“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
More STUFF……
(1) Hardware babe Anastasia back with more clickbait tech news, backhandedly praising Tesla and Samsung! File under “Disaster!/Miracle!” See if you can spot Trump’s invisible cameo!
(2) More Titan submersible “doom porn” – this time with an annoying Indian American smart girl twist that manages to (at the end) badly attack Elon Musk for MDS attagrlz. Nevertheless, the Titan data is good, and worth the watch time.
(3) A different kind of doom porn – about “backwards life” – that is worth watching and thinking about – especially about why this particular take is probably WRONG. There are not only theological reasons – the scientific reasons are significant.
My bottom line – “loss of function” research is still possible, useful, and will almost certainly show that “nature” (COUGH) got there already. Nonetheless, a good warning, and I agree that no form of highly divergent “synthetic life” should be created, now or in the foreseeable future. Call it “due diligence”!
(4) Interested in modern sniper technology? Here ya go!
As a reminder the national holiday we recognize today, November 11, was stablished by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 as Armistice Day. It served as a celebration of the end of WW I. After WW II and the Korean War, Congress was pushed by citizens and groups to recognize the day for all veterans, not just those fallen in service to our country. In response Veterans Day was approved and President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law in 1954.
With two fathers having served during WW II, the day will always be a special one for wifey and I. I have posted summarized versions of these stories previously, but many have not had the opportunity to read them. These will provide a bit more detail. I hope they will be a source of inspiration to you.
You’re In The Army Now
The Great Man from hillbilly land in Tennessee served as a heavy mortar crewman in the 36th “Texas” Infantry Division in the Army in the German theater and was captured in a fierce battle in and around Monte Cassino, Italy. That battle lasted nearly five months and had Allied forces from several nations involved. Complicating efforts was the desire by the Allies to preserve as much of the historically significant landmarks in the region as possible, which the German military was using to escape attack. In the end stage it was efforts of the Polish troops that brought it to a successful conclusion and opened the path of Allied troops toward Rome and final victory in Italy. Allied forces suffered approximately 55 thousand casualties along with 20 thousand Germans. At war’s end the Texas Division had suffered 19.5 thousand casualties. A summary description of this horrendous battle is below.
The Great Man survived over 13 months in German Stalags and farm labor camps before being freed by Russian troops on April 13, 1945. He once attempted to escape a labor camp by swimming across a river with strong currents with two other prisoners. They did not make it and one of them drowned in the rapids. They were forced to sleep in old barns and on the frozen ground in the dead of winter, praying that the Allied bombers would not have them in their sights. During the last two months of captivity in 1945 the German guards kept them on the march. At one point they were strafed by allied planes who thought they were enemy combatants. Six of his fellow brothers were killed and they had to dig their graves. The Russians freed them a month before the official end of the war as their guards fled from the area.
He suffered from malnutrition and frostbite from the ordeal as well as from PTSD throughout the remainder of his life. Once he arrived back in his hometown there was nobody there to greet him at the train station, they had no idea of when he was coming. His family believed he had been killed in action the entire time until notified by the military after his release in late April. Even then they did not believe he was alive as other townspeople had received similar communications in the past only to find their family members had died. He began walking the approximate 5 miles to the small family farm in his broken physical condition until he could not any longer. The last bit of road he crawled until his momma saw him and came running. He could not believe her eyes when she saw him along the road.
It would have meant more to be home if The Great Man did not remember the years of abuse he suffered from his alcoholic father before he left to serve. As it was, he had nowhere else to go and he knew his momma would help. By this point his father was a shell of himself anyway, as the drinking had led to health problems as he had his legs being amputated at the knees from diabetes caused by the alcoholism.
He weighed less than 120 lbs. and initially could not sleep in a bed in their home. For months he slept on blankets on the ground under the front porch. Over time he regained strength from being back working and living on their small farm with food to eat.
