A guy I know only because I adopted him maybe 20 years ago as a missionary who is now in Paris mentions the Bastille Day Parade on Facebook and reminds me that back in 1789 during the French Revolution the hated symbol of French monarchical oppression was stormed and a handful of prisoners were released. The bloodbath that followed is a well-documented example of what happens when man's total depravity is let loose in the name of "liberty and freedom" or any other line of hooey we dream up. (Hitler said his "reforms" were "for the children" of Germany in the 1930s...funny that Liberals in the US of A these days use similar phrases to those of the National Socialists back then.)
Anyway...I'm simultaneously reading John Adams (about 3/4 done) and just started The Journals of Lewis and Clark yesterday so I'm getting an interesting perspective on Mssrs Adams and Jefferson and how they affected America and the world. The editor of the Journals says the Louisiana Purchase was one of the most important events in world history because it propelled America into what we eventually have become. It's interesting to me that the movie "The Rock" has General Hummel justifying his terroristic activity with Jefferson's phrase, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Turns out Old Tom was a two-faced Machiavellian who was more than willing to shed other people's blood on behalf of his revolutionary, deistic, transcendental (read "secular humanist" when you cut through the spiritual smoke they wrote) ideas, once you read the story of how he got the Purchase as President and also how he dealt with people throughout his political career.
It was an interesting twist of Daniel 2:21, "And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to men of understanding," that Adams and Jefferson died the same day...July 4, 1826. George Whitfield once said, "You're immortal until your work is done." Well, you're immortal even after your work on earth is done...it's just a matter of where you're locating your residence for eternity after shuffling off this mortal coil which is the really significant "land purchase" that's been done or not for you.
Got room in the Heavenly Mansion? That reminds me...I gotta go paint the Dorm.
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