The Original Blogger? Thomas Paine Made "Common Sense" More Common

We are often told actions speak louder than words but the life of Thomas Paine tells another different story. Born in England in 1737, Paine eventually found a home as resident radical in the Colonies. His mutinous pamphlet, Common Sense, was written anonymously, published in January 1776, and promptly read by every single member of Congress.

Time Out #1: Every member of Congress read Common Sense. (Insert your own punch line here.)

Paine's Common Sense went on to sell roughly 500,000 copies and helped inspire a fledgling nation to fight for its independence.

[Time Out #2: A seditious pamphlet sold a half-million copies in 1776? To perform a similar feat today, an author would have to sell more than 46 million books. I doubt even Oprah could make that happen.

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Common Sense stirred the spirits of colonial America by putting into words what those seeking freedom from British rule had been feeling for long, long time. It popularized the concept that even a good government is, at the very best, a necessary evil.

"These are the times that try men's souls," Paine once wrote. "Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

No Paine, No Gain

Modern day "pamphleteers" like Rachel Carson and Ralph Nader have also used words to stir readers to action. Today, perhaps, it will be the bloggers who carry Paine's torch.

With blogs, writers with little chance of breaking into the mainstream media have an outlet. If you wanna run a blog about "tiny choices", no one will ask why. They'll be too busy wondering if you'll exchange links. Why blogs? Faced with a media that represents the interests of an elite few, I ask: "Why not?"