righ, Satan, Save, Set Free, Shame, Sight, Thank God, The Son, True, True Courage, Vagabond
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Thought For the Day: One Law For the Lion, and Ox Is Oppression
“One law for the lion and ox is oppression.” – William Blake, poet, engraver, and painter (28 Nov 1757-1827)
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Tagged Lion, One Law, Oppression, Ox, Thought For the Day, William Blake
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First Principles: The Cunning of the Fox Is As Murderous As the Violence of the Wolf
“It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.” – Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 1, 1776
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Tagged Conquest, Cunning, First Principles, Fox, Justice, Madness of Folly, Mercy, Murderous, The American Crisis No. 1 (1776), Thomas Paine, Trick of War, Violence, Wolf
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Truth of War
Truth of War
by Michael Doyle
Most of the world's problems start with war
It's a noteworthy thing that it takes more
Then dreamy words offering a shallow victory
To come out on the winning side of history
Many a fool has believed themselves better
When cooler heads were needed in heated weather
When it seems victories might yet still be won
Without arms enough to fight even before it's begun
A fight cannot be won through mere brilliance
But to win a war comes with close review and with reliance
That rush of exuberance that is not well-earned
Causes many wounded who come back with lessons learned
Listen close to the truth of war -- no one wins
Those who have fought know this before war begins
I's a lesson that I've learned all too well
As my mirrored reflection echoes the depths of this Hell
Wars fought hard are often a waste of might-have-been legacy
It depends on which side a person stands in history
As to just how tragic, tortured, and bad
But either way is equally sad...
We pray that God may yet save our souls
Yet, in war, God does not always have full control
Life too often slips away from the good
For the life of me, I've never fully understood
...(I suppose that I never will)...
There it is that the slow drag of death
That creeps up slowly, taking away its victim's breath
These are the wages of war and the price of our sin
It makes a person step foot by foot and yet again
Until, at last, we find the song of a journey is done
The struggles lived are fought and sometimes are won
But other times, we fight hard only to find that we lose
It's a spin of the roulette wheel, more of luck than choose
(c) November 27, 2023 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Arms, Begun, Breath, Brilliance, Choose, Cooler Head, Creep Up, Depths, Done, Dream, Equally Sad, Fight, Fight Hard, Fool, Fought, Hell, History, Journey, Legacy, Lesson, Lessons Learned, Lose, Luck, Mirror, No One Wins, Poetry and Poems, Price, Problem, Reflection, Reliance, Review, Roulette Wheel, Rush of Exuberance, Shallow Victory, Sin, Slow Drag of Death, Struggle, Tragic, Truth, Truth of War, Victory, Wages of War, War, Well-Earned, Winning Side, Won, World, Wounded
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First Principles: Democracy Becomes A Government of Bullies Tempered By Editors
“Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Tagged Bullies, Democracy, Editors, First Principles, Government, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Tempered
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Thought For the Day: A Body of Clay, A Mind Full of Play, A Moment’s Life — That’s Me
“A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life — that’s me.” – Harivansh Rai Bachchan, poet (27 Nov 1907-2003)
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Tagged Body, Clay, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Lifee, Me, Mind, Moment, Play, Thought For the Day
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