His two brothers also returned to the family home after serving in the Navy. This lifted his spirits and he began to heal. He started attending church with his momma and met a pretty teenager he adored. They fell in love and eloped to Georgia to get married a year later. Upon their return it was not long before she was pregnant at the age of 18. The pregnancy went well until the sixth month and she began hemorrhaging. The old country doctor came to the small run down home they rented and thought it was time to try to give birth as both mom and baby were in serious danger. A few hours later a tiny baby girl weighing about three pounds was delivered. She did not make a sound and they all believed she did not make it. The Great Man began massaging her tiny chest and prayed to the Lord the entire time while the doctor addressed the needs of his wife. A few moments later they were overjoyed when the tiny baby began to cry.
Daddy’s Girl was born. She was nurtured at home, there were no NICO units or incubators to help her along. They got by with what they had and could do along with the help of that country doctor, families and friends. Daddy’s Girl turned out to be a tough fighter, just like her dad. This guy will be forever grateful. As a result I was able to grow old with the love of my life, experience being a girl dad, and now be a papaw to three wonderful grandchildren. We are forever grateful that The Great Man never gave up.
Four more children were born to the couple over time. He worked jobs where he could find one along with the farm work and eventually found a job at the Post Office in town at age 36. He was so proud and the townspeople all enjoyed visiting with him when they came by. When their parents passed away, he and his brothers sold that scrub 30 acre farm so they could each have enough for down payments on small places of their own. They were so happy to have homes with running water, indoor toilets and electricity for the first time in their lives.
Life happened and The Great Man stayed in touch with all of his POW buddies at annual events through the decades that followed. There were 30 from his unit that were initially captured. When they began their reunions they tracked down 21 who were still alive or could be found. They visited each other’s homes or at met up at motels through the years. They all came and visited The Great Man’s family home one weekend 32 years afters the war and again, some 9 years later in 1986. By that point only a dozen participated, half of the original 30 were deceased. The original 21 in the group were from every corner of America. All of The Great Man’s and his Angel Wife’s children, spouses and grandchildren came to meet the men and their wives. The time was filled with good food, laughter and interesting stories.
However, when we heard the Kansas public school teacher turned superintendent take his turn our eyes grew moist. He described how he hid a tiny notepad and pencil stub under the sole in his shoe that a kind, local German woman snuck to him when they were taken into town to haul grain seed back to the farm labor camp. At night in the dark when the guards were not watching he recorded dates and important events of most days. It served as a journal that helped him chronicle those last few months of their captivity when they were exposed and in the most danger. He had provided each POW brother a copy of it, which we still have today.
Many of the men spoke of how they cherished the potato peelings the thoughtful German women would throw to them that helped keep them alive. They talked about how the Russian captives in the Stalags were treated much worse than they were.
As a separate thought, maybe that helps to explain some of the deep seated hatred that we see between Russians and the Ukrainian/Euro Nazis today. The Russians seem intent on the total destruction of the nation that grew out of that Nazi stronghold. Perhaps it was not the best idea for our uniparty to have given away $350 B of our national treasure to a disgusting Day One lost cause.
As the families visited and told their stories we all knew we were in the presence of greatness. These men and their devoted wives were the best America had to offer to save the world.
The time came when Daddy’s Girl needed to become both The Great Man’s and his Angel Wife’s primary care giver. There were countless doctor and hospital visits, loads of laundry, bills to be paid, food to be provided and errands to run. With a family of her own, she was getting worn down. However, it became clear that The Great Man was being prepared to go home at age 80. The nightmares about the war that gripped him all those years no longer bothered him as life left his body. No more being embarrassed after diving under the kitchen table when a plane passed over their home or grabbing his rifle if he was startled by an unusual noise at night. Daddy’s Girl laid in bed with him at the nursing home as he went to be with Jesus. Their unshakeable bond was on display until the end. His trials and health issues were released as he entered into the waiting arms of Jesus.
His legacy was seen in the faces and words of over 700 people who came to the funeral of a man who had never held a position higher than janitor in his home town. This was followed by a full honor guard burial. Angel Wife handed the American flag that was presented to her by the honor guardsman to Daddy’s Girl and said, “Here, you deserve this.”
His greatness was found in the stories that were told and the lives that were made better by the strong, selfless, caring manner of The Great Man who was always there for his nation and others as had been done for him when he needed them most.
