The Pope's speech to the German Parliament

[fpb]

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/the_listening_heart
As ever, the man is worth listening to. But the responses in the comments thread just show how bloody useless it is to deliver intellectually distinguished and morally valuable speeches in a world where most people know no history but are stuffed full of out-of-context factoids and believe themselves entitled to judge.

Comments

Re: Five

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Which, considering that representative government was an idea seven hundred years old, would have meant that Jefferson should have supported the up-to-date tyrannical ideas of the most advanced rulers of the age, the likes of Frederick of Prussia and CAtherine of Russia, whom all progressives in their time loved and admired and tried to follow. That was the progressive party: the United States were trying to cling to an armoury of mediaeval notions with mediaeval names - county, council, alderman, sheriff, habeas corpus, militia, etc etc. But then Jefferson could be quite silly if he put his mind to it.

Re: Five

[ihuitl.livejournal.com]

Jefferson and the other founders took the existing democratic institutions and ideals and developed them further, breaking away from those modern tyrannical examples. That is exactly in keeping with the spirit of his quote: namely, times change and institutions progress. He also anticipated future improvements and changes after his death...which is exactly what happened.