“One single object … [will merit] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation.” – Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Livingston, 1825
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First Principles: One Single Object Will Merit the Endless Gratitude of the Society: That of Restraining the Judges From Usurping Legislation
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Tagged Endless Gratitude, First Principles, Judges, Legislation, Merit, Restraining, Single Object, Society, Thomas Jefferson
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Na/GloPoWriMo #24: Perishable
Na/GloPoWriMo #24: Perishable
by Michael Doyle
Perishable as a live plant
She insists but just can't
There a perfect consolation in leaf
Its in its hiding manifestations of grief
In the soft shame of being seen
Each of us fails our push at being human beings
Potted plants have a form of poetry
Stretching and curling at their mystery
In this year of humbled isolation
We are rooted in damnable domination
In these times of helpless loss
The watering of our plants becomes a cross
All of this pushes forward for the sake of man
As each of us does what it is that we can
It's the fickleness of a frail ecology
That somehow always manages to call to me
Earth's future and our own is already here
Is it little wonder that we plant in our fear
In our plants we find the end of nature's observation
Tending as we can and dishonestly calling it conservation
(c) April 24, 2021 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Call To me, Conservation, Cross, Dishonestly, Domination, Each of Us, Earth's Future, End of Nature, Fails, Fear, Fickleness, Form, Frail Ecology, Grief, Helpless Loss, Here, Hiding Manifestations, Human Beings, Humbled Isloation, Leaf, Little Wonder, Live Plant, Mystery, Na/GloPoWriMo, Observation, Perfect Consolation, Perishable, Poetry, Poetry and Poems, Potted Plants, Push, Rooted, Sake of Man, Seen, She Insists, Soft Shame, Tending, Watering of Our Plants, We Can
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Thought For the Day: The Justification and the Purpose of Speech…Is To Prevent Error and Discover Truth
“The justification and the purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent error and discover truth. There may be other ways of detecting error and discovering truth than that of free discussion, but so far we have not found them.” – Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998)
First Principles: We Must Indeed, All Hang Together, Or Most Assuredly We Shall Hang Separately
“We must indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall hang separately.” – Benjamin Franklin
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Tagged All Hang Together, Assuredly, Benjamin Franklin, First Principles, Hang Separately, We
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Na/GloPoWriMo #23: In Response To That Other Fantasy
Na/GloPoWriMo #23: In Response To That Other Fantasy
by Michael Doyle
Keep your head on straight
Instead of rushing head long
We're always a bit short and late
Pretending our weak as something strong
Partying on in our faded delusion
That we want to live forever
Disrespected as we are in confusion
Of thinking ourselves more clever
Freddie maybe said it right and best
About who really wants to live that long
There is something missed in immortality
When there's nowhere really to belong
Rebelling against both foe and friend
Is pointless without something to say
Maybe there does come a time to end
And then we'll let our time slip into decay
(c) April 23, 2021 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Best, Bit Short, Clever, Come A Time, Confusion, Decay, Delusion, Disrespected, Fade, Fantasy, Foe, Freddie, Friend, Head On Straight, Immortality, Late, Live That Long, Na/GloPoWriMo, Nowhere, Other, Ourselves, Partying On, Poetry and Poems, Pointless, Pretend, Rebelling, Response, Right, Rushing Head Long, Slip, Something Missed, Something To Say, Strong, Thinking, To Belong, To End, Want, We'll Let Our Time, Weak
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First Principles: It Is Very Imprudent To Deprive America of Any of Her Privileges
“It is very imprudent to deprive America of any of her privileges. If her commerce and friendship are of any importance to you, they are to be had on no other terms than leaving her in the full enjoyment of her rights.” – Benjamin Franklin
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Tagged America, Benjamin Franklin, Commerce, Deprive, First Principles, Friendship, Full Enjoyment, Importance, Imprudent, No Other Terms, Privileges, Rights
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Thought For the Day: Believe You Can and You Are Halfway There
“Believe you can and you are halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
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Tagged Believe, Theodore Roosevelt, There, Thought For the Day, You Are, You Can
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Na/GloPoWriMo #22: As A Sign of the Times
Na/GloPoWriMo #22: As A Sign of the Times
by Michael Doyle
As a sign of the times
The last book I read
Was read online
Poetry told no longer rhymes
Nor does it impart lesson or deed
Yet, as an art, they call this fine
As a sign of these days
The last photo that I took
Was taken on my phone
Looking straight ahead with steady gaze
With pinched fingers I zoomed to where I look
With a few quick edits, I made it my own
In a sign of what I have heard
Musicians sample and don't call it stealing
While neither rhyme nor beat stands alone
What passes for thought comes across blurred
It's only by the good Lord being willing
These hard cuts are not engraved in stone
In a sign of these perilous times
The Stones are seen somehow as right
Police are called devils and criminals, saints
Elections aren't won except like street crimes
Darkness has at least become considered light
While gorillas pass out masterpieces in paints
In a sign of our contemporary days
It isn't just Garbo who wants to be alone
There's a great peace to living in isolation
Masked and socially distanced has become our ways
While the bravest hearts fail to condone
The mockery we've made of our nation
In these days, discussions have few rules
While lessons and lies are netted and exchanged
We laugh in tears at this brave new world
Where we are governed by tyrants and fools
Even our dearest and nearest feel estranged
As we charge into life battle flags unfurled
(c) April 22, 2021 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Art, Battle Flags, Beat, Become Our Ways, Blurred, Brave New World, Bravest Hearts, Charge, Considered Light, Contemporary Days, Criminals, Darkness, Dearest, Deed, Devils, Discussions, Elections, Engraved, Estranged, Exchanged, Fail To Condone, Few Rules, Fine, Fools, Garbo, Good Lord, Gorillas, Governed, Great Peace, Hard Cuts, I Have Heard, Impart, Into Life, Last Book, Last Photo, Laugh In Tears, Lesson, Lessons and Lies, Living In Isolation, Look, Made, Masked, Masterpieces, Mockery, Musicians, My Own, My Phone, Na/GloPoWriMo, Nearest, No Longer, Online, Our Nation, Paint, Passes for Thought, Perilous Times, Pinched Fingers, Poetry, Poetry and Poems, Police, Quick Edits, Rhyme, Rhymes, Right, Saints, Sample, Sign, Socially Distanced, Stands Alone, Steady Gaze, Stealing, Stone, Stones, Straight Ahead, Street Crimes, These Days, Times, Tyrants, Unfurled, Wants To Be Alone, Willing, Won, Zoom
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Thought For the Day: To the Size of the State There Is A Limit, As There Is To Plants, Animals and Implements For None of These Retain Their Facility When They Are Too Large
“To the size of the state there is a limit, as there is to plants, animals and implements, for none of these retain their facility when they are too large.” – Aristotle (384-322 BC)
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Tagged Animals, Aristotle, Facility, Implements, Limit, Plants, Retain, Size, State, Thought For the Day, Too Large
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First Principles: The Great Principles of Right and Wrong Are Legible To Every Reader; To Pursue Them Requires Not the Aid of Many Counselors
“The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to pursue them requires not the aid of many counselors.” – Thomas Jefferson (1775)
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Tagged Aid, Every Reader, First Principles, Legible, Many Counselors, Pursue, Require, Right and Wrong, Thomas Jefferson
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