Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Quote of the Day — Frederick Douglass (April 1865)

Frederick Douglass
(source)
A lot of wisdom in this:
Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, “What shall we do with the Negro?” I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us!
I'd say this could apply equally to any group targeted by government legislation:
  • What shall we do with the Jews?
  • What shall we do with the Irish?
  • What shall we do with the LGBTQQ crowd?
  • What shall we do with the conservative Christians?
  • What shall we do with the gun owners?
Sound familiar?

Stay safe.

[Hat tip: Thomas Sowell, writing at Townhall, who also notes that Frederick Douglas "saw the dangers from well-meaning whites" as far back as the 1860s. Little has changed since then.]

3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Quite right! "Do nothing with us!" Leave us the hell alone!

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    2. We need another Douglas today but we also need another Lincoln and another King. As long we think what [B]the reasonable[/B] on the other side say is not meant, we will be divided by more than our views or opinions.

      I only think Douglas was wrong about one thing although he was right about it at the time in this quote. "What to the Slave is the 4th of July. "

      Later I think he would have known America would have to live up to the promise in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal.

      Lincoln and I think later Douglas knew that every drop of blood drawn with the lash would have to paid for with one drawn with the sword. America pays dearly for its every hypocrisy (or lie) and it always ends up paying, every damn time, just like it should. You cannot found a nation on the notion that it was basically created by God and say the things said in the declaration BY A SLAVE OWNER, and not pay for it if you do not do it.

      Douglas
      "Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us."

      Yes we have done much mischief with those we have oppressed. Those who were oppressed have also taken some poor roads. Both/all sides, cause sometime theys more then 2, need to admit that.

      Thing is, those three men are hard to come by. Men who grew while they had power, Lincoln had to grow more than the other two (he had more power) but he grew so much he is now a goddamned giant so big no one thinks then can even emulate Lincoln much less be him. The other two were closer to being exactly right from the beginning and only grew closer with time. No one is ever exactly right, only two perfect people ever existed, one got called to heaven on a chariot of fire and the other was nailed to a cross. (you know I gotta make a joke) You never know whats gonna happen when you're perfect.:p

      Something inspired me to write this tonight, I'm drunk so I'm not gonna blame God, he'd have made the writing better. I figure I heard something that bothered me and then the mood struck.

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