Sunday, October 15, 2006

Why John?

I was recently asked why I called this blog Freeborn John.

The Wikipedia entry is a good start, and here's a quote from it:

John Lilburne then began in earnest his campaign of agitation for freeborn rights, the rights that all Englishmen are born with, which are different from privileges bestowed by a monarch or a government. His enemies branded him as a Leveller but Lilburne responded that he was a "Leveller so-called." To him it was a pejorative label which he did not like. He called his supporters "Agitators." It was feared that "Levellers" wanted to level property rights, but Lilburne wanted to level human basic rights which he called "freeborn rights."

1 comment:

Eric said...

You've got a great blog here, John. I hope you don't take another such extended leave of absence!