Founding Brothers
Posted by Stuart at 10:07 AM on March 31, 2003Every week I have "New Week Resolutions". Every week, I fail miserably. So what is on my list of "I really should be doing"? It's the usual stuff: exercise, read more, study the Thai language...
At least this weekend I started reading a bit. On the way over to Thailand after Christmas I picked up "Founding Brothers" at the bookstore at the SFO International Terminal. It has an interesting premise: The "Founding Fathers" of the United States (Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, etc) acted more like "brothers" than "fathers". They knew each other personally and socially, and all had a kind of sibling rivalry. Their strengths and faults, their own checks and balances, ended up being hard-coded into the framework of the American Government and through that into American society.
It is especially interesting for me to read it now. Thailand is a relatively young democracy and is therefore very dependent on the character of those who are in charge because the government structure has not been around long enough to be tested and solidified. Similar parallels can be drawn to the early days of America. Luckily for the US, those who were in charge were mostly virtuous and ethical, and corruption was kept to a minimum. The same can not be said of Thailand, so far.
The book is also interesting for me to read now because of the War in Iraq. I don't completely agree with the direction the US Government is taking now, but in order to understand WHY the direction has been taken, it is crucial to understand the history that brought us here. The past creates the present.
In any case, so far I have really enjoyed the book -- it's the best reading since I re-read Lord of the Rings the summer before the first movie came out. If the rest of "Founding Brothers" is as good as the first two chapters, I will be able to recommend it highly.
