Common Sense 2.0

[nullvalu]

Very cool, I'll send a message to capaign HQ to see if they'd be interested in funding this at all.

 

[jaybone]

I just read Common Sense again yesterday, and have been thinking we need another Paine to bring the masses into the fold.
I too have been pondering version 2.0, the challenge that Thomas overcame so beautifully is to make it speak to the common man. It's a bit hard to comprehend in parts today, mainly due to language differences, but at the time it was truly 'common'
One way to collaborate on this project would be to draft a mission statement that gives a broad theme, then incorporate essays by individuals into a wiki or blog. Blog visitors could then vote on top essays over a period of time, and perhaps, borne from that a pamphlet for distribution could be published.

This is really a monumental task; the world is so much more complex today and where Paine really had one issue, we have hundreds.
I think the most productive approach would be on a philisophical level, discussing what it means to be free Americans. That is, rather than writing about why socialized medicine conscripts doctors, write about how socialism is nothing more than theft.

I think this is a very worthy pursuit and we really need to keep this dialogue going!

 

[beermotor]

Very cool, I'll send a message to capaign HQ to see if they'd be interested in funding this at all.

No, don't do that.

Listen, if we want to take this private, I can open up a private section of my d&d forum for us to use. Or else someone can put up a wiki, or whatever.

But let's do this on our own; we don't need "funding" from the campaign. We want to use this to GENERATE funding FOR the campaign!

 

[Paul-O-Holic]

Common Sense

I'm in.

Common Sense Revisited.

 

[jaybone]

Some ideas

For scope and style:
- Keep it short, simple and in plain language
- Use fiery and inflammatory language as did Thomas
- Strive for broad themes that really cut to the heart of issues, get to the MEAT not the specifics
- Think about who we would like to enlighten, write for them, not us.

I'm just brainstorming here....

If anyone has read "Good to be King" by Mike Badnarik, that is a style that could have broad appeal. It's a short book, easy to understand, has real world examples, etc.
It is my handbook for being a free American.

 

[beermotor]

Here's my brief outline. The first chunk is mostly an outline of Paine's historical document, while chunk III is more of my thoughts on what the focus of such a section should be for our modern time.

LINK

 

[beermotor]

http://www.ushistory.org/Paine/commonsense/singlehtml.htm

Link to the original document that I worked from.

 

[nullvalu]

No, don't do that.

Listen, if we want to take this private, I can open up a private section of my d&d forum for us to use. Or else someone can put up a wiki, or whatever.

But let's do this on our own; we don't need "funding" from the campaign. We want to use this to GENERATE funding FOR the campaign!

Ok, I haven't contacted them yet, and I'm on board with your reasoning.. however the issue of funding will come up, this won't be cheap.

 

[beermotor]

Ok, I haven't contacted them yet, and I'm on board with your reasoning.. however the issue of funding will come up, this won't be cheap.

It took me a second to figure out that you mean to print the thing. I think we can work that out if/when we get that far.

So, can someone collate all the thoughts thus far?

 

[nullvalu]

It took me a second to figure out that you mean to print the thing. I think we can work that out if/when we get that far.

So, can someone collate all the thoughts thus far?

YHPM

 

[mesler]

If you guys would like to use my wiki, feel free. The URL is wiki.ronpaulpresshub.com.

If you want a semi-private page that isn't linked on the fron page, just make up a title:
http://wiki.ronpaulpresshub.com/index.php?title=Something
so, you could do:
http://wiki.ronpaulpresshub.com/index.php?title=Common_Sense_2.0
or whatever you like.

 

[jaybone]

I was thinking, perhaps a preamble titled:
"Crimes Against the American People Perpetrated by the Federal Government of the United States of America"

Charge #1 - Confiscation of individual wealth via monetary inflation as a result of irresponsible excess creation of federal reserve notes by the federal reserve system.

Charge #2 - Confiscation of individual wealth by through the illegal and unconstitutional levying of tax on citizen's labor.

Charge #3 - Sacrificing the lives of Americans in pursuing illegal conflicts that were not officially declared wars by act of Congress as mandated by the US Constitution.

Charge #4 - Abrogation of citizen's unlimited right to contract, through the enaction of stautory law contrary to common law.

Charge #5 - Ignoring calls of citizens for their constitutionally protected right to redress of grievances.

Charge #6 - Unlawful imprisonment of citizens who have not violated common law.

Charge #7 - Manipulation of supposedly free markets for political puropses.

I'm sure I'll have many more to follow,

 

[torchbearer]

Once you get this manifesto done... we need to nail it to the door of the white house at a press conference.

 

[jaybone]

I would prefer to hand it to President Ron Paul over coffee.

 

[beermotor]

Ok - who all here is a "serious writer" and wants to start taking a crack at this?

We need to figure out some sort of way to collaborate online - but I imagine that what we'll end up doing is having 4 or 5 different things, and then we'll mash them all together taking the best from each.

Any ideas?

I really want to be the guy at the end, doing the editing / mashing / melding. I think I am a pretty solid writer, I'm one of the top students at my law school in the writing classes, so I think I could do it justice. But I'm definitely more of an editor, versus a starting out the gate guy.

 

[beermotor]

I just read Common Sense again yesterday, and have been thinking we need another Paine to bring the masses into the fold.
I too have been pondering version 2.0, the challenge that Thomas overcame so beautifully is to make it speak to the common man. It's a bit hard to comprehend in parts today, mainly due to language differences, but at the time it was truly 'common'
One way to collaborate on this project would be to draft a mission statement that gives a broad theme, then incorporate essays by individuals into a wiki or blog. Blog visitors could then vote on top essays over a period of time, and perhaps, borne from that a pamphlet for distribution could be published.

This is really a monumental task; the world is so much more complex today and where Paine really had one issue, we have hundreds.
I think the most productive approach would be on a philisophical level, discussing what it means to be free Americans. That is, rather than writing about why socialized medicine conscripts doctors, write about how socialism is nothing more than theft.


I think this is a very worthy pursuit and we really need to keep this dialogue going!

I think our Common Sense basically boils down to pretty much the same precepts Paine believed in, self-government and freedom. For us, the critical issues are likely War and Slavery. I mean these very broadly. Essentially they are, at root, economic issues. Everyone, and I mean everyone, understands on a deep level that without some kind of property protection, everything goes out the window, social law and order, etc, gone. So my thought is that we should issue an appeal to the common people to rise up against War and Slavery, in all forms. And then point out the various ways we are enslaved and forced to engage in wars by people for "our own good." We can probably bring a little religion into it, but I don't know how successful that will be, since religion has been really twisted in the past century.

 

[torchbearer]

I do well at editing.

 

[torchbearer]

leave religion out of it.

 

[nullvalu]

Whoever is up for the task..

Has Spirit of '76 weighed in?

 

[beermotor]

I guess I am going to give it a shot then.

Maybe we can agree to do something by Friday and share what we've got at that time among the group, do a little listserv or something?