🚀 go-pugleaf

On 30 Jun 2002 22:45:24 GMT, Merlin Dorfman <dorfman@rahul.net> wrote:

>Mike Smith (mws@wt.net) wrote:
>: Come on, Jeffrey..... Paine's an imbecile; you have "some" sense. Did
>: you miss the "in Congress" part? Congress was a part of our government
>: back in 1776.
>
>     Mike, you surprise me.  You usually have your facts more or less
>correct though your interpretations and conclusions are screwed up.
>But the Continental Congress, in which the DoI was written, was not an
>instrument of government at all; it was a debating society.  To the
>extent to which the colonies had self-government (which wasn't much, 
>they were mostly run by governors appointed by the king of England),
>the representatives to the Continental Congress may or may not have
>been any part of that self-government, but if so, those were
>completely separate duties.  The Continental Congress made no laws,
>enforced no laws, interpreted no laws...if you saw the musical
>"1776," the phrase "piddle, twiddle, and resolve" was used.

Ummm Merlin..... They thought they were an instrument of government.
Here's the last paragraph in the declaration:

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in
General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the
world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by
Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and
declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free
and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to
the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and
the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and
that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War,
conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all
other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And
for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
<end of quote>

Representatives..... in General Congress........... Assembled.........

Sure sounds like they thought they were "an instrument of government".

Mike Smith

FYI: I never even heard of the "musical" 1776.