Like the fake story about the plastic Thanksgiving turkey supposedly served by George Bush to Iraqi troops, the phony Thomas Jefferson quote on dissent just won't die (tip to Tim Blair).

Here is John Kerry, speaking yesterday at Grinnell College in Iowa:

Dismissing dissent is not only wrong, but dangerous when America's leadership is unwilling to admit mistakes, unwilling to engage in honest discussion, and unwilling to hold itself accountable for the consequences of decisions made without genuine disclosure, or genuine debate. As Thomas Jefferson said, "dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

This suggests one of two things; either

• (1) no one at the Kerry campaign reads the Chicago Sun Times, the New York Sun, Mark Steyn, Tim Blair, Betsy's Page, or the Volokh Conspiracy, or

• (2) the Kerry campaign is (in Kerry's own words) "unwilling to admit mistakes, unwilling to engage in honest discussion, and unwilling to hold itself accountable."

It must be the former, though someone in the Kerry campaign should monitor the blogs more to prevent his recycling already debunked urban myths, such as the plastic turkey story and the Jefferson quote.

For more: Ann Althouse questions Kerry's argument in the speech, and Tim Blair points out Kerry's recycling of the mythical Jefferson quote. On the origins of the quote, which may have originated with Dorothy Hewitt Hutchinson in the 1960s, see this earlier post.

UPDATE:

Here is Dorothy Hewitt Hutchinson in 1955:

Hutchinson, 1965: "Dissent from public policy can be the highest form of patriotism."

Hutchinson was the National President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1961-1965. Here is a picture of a 1960s demonstration in Germantown, PA, but since two of the women are wearing gas masks, I can't tell whether Hutchinson is one of them:

(Click to enlarge)

2D UPDATE: After discussing Marcos's criticisms of Hillary Clinton, Instapundit opines: "And, as John Kerry's continued fake-Jefferson-quoting demonstrates, we could do worse!"