Character is much easier kept than recovered. -- Thomas Paine Thomas Paine wrote the famous pamphlet titled Common Sense that fueled the inspiration for the American Revolution, publishing it on January 9, 1776. Six months later, the Declaration of Independence would be signed in Philadelphia, starting the war between England and its American colonies. In plain language every colonist could easily understand, Payne challenged the authority of the British crown to rule over America and inspired the revolution in doing so. Founding Father John Adams even said, "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain." The interesting thing about common sense is that it never goes out of style, nor stops making sense. Even today, his quote about character remains quite relevant. Monica Lewinsky found this out the hard way. When Bill Clinton had an affair with her while occupying the White House, it was her reputation that was destroyed, because Bill was a popular president. But Monica wasn't exactly innocent -- media reports suggested that she was a seductress who pursued the affair with Clinton. More problematic for her reputation was the fact that she lied in a sworn affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. The scandal led to the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, but Monica became the punchline for an endless stream of mostly tasteless jokes. Bill Clinton emerged from the scandal largely unscathed, however. Once the Senate acquitted him of perjury and obstruction of justice charges, he … [Read more...]