Anchors Aweigh, my boys…
The coal miner’s son was a Little Guy who took after his 4′ 10″ diminutive in stature school teacher and Appalachian poet mother who oriented him to the importance of seeking a higher education despite living in poverty. Then Pearl Harbor happened. The Little Guy left his community college classes and headed straight for the enlistment office. Standing 5′ 6″ tall and weighing 129 lbs., he was upset to learn he was barely tall enough and did not weigh enough. For weeks he did everything he could to gain weight including carrying rocks in his pockets when he tried to enlist the next time. The enlistment office personnel looked the other way as he stepped on the scale to find he weighed the minimum 133 lbs. to join the Navy. So, The Little Guy joined America’s military the same year as The Great Man in 1942.
His small size turned out to be a benefit for the role he would be assigned later. After basic and flight training on radar and as a radioman along with plane electrician in the Naval Air Force in Jacksonville and assignment to sunny Pensacola, his crew was soon based in the Aleutians at Attu, Alaska. Attu was a cold and barren place that was nearly devoid of life forms after the Japanese took it in the early days of the war.
The very small, primarily native Aluet population of the island who did not escape had been savaged by killing the adult males and sending the women and children back to Japan as prisoners. Later, it became the site where the blood of thousands of Japanese and hundreds of American troops lost their lives. The 500 or so remaining Japanese troops who survived the final battle were so brainwashed about their plights they committed mass suicide as well as murder of each other rather than being captured. A summary of the struggle is below,
Once retaken, The Little Guy’s squadron was assigned and utilized as spotters who focused on reconnaissance in the Pacific. The initial plane they flew was a B-24. From 1944 until the end of the war it was a PB4Y-2 Privateer.
With each battle of our military they would be based into those areas to spot enemy ship, submarine and troop movements in the region. This led to him eventually spending time with his crew mates in Okinawa, Korea, Taiwan (Formosa), Myanmar (Burma), and China as well as post surrender, in Japan briefly. He saw the aftermath of the atomic bombs and other destruction from the air.
Interestingly, although they never met, he was stationed in Okinawa during the same period as one of The Great Man’s brothers who was a crewman on a Naval ship assigned to that battle and later based there.
It was a stressful period wondering if the plane would go down from Japanese attacks and becoming shark bait. Dodging flak was a regular occurrence. His crew survived it all due to a good tail gunner, “Gunny” Hagedorn, along with the help of American fighter pilots who protected them as well as the Lord’s will. He only experienced frostbite in his feet and an occasional nightmare about the widespread destruction he witnessed from the experience. He counted himself fortunate. His experiences led to a deep appreciation for President Truman’s decision to end the war with that atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
After the war he returned to college life. At that point with the better nutrition and physical conditioning from Navy life at age 24 he found he had grown 3″ taller and was 20 lbs. heavier. After college and a short term job in an aluminum mill; there was a return to the mines and a mining school to become a surveyor. After that there was a move into industrial construction as a surveyor and engineer from his education at the University of Tennessee. That led to a final long career in his field with a steel manufacturer. Along the way it meant hitting the Hillbilly Highway as he searched for a better life than could be found in dead end coal mining camp towns. Before he left the region he married a young woman in one of the coal mining towns who wanted out as well. Their first child, Daddy’s Boy, arrived on the scene a few years later as he worked construction on a major DOD project a half dozen years after the war. As that project wound down he found work doing what he loved in that steel mill town in SW Ohio.
The Little Guy was in his element. He shared a bond with many of the men at the mill as former brothers in arms serving their country. Generally there was great respect shared in that work place with all races and cultures of people employed there. They shared a common bond as the working class that loved their country and the work. You would find them gathered on weekends at the ballfields and high school stadium. Daddy’s Boy was coached up in team sports by many of his co-workers. These were the same fields that decades later produced home run hitting Kyle Schwarber – a current MLB All Star along with former NFL stars Todd Bell and Chris Carter.
Despite his important role in mill operations and maintenance he never made much money. Most weeks he worked 50-70 hours for the overtime pay to help the family make ends meet. That left very little family time except on weekends. However, before he left in the mornings he would cook breakfast for Daddy’s Boy and his sister. He did not want them to go to school hungry. The Little Guy never knew that he would be working with and living a half dozen blocks from the grandfather and family of a future Vice President. He would have been very proud of JD.
