Why did Ben Franklin hate America?

Back then, there weren't REAL threats to worry about.

The only real threat to the United States back then was the regimented, well-supplied British military, and maybe a few Native American wars in their backyard.

Today, we have scattered, poorly organized religious extremists halfway around the world to worry about!

Bert T,

George Bush Sr. had a lot of sense, including the sense to realize he should not invade Iraq with his army already sitting on the border.

In the question asked, my real problem is there is no oversight involved. Dubya seems to think there should be nobody checking behind him. Well, there should. "We only listen to phone calls made by terrorists" Oh really. And how do you know before you tap them?

There have been a huge number of examples of this administration thinking it knows better than everybody else. Including Rumsfield's famous 'Butt out' about a week before his butt was out.

From trying to overturn the filibuster rule, to having a special session of congress to decide the fate of one woman in Florida on life support, this group has been about as far adrift from the founders of this country's point of view as is humanly possible.

I'm a conservative: they aren't. Bush and company are a mockery of conservatism. They have put programs in place that the most socialist liberals can only drool at the thought of. Their solution, if the constitution does not support their position, is to amend it to remove any doubt of states rights over federal ones.

I am at the point that both sides of this debate sicken me. I realy believe we need to rethink both parties, because neither one is thinking about the country, only their own cushy jobs and egos.

Any angst held against Jews by founding fathers was based on predatory European bankers (who happened to all be Jewish) - not the Jewish religion. At that time, there were hardly even a handful of Jews here. And the ones that were, generally represented efforts to take over our currency, like the Rothschilds and their Bank of England. There were no corner Jewish delis, Jackie Masons or Jerry Seinfelds here back then - pretty much only the negative stereotypes. So the likelihood of bad attitudes against Jews, among the organizers of this country, is hard to prove, but highly likely.

The Bush administration can use any excuse it finds convenient to impose it's own form of tyranny on the American people. Bush is The Decider, so if giving up many of our civil liberties in the form of the "Patriot Act" is the right thing to do in his mind, it must be so. George Bush does not hate America, just anyone or anything that does not completely agree with HIS agenda.

The country that Mr. Franklin helped to built is a very different country than the one we occupy today. I think he would hate current day America, simply because he was not poisoned by the alure of monetary gain like the governments of today. The old America on the other hand, I'm sure he cared a great deal about.

Hello =)

Well,....

Nothing that has happened in this country since 1900 has anything to do with the original ideals and vision of the founding fathers....

We just keep drifting further and further from our "defining principles".....

Our leaders justify this by saying that the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are all "living documents" to be interpreted differently as times change....

While that may be true to a degree, the sentiments that this country was founded upon are not "open to interpretation", but are as relevant and concrete today, as they were then.

Not the least of these are freedoms from abuses from our own government, and freedom of religion, or freedom to have no religion at all......

None of us now will ever be as wise as those men were then, so why do we wish to "improve" upon a perfect ideal??

Namaste,

--Tom

So, you're saying that when the Colonial forces intercepted a letter for General Benedict Arnold from the British, which exposed him as a turncoat and traitor, that was wrong? Pray tell, can you find quotes from Franklin about how intercepting that was wrong? They MUST exist, since YOU seem to know so much about Franklin.

Actually, the truth is that you're all wet. You are also factually-challenged.

All law enforcement agencies have always held the right to warrantless search & seizure in exigent circumstances. And Bush's signing statement reiterated that long-standing right.

You're straining at gnats, honey. And doing it dishonestly.

enjoyed the sarcasm.... We need to get back to the mindset of our founding fathers. Liberty was very important to them. Not only in what Franklin said, but in things others said. For example, Patrick Henry said, "... give me liberty, or give me death". That's a pretty strong statement. Can you imagine what they would think of some of the changes that have been made today???

I agree with old Ben sompletely. I wrote my doctorate thesis on the fact that all societies balance between security and liberty. Bush is emphasizing how we all need to be secure. He forgets that by doing that, he takes freedoms away from all of us. If he's tapping phones in the name of security, doesn't that limit how free we feel to speak our minds?

I, like you, have Franklin's "hate" for America, more properly the USA before it became Dumbyaland. With the new Congress, we have a chance, and ONLY a chance, to get an HONEST electoral system, ban "signing statements", and take it back.

Conservatives are basically reactionary and simple minded when it comes to understanding broader, underlying principles inherent in a constitutional republic.

"Got a security problem? arrest everyone and knock some heads"

"Don't like Bush? leave America"

"Don't like domestic warrantless spying? then don't hide anything"

"Oppose government policy? you're a terrorist"

This is their level.