Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui Quotes
There is a general rule, which includes all the duties of a sovereign, and by which he may easily judge how to proceed under every circumstance. Let the safety of the people be the supreme law.
Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, 1694–1750, Swiss Counsel of State & Political Philosopher, The Principles of Political Law, Part II, Chapter VII, 1748
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Early in the Donald Trump Presidency, some of his first decisions, including his Anti-Muslim ban on immigration and vistitation from 7 Islamic nations, were very distrubing to amy politicians experienced in national security and defense. 100 leaders from past adminsitrations, Democratic and Republicans, signed a petition warning that the travek ban endangered our national security. Then 1000 U. S. State Department Diplomats signed a letter advising the President to recind the order for similar reasons. Malinowski was asked if this kind of opposition to a new presidents actions was unusual. This quotation was his reply. Not the use of sarcasim. He states what happened in very stark terms and then says that it is not unusual and there is notjing to worry about, when it was withotu precedent ever and very worrisome to him and others. Quotations using sarcasim are very problimatical becasue just a literal reading, would lead us to believe he was not concened with sich a common occurance.
Defending a large expenditure for police protection:
Note that Jefferson felt that governmental powers were limited even without a constitution.
This point of view is contentious in that many people (usually those at the extreme left and extreme right) think that the intention of the founding fathers was to avoid a single executive from starting a war unilaterally. Congress was given the power to declare war—not the president. Arguably public opinion is reflected by Congress, but going to war, when public opinion has been opposed to it has always turned out badly in American History.
Mao and other Chinese leaders molded the people into an Army to fight the invading Japanese in WWII after which they were attacked by Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists. In a remarkable trek of escape the Communists moved across China to escape the nationalists while the Red Army provided protection. Without the Red Army, the Communists would easily have been overrun then and after the Nationalists “escaped” to Taiwan they planned and threatened to invade the mainland. It was the Red Army that kept them at bay, and so the “People’s Army” has an emotional, historical and intellectual impact and role even in 21st Century China when there really are no enemies that would attack China.
Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui was a Genevan legal and political theorist who popularised a number of ideas propounded by other thinkers.