Life happened and The Little Guy grew old. Unlike The Great One, he never knew the stability and love from a good marriage. With the passing of his beloved parents he turned even more to his two children and families, sister, and friends for companionship. He knew Daddy’s Boy would always have his back just like he always had his through the years. As his body began to be wrecked by cancer and his relationship with his wife worsened; he left to live with Daddy’s Boy and family. Despite his body shutting down, in his own words the next five months became some of the best of his life emotionally and spiritually. He had always adored his only grandchild and family times brought him great joy. Wifey (Daddy’s Girl) was like a daughter to him for all of those years and he would always remind Daddy’s Boy, “You have a keeper, son.” He even returned to his faith, began attending church for the first time in over 40 years, and for possibly the only period in his life led prayers over meals.
As his time grew short, he asked for one thing from Daddy’s Boy, to be taken back to SW Ohio to say goodbye to his old friends and make arrangements at the funeral home. The trip that normally would have brought great sorrow turned into a joyful event as he visited with his buddies as his daughter joined us. Since his youth Daddy’s Boy had known The Little Guy’s best friend who was a co-worker. He had been a positive Christian influence. Spending time together was so rewarding for all four of us.
Despite their miserable relationship; he had provided a home, vehicle, no debt, enough money in the bank and retirement income to sustain his wife, the mother of Daddy’s Boy, for the rest of her years. The same person who hated and ridiculed him in life and in death; who drove him out of their home while he was dying of cancer, is who he made sure had all she needed to live life well. He often said he did not want her to be a burden on Daddy’s Boy and his sister when he was gone.
After a few days in hospice The Little Guy passed away quietly at the age of 83. His 91 year old former pastor, the same one who had led Daddy’s Boy to the Lord as a youngster, led The Little Guy’s funeral and burial services. The Little Guy’s final journey could all be summed up as finishing well. There were no tears, only a sense of gratitude and love as the honor guardsman presented the flag – to Daddy’s Boy.
Shared Traits
Both of these great men became well acquainted and friends through the years. They talked of their upbringing that was less than 75 miles apart, but living completely different lives. Both were very reluctant to talk about their war experiences. Both worked hard all of their lives to provide for their families. They never made a lot of money, yet, were not burdens on anybody else while providing enough for their wives to live well the rest of their lives. Both men had deep bonds of friendship with other men who lived through tough times. Interestingly, both men were strong supporters of the GOP all of their lives. The uniparty members would have made them angry today. Both men always had the backs of their families and friends. Both men focused on others instead of themselves. Both men exited the world quietly and mentally sharp despite their physical ailments.
Both wifey and I loved each other’s fathers deeply. We also both understood the role of the eldest child in many families, both dads taught it to us. I never fully realized just how valuable that commitment was until both fathers had gone to be with the Lord. Our collective younger family members were looking to us at that point. We also saw it in the eyes of Angel Wife as she laid The Great Man to rest and we helped her through her long battle with dementia after he passed. We saw his life’s partner go to meet him in paradise with all of the family at her bedside. Some bonds just can never be broken no matter who or what rises against them.
Did I mention Angel Wife passed away 11/11/11? Yes, she passed away on Veteran’s Day fourteen years ago today. Did I mention that her Veteran husband, The Great Man, passed away on the second anniversary of 9/11? He told me the day before he died that he knew the military would take out “that SOB bin Laden” at some point. Then there was The Little Guy passing away on St. Patrick’s Day. It was also appropriate due to the recommitment to his faith.
God has His ways and all we can do is marvel at them.
The following song was the story of different people in a different place, but the spirit of the words explains how wifey and I feel as we look back through the old photos and mementos of The Great Man and The Little Guy. They too were just trying to survive in their poverty stricken situations that led to going to war to protect our nation. Every time we hear it, in our minds we can see and hear the voices of our fathers.
