“A Republic, if you can keep it” were words spoken out of time, out place, and perhaps out of context. They were words and seemingly a concern spoken by Benjamin Franklin, son of a candle and soap maker. Unlike his esteemed political colleagues, Franklin was self-made and became one of the nation’s only polymath geniuses. He was also one of the only American statesmen to own and then free slaves out of conscience. According to Wikipedia:
During Franklin's lifetime slaves were numerous in Philadelphia. In 1750, half the persons in Philadelphia who had established probate estates owned slaves. Dock workers in the city consisted of 15% slaves. Franklin owned as many as seven slaves, two males of whom worked in his household and his shop. Franklin posted paid ads for the sale of slaves and for the capture of runaway slaves and allowed the sale of slaves in his general store. Franklin profited from both the international and domestic slave trade, even criticizing slaves who had run off to join the British Army during the colonial wars of the 1740s and 1750s. Franklin, however, later became a "cautious abolitionist" and became an outspoken critic of landed gentry slavery. In 1758, Franklin advocated the opening of a school for the education of black slaves in Philadelphia. After returning from England in 1762, Franklin became more anti-slavery, in his view believing that the institution promoted black degradation rather than the idea blacks were inherently inferior. By 1770, Franklin had freed his slaves and attacked the system of slavery and the international slave trade. Franklin, however, refused to publicly debate the issue of slavery at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Similar to Thomas Jefferson, Franklin tended to take both sides of the issue of slavery, never fully divesting himself from the institution.
Benjamin Franklin was one of seventeen children born to Josiah Franklin, one of ten born by Josiah's second wife, Abiah Folger. His father Josiah wanted Benjamin to attend school with the clergy but only had enough money to send him to school for two years. He attended Boston Latin School but did not graduate; he continued his education through voracious reading. Although "his parents talked of the church as a career" for Franklin, his schooling ended when he was ten. He worked for his father for a time, and at 12 became an apprentice to his brother James, a printer, who taught Ben the printing trade.
In 1726 at age 20, he penned 13 virtues, which he deemed necessary to improve his character. They are:
1."Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."
2."Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."
3."Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time."
4."Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."
5."Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing."
6."Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions."
7."Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly."
8."Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."
9."Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."
10."Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation."
11."Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."
12."Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation."
13."Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."
He married twice in his life, and he was also a free mason. He was brilliant, imperfect, wise, and mistaken in some of the decisions of his life, but he worked for a better nation and to improve his character.
During his life Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He facilitated many civic organizations, including Philadelphia's fire department and the University of Pennsylvania. In such, he remains unmatched to this day.
At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a woman reportedly asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?” Franklin stated, “A republic, if you can keep it.” We did not keep the republic. We opted for a democracy, in which we were specifically warned against:
·John Marshall, chief justice of the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835 stated, "Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos."
·American poet James Russell Lowell warned that "democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor."
·Ralph Waldo Emerson said that "democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors."
·British statesman Thomas Babington Macauly agreed with the Americans stating "I have long been convinced that institutions purely democratic must, sooner or later, destroy liberty or civilization, or both."
·Lord Acton wrote: "The one prevailing evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections."
As such, the only question remaining is whether collapsing the republic was always the intention following the American experiment. Did the slave owning elites who founded the United States, who were clearly at odds with each other as per the risk of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, intend to take the nation from a republic to an elite-controlled society?
A republic is a government whereby voters hold sovereign power. Elected representatives are elected by the people, and the representatives are responsible to represent the voters who elected them. The Constitution of the United States created a form of government known as a republic. It also created the system known as federalism. The Founding Fathers established the House of Representatives as the only representative body in the original first government under the Constitution. With the passage of time, the entire legislative body and the executive became responsible to the voters who elected them (The New American). That never happened, which raises the question of intent, because at no time have the American people declared the United States government to be a democracy.
Our “representatives” simply started using the word “democracy,” and media propaganda, including school textbooks, took off like a shot to push the term. “Democracy” is now imbedded into the American psyche as representing equality, equity and deism or God tied to nature. The fact, however, is that equality, equity and environment is Agenda 21, which is not a republic or a democratic construct. It is, however, an elite-controlled global dictatorship of laws custom-designed to enforce economic and territorial/natural resource control by military force. It is a power and wealth power grab enforced by war with primary weapons of impoverishment and fear. Democracy is actually mob rule by elites. As such, the failure of the republic must have always been intended. Elites have never in human history shared power or wealth, and they most certainly do not believe nor have they ever believed in equality. This fact alone guarantees that elites would never allow elected officials to be under the control of “the people”.
Nothing has changed in human history. Nothing will ever change until elitism is outlawed. Slavery and inequality will continue to grow, barbaric treatment will continue to be funded and thrive, and savagery will continue unabated as long as elites are listened to, worshipped, “elected,” and handed the reigns of political and economic power. You can’t keep a republic while allowing elitism to exist. Elites have provided “democracy” because it is their preferred method of political dictatorship.
Today they couple democracy with technocratic control systems or dictatorship combined with electronic methods of enforcement; hence, ground and space-based surveillance systems, fusion centers, Smart technologies in communications, power grid systems, weapons systems, in pharmaceuticals, sub-dermal chipping of both humans and their pets, and in watershed systems or, in other words, inescapable dictatorship.
Benjamin Franklin, understanding the weaknesses of humankind, knew we would not keep a republic. He was a rare breed too advanced not to know that the ordinary human mind and intellect would fall to elite control, the entire history of humankind. Knowing as much, we embrace elite rule though soon enough it will be inconsequential.
Electronic dehumanization is utilized and promoted by most consumers. We upgrade as a matter of obedience to marketing desiring both the technological and economic slavery of dehumanization. We watch our phones, carry them, take them to our beds obsessing over their locations, texting for security, preferring texting to face-to-face conflicts, texting to purposefully feed the paranoia of human life.
Preferring manufactured reality, we watch screens to fill days and nights with addiction-based family, social, and cultural engineering. We have to watch, have to check our screens, have to have upgraded packages we cannot afford economically or intellectually; we enrich and empower elites who invent, produce and distribute their slavery. A republic if you can keep it…you can’t. Democracy, the electronic dictatorship, you chose and will defend with your last human breath. Franklin knew the people would let the republic go. Little did he know, however, that they would defend turning over their republic, all rights, and freedom for electronic singularity and the democracy of being controlled and enslaved devices.
