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Mar. 10, 2010
By Brian Fleck
NORTH LIBERTY LEADER
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| Brian Fleck |
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An email making the rounds stated, "What have we learned in 2,065 years?"
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance"
The quote is then attributed to Cicero in the year 55 BC.
There is no apparent basis in fact to believe that Cicero said it, but there is evidence that the quote appeared in a fictional account of the ancient philosopher's life. The book was called "A Pillar of Iron," and was published in 1965.
So it's a lie.
If liberal Christians were to do the same thing, they might claim the Bible tells everyone to be their brother's keeper, or some other nonsense like commanding people not to kill.
Then where would we be?
Speaking of mail, I'd like to thank Keith Feldman, Jim Meyer and S.C. Sherman for writing letters to the editor about things I've written in recent columns.
Their remarks remind me of something Frank Joens, an early mentor of mine, told me not too long after buying the Solon Economist in 1983. "Brian," he said, "no matter what you do in this small town people will talk about you; it's when they stop talking about you that you're in trouble" Frank's other sterling pieces of advice were: "Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission," and "In small towns friends come and go but enemies accumulate"
Feldman's critique of Sherman's writing was very much on target. Sherman does need to understand the meaning of the words he uses better, but that's typical of Sherman and the far right. I didn't quite track Feldman's final argument that people should cancel their subscription because of Sherman's less than sophisticated remarks, however. Sincerely, I respect the heck out of Mr. Sherman for taking the time to express his opinions. Embrace the thinker; deplore the thinking. If anything, Mr. Feldman, renew your subscription because this is what it's all about: working out our differences with words (even if Mr. Sherman threatens violence to people that disagree with him). It's extra important to do it with the written word so there is a record of what was said. Also what is meant is less open to interpretation. It makes it less likely for liars to get away with their craft.
I especially liked the letter from Mr. Meyer, who took issue with me referring to people who collect guns as "gun nuts" Perhaps I should have used the term "gun ownership rights zealots," but I still prefer the term gun nut because it is my opinion that allowing anyone and everyone the right to own assault rifles and handguns is, well, nutty.
That's my opinion. As they used to say in the army, opinions are like (insert the body part of your choice), everybody's got one.
What Meyer has absolutely right is that we can have differing opinions but still respect each other on a personal basis. That's another attribute the people on the far right too often lack. Listen to Rush Limbaugh or Shawn Hannity. Like Mr. Sherman, the majority of what they have to say is character assassination. That doesn't get us anywhere.
But what I really appreciated was the possibly deft putdown Meyer worked into his letter when he encouraged me to keep writing because I was "entertaining" Is Meyer trying to say I'm funny but inconsequential?
Ouch.
In a few short strokes, Meyer managed to do what Sherman had not despite all his flailing: make a point, and with elegance to boot.
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