Mr. Reese intentionally shortened a quote from Benjamin Disraeli to serve the point he was trying to make. Unfortunately, the complete quote actually works against him.
Disraeli’s full quote reads: “In a progressive country change is constant; and the great question is not whether you should resist change which is inevitable, but whether that change should be carried out in deference to the manners, the customs, the laws and the traditions of a people, or whether it should be carried out in deference to abstract principles, and arbitrary and general doctrines.”
It would seem that although Disraeli was considered a conservative, he appears to have a rather liberal tact about him. This should not surprise anyone as what is viewed as liberalism and conservatism has flip-flopped over the years. Regardless, it shows serious irresponsibility to alter a quote to fit ones own purpose. You see, Disraeli didn’t draw any conclusions with that statement since it actually poses a question. Reese, however, shortened it as if to prove that Disraeli had made a statement of fact.
So it begs the question: Was this an intentional distortion of fact, or an accidental slip by someone far more educated than myself?
—Brandon Wertz
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
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