Thoughts on a John Adams quote

I was reading a quote by our 2nd President, John Adams.  In writing to his son, Thomas, he said "Public business, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not."

Sadly, this is where we find ourselves.  Others have not.  This is why I ran for public office twice in my community.  I have long wanted to serve because I did not want the unwise or dishonest to do so in my stead.  I was once accused by a jackass of a man who also happened to be the local NRA representative, of running for office and being concerned about the way the NRA handled local elections, of it all being about me.  Nothing was further from the truth.  If it was all about me, I would never have expended the effort or money, nor would I have opened myself to scorn, criticism, and ridicule.

I just found that quote to be dead on accurate.

John Adams on HBO

While going into the post office last night for the first time in nearly a week, I noticed a poster in the front window that intrigued me. An HBO miniseries on the life of John Adams, produced by Tom Hanks is coming to TV next month. This actually excites me, considering the teaching I have done on the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and The U.S. Constitution. I have the book, "John Adams", by David McCullough, upon which the series is based. If you do not have it, GET HBO and watch. I just may get the DVD set when it comes out, if the series is good enough. At a minimum, I will DVR and record to VHS.