One of John's many fine moments can be seen at:

http://www.lisatrust.net/Media/lmt-cw13.htm Here is a brief excerpt:

"Some famous paelo-historian said that the life of man in a state of nature was nasty, brutish and short. Now the first time I heard that quote I had assumed that they were talking about me. But, it turned out in fact Professor Toinbee was talking about primitive man.

The fact is, Judge, that human civilization has come a long way just in the life of this nation. But what we forget is this-- The history of mankind overall is a dark, dark night and freedom and the rights of the individual are a shooting star. It's not going to last. It's never lasted.

There have been brief moments. There was classical Greece where men spoke their minds, but that dream and that bright moment died when Socrates was put to death for speaking his mind for uttering an unpopular idea.

Rome had its hay day as a republic and it ended as a debauched empire and liberty again faded from the scene. And actually didn't come back until this country was founded 1400 years later after Rome had fell, after the dark hand of history closed on the throat of man again.

The question that each of has to answer, Judge, and unfortunately you more than anybody, is this. During this brief hour before mankind returns to the darkness that our liberty arose from, how have we tended the delicate flame of our liberty?"

------John Merrett
Bob Minton

>
> One of John's many fine moments can be seen at:
> http://www.lisatrust.net/Media/lmt-cw13.htm
>
> Here is a brief excerpt:
>
> "Some famous paelo-historian said that the life
> of man in a state of nature was nasty,
> brutish and short. Now the first time I
> heard that quote I had assumed that they
> were talking about me. But, it turned out
> in fact Professor Toinbee was talking about
> primitive man.
The line is "and the life of people, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"

and is by Thomas Hobbes, from his _Leviathan_."

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