The most important accomplishment, I believe, was my voting against the First World War.
Jeannette RankinRead
It will be hard to convince people that their welfare is safe in the hands of a federal government when they feel themselves the victims of unjust sectional discrimination.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the challenge of gaining public trust in government when people believe they are being treated unfairly.
Jeannette Rankin's quote reflects the deep distrust that can arise among citizens when they perceive that their welfare and interests are compromised by unjust practices, particularly when influenced by sectional biases. It emphasizes the importance of fairness and equality in governance, suggesting that without addressing feelings of discrimination, it becomes nearly impossible for the government to gain the confidence and assurance of its people.
In practice
During a town hall meeting discussing government policies.
The most important accomplishment, I believe, was my voting against the First World War.
There can be no compromise with war; it cannot be reformed or controlled; cannot be disciplined into decency or codified into common sense.
As a woman I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else.
I worked for suffrage for years, and got it. I've worked for peace for 55 years and haven't come close.
Small use it will be to save democracy for the race if we cannot save the race for democracy.
I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war.
We should stop going around babbling about how we're the greatest democracy on earth, when we're not even a democracy. We are a sort of militarised republic.
I think it's about time! Who cares whether he is looking for votes or not! At least your country is moving forward with the times!
Politics is almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.
Each party steals so many articles of faith from the other, and the candidates spend so much time making each other's speeches, that by the time election day is past there is nothing much to do save turn the sitting rascals out and let a new gang in.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition...The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. ~ Every class is unfit to govern ... Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.
I think that it's a vital moment now for Russian democracy to convince people that it's only our actions, our joined actions and protests that could force Kremlin to reconsider its plans to abolish presidential elections.
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