Symbolic smokescreens.

Dear Senator Rand Paul,

On tonight's The Daily Show, you threw out the quote of "that government is best which governs least" and confidently attributed it to Thomas Jefferson.  As is the sad custom with so many conservatives, you deputized a Founding Father into your argument as a way of pumping some vague notion of legitimacy into policies which closer examination reveal to be highly problematic (if not morally questionable). 

And, as usual, you got it wrong.  The quote above is attributable to Henry David Thoreau.  Perhaps next time you should verify your sources before quoting a figure known for his environmentally-based virtue ethics, his disdain for economically-driven agendas, and his deep belief in racial equality.  You would not want to confuse anyone.

That is all.

No love,

Professor Wyn