What does this mean to you?

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...It suggest that ol' Tom would have been a great spokesman for the NRA.

It's nonsense, of course, particularly when applied to America.

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Grassaf, Eolas

I'm not sure what your looking for here..nor why it was answered by eolas as it was..

but when i read it...the farmer and his work horses came to mind...he could only get the one to work and continued to whip the working one knowing that all the whipping of the other would be of no avail so would work the working one even harder...

not sure this even comes close to what is being stated...but this is what came to mind being blind to where your quote is from or what it pertains to...

lol...i guess you say it comes from ...Thomas Jefferson

hehe...and why eolas is talking about...Tom...hehe..my thoughts are sure coming late ...my brain is way behind....my thougts..or wait...was my thought there and the brain took some time to feed me the reaction...oh my...where is a scientist when you need one...break this down for me...perhaps a brain surgeon

Confusion. that quote brings confusion.

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."

How about those who make peace will make peace for those who do not. Or, those who work for peace will work for those who would rather fight.

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I think that Jefferson is talking about the idea that one may have to fight for their freedom and, to a certain extent, I have to agree. Non-violence has its place and it may work at times, but it also may not work at other times. Would non-violence have stopped the NAZI's? I doubt it very much.

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

In some cases, where it was tried, non-violence did stop the Nazis. Perhaps it should have been tried oftener. The Mennonites have gathered a good many stories of "peace heroes" whose non-violent tactics were successful. Not always before the resister died--but peace martyrs have their influence too.

As to the Jefferson quote, he assumes that those who have guns can make people plow. But if those who do not have guns refuse to plow, even when threatened with guns, the plowing will not be done until those with guns lay them down and turn to plowing themselves.

Pacifism is not an easy choice, but in the long run it may be a better guarantor of freedom than violence.

The only case that I can think of was when the public became aware of the fact that the NAZI's were murdering some of patients in hospitals, they took to the streets in protest, and the NAZI's did stop their action and even apologized. My people offered no resistance in most areas and look what happened to us. Also it didn't stop the J. Witnesses or homosexuals or the Gypsies from also being the victims of genocide, and they offered no resistance as well.

With halacha, us Jews are obligated to do our best to protect the innocent even if it means using deadly force against the enemy. However, it is also looked at as being of only the last resort after more peaceful techniques are first tried if possible.

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein