Common Sense, then and now

In late 1775, The American colonies were in the early stages of a rebellion against the British Crown. Shot had been fired at Lexington and Concord in April, and American Patriots had lost the Battle of Bunker Hill, despite inflicting massive casualties to British forces. The American colonists were on the fence about standing up, and fighting back against the tyranny of British Rule.

It was at this critical moment that Thomas Paine, the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine, penned the pamphlet titled Common Sense. In it, he made the case for American independence from Great Britain, using language the common man could easily digest and understand. He suggested a radical new democratic system, where even the lowliest peasant would have the same voice in government as the wealthiest land owner.

It became a massive success, and sold over 500,000 copies in it's first year. It was read aloud in public spaces, and distributed by General Washington to his troops in the surrounded city of Boston. It brought people together in the cause of democracy and freedom.

The nation that would become the United States has seen it's share of highs and lows since 1775, but we always pulled through, because the American People kept that same unity and moral conscience, that has lead us down the right path time and time again.

But the United States in 2016 is starting to become a very scary place indeed. We have been in a constant state of war since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, our government is openly bought and sold by massive corporations, the national debt continues to skyrocket because our elected officials lack the conviction to do anything about it, and civil rights are trampled on by the government, usually with the backing of religious leaders. Our battle today is not for independence, but to restore the government that our forefathers envisioned for us so many years ago. We can't let our great democracy fall back into the hands of tyranny and oppression, for the sake of comfort.

In this blog, I hope to lay out the issues of our time in a language that all people can understand. I hope that this small fraction of a drop of the Internet can serve as some beacon for modern day Common Sense.

- D