Gentlemen and Scientists by Tom Shactman

a slice of a portrait of a revolutionary war man and blueprintsGentlemen Scientists and Revolutions: The Founding Fathers in the Age of Enlightenment (2004)

This is a terrific book. I have to return it to the library so will have to come back another time to add some quotes of the best bits. But I highly recommend it as very entertaining and informing reading. The minds and education and quality of our Founding Fathers make me weep is shame for the politicians we suffer from today. They are mostly would be tyrants just as Abigail predicted for husbands which is also true for women’s rights today still. And getting worse, people like Ted Cruz want to remove the Constitutional government these brilliant men formulated and put his god on top with himself as the interpreter of “god’s will” which can be summed up as god wants the rich to be rich, the poor to remain poor, and women to bear children every year until they die to provide cheap labor and cannon fodder for the wealthy few and their corporations.

He and the likes of the blessedly dead Justice Scalia, who proclaimed himself committed to the original Constitutional rights and privileges would have us go back to 18th century (or further) status quo. Even his minion and echo, Clarence Thomas, who should know better since he is African-American, would have us believe that the morals of that time were better, slavery of course, notwithstanding. And, not that they care, the subordination of all legal existence of women when they marry. The Republicans and conservative all have an active fantasy life of the Constitution as having been written by, or inspired by God/Moses/Christianity or whatever despite all facts to the contrary.

In one sense though, it would be nice to return to that time because it was known as The Age of Enlightenment for a reason. Unfortunately that reason did not considered blacks fully human, women other than chattel, and so forth. But at least they questioned the legitimacy of an authoritarian theocracy and took pains to prevent it.

But, by God, the Republicans are going to try.

 

 

 

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