It was brought to us by the Elders for Peace of Carol Woods, with dozens and dozens of signatures. We respect our elders, of course. More than that, they made compelling arguments. One of their arguments is that the Council is the closest elected board that they have. Who else can they turn to for leadership and a voice if not us?
I've been reading April 1865, a book about the last month of the Civil War, how touch and go it all was. In the "Epilogue" an interesting point is made:
Among other things, the Founders were convinced by historical example that for a republican government to last, it could not function over a large area. As the dominant political philosopher of his time, Montesquieu, wrote in 1748, "it is natural for a republic to have only a small territory." This notion became as axiomatic in American popular thought as in its doctrine. Both John Adams and Alexander Hamilton drew the lesson that the vast expanse of the United States--not as it is today, but as they knew it then--made it likely that a durable central government would have to verge on monarchy. For his part, Patrick Henry was hardly alone when, in 1788, he warned, "Our government cannot reign over so extensive a country as this, without absolute despotism."
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