#citizens

The Declaration of Independence . . . is much more than a political document. It constitutes a spiritual manifesto—revelation, if you will—declaring not for this nation only, but for all nations, the source of man's rights. Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, foresaw over 2,300 years ago that this event would transpire. The colonies he saw would break with Great Britain and that 'the power of the Lord was with [the colonists],' that they 'were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations' (1 Nephi 13:16, 19). "The Declaration of Independence was to set forth the moral justification of a rebellion against a long-recognized political tradition—the divine right of kings. At issue was the fundamental question of whether men's rights were God-given or whether these rights were to be dispensed by governments to their subjects. This document proclaimed that all men have certain inalienable rights. In other words, these rights came from God. ↗

— Ezra Taft Benson

#men

[F]reedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that "Oh, I don't get involved in politics," as if that makes you somehow cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn't insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable. ↗

— Bill Maher

#freedom #government #participation #politics #responsibility

They had scarcely established themselves, however, before another company of Jackson county citizens, chiefly from around Independence, organized to drive them off. ↗

— Cole Younger

#around #before #chiefly #citizens #company

A mob is the method by which good citizens turn over the law and the government to the criminal or irresponsible classes. ↗

— Ray Stannard Baker

#classes #criminal #good #good citizens #government

Nobody wants to pay higher taxes. But do you want your kids to get a good education? You have to pay for that. Do you want Medicare for senior citizens? I do. We have to pay for it. ↗

— Shelley Berkley

#education #get #good #good education #higher

We wish to be citizens of the United States or citizens of Puerto Rico. In either case, with all the inherent rights of a natural sovereignty. ↗

— Jose de Diego

#citizens #either #inherent #natural #puerto

Bosses are no more inevitable in state and local governments than dictators are in national governments. They will arise and prosper, nevertheless, if true believers of democracy - citizens devoted to the democratic ideals - do not constantly oppose them. ↗

— Charles Edison

#believers #bosses #citizens #constantly #democracy

The Western stereotype of Africa and its black citizens as devoid of reason and, therefore, subhuman was often shared by white master and black ex-slave alike. ↗

— Henry Louis Gates

#alike #black #citizens #devoid #master

The grand jury, composed of 12 eminent New Orleans citizens, heard our evidence and indicted the defendant for participation in a conspiracy to assassinate John Kennedy. ↗

— Jim Garrison

#citizens #composed #conspiracy #defendant #eminent

As citizens we have to be more thoughtful and more educated and more informed. I turn on the TV and I see these grown people screaming at each other, and I think, well, if we don't get our civility back, we're in trouble. ↗

— Emmylou Harris

#citizens #civility #each #educated #get