Lesson
Each day we walk by the book case that holds those two tightly folded American flags from the burial services that are encased in frames to preserve them for the generations that follow us. We have also preserved the history of these two great men in memory books that incllude old photos, military documents, related news stories, etc. These included aerial and local photos The Little Guy took of all of his crew’s assignments while in the Japanese theater. They are in black and white, of course. It is never lost on us the sacrifices they and all patriots have made to keep America free. But to Daddy’s Girl and Daddy’s Boy, they were our dads who did that and so much more.
Our collective history as Americans matters in world history. In reality, We the People doing as the Lord has desired of us are all that has held the world together for a lot of years now. The future generations who follow need to know and learn from our experiences just as we have learned from others before us.
Please take time to honor those who have served you and your country well this Veterans Day. With those who have passed, keep their memories alive in your minds and hearts. Each generation of patriotic Americans has worked to keep this dream of We the People alive and flourishing. Look those who would do us harm dead in the eyes and do whatever it takes to stop them, just like our patriot fathers and mothers have done throughout our history.
Go to work. Never back down, never give up. Fight, Fight, Fight!
God bless our Veterans and God bless the U. S. A.
Please remember Wolf’s rules for our community. In general that means to be respectful to each other and to pull no shenanigans that your mom might find offensive or otherwise cause jail time. That said, free speech is honored here.
This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
Time for more dumping of tabs!
(1) The Hafnium Bomb and/or the Nuclear Battery
A nice explanation of nuclear isomerism and why some people like DERPA are interested in it.
(2) Chess Game Reported Like College Football
You may have never seen anything like this. That’s OK – stick with it – it’s fun! The “sports reporter” is a hoot! I had no idea these people existed.
(3) Gravity, Inertia, and the Gravitational Constant
TL;DR – The gravitational constant pops out of the theory and I love it, but I still have to be skeptical that it might be an artifact.
Did we actually miss the solution to “what is gravity?” and “what is inertia?” when they were solved in the 1950s? Just listen to the guy – the equations are too small to read, but the explanations start to gel. At the very least, the opening / final cartoon is readily understood when you get to the end!
(4) Enjoy Some Relaxing Math & Fiddle Music
This is supposedly an exam question for Haaaaaahvaaaaaahd. Or you can just listen to the calming folk violin.
(5) Two Solutions to the Three-Body Problem
First, the no-solution solution, presented by that annoyingly perky British chick who is not Veritasium or the German one.
Now, Valerie Curren’s solution using string theory.
FWIW, my aunt did the research to become a Daughter of the American Revolution. My family is descended from Alexander Hamilton.
Do you think I can get reparations from Senator Burr for the murder of my ancestor at the hands of his?😆
Well, alrighty then, Gail. Since you asked the question, even if it was in somewhat in jest, let’s take a trip back in time with all of our QTree friends and see if reparations may be in order. I will first focus on Hamilton and introduce background on Burr in the links. Be reminded Alexander Hamilton was not a signer of the Declaration, however, he is universally considered a very important founding father.
Alexander Hamilton – Early Life
I will summarize the major points and events that shaped his life in this post. There are many historical accounts, books, documentaries, plays and so on that have covered his extraordinary life for those who want to know more
He was born in Charleston of Nevis in the British West Indies Leeward Islands in 1755 or 1757 – your guess is as good as the historians.
He was born out of wedlock to Rachel Lavien and James A. Hamilton. He had an older brother from the relationship, James Jr. It seems Rachel was still married to her first husband, Johann Lavien, with whom she had a son, Peter. She left her husband and son in 1750 and moved to St. Kitts Island where she met James. Rachel was half British and half Huguenot while James was a Scotsman. Later the two moved back to Rachel’s birthplace of Nevis to a seaside lot she had inherited from her father. While there Alexander and James Jr. were tutored in a private school by a Jewish headmistress and Alexander devoted himself to reading many books from the family library as well.
James Sr. learned Rachel’s first husband was planning to divorce her while charging adultery and desertion under Danish law that would lead to the additional criminal charge of bigamy, so he abandoned the family to spare that from happening. Rachel moved with her two sons to Christiansted on St. Croix and managed a small store there. In 1768 both Rachel and Alexander contracted Yellow Fever. She passed away leaving Alexander and James Jr. orphaned. Her first husband then took everything from her estate, leaving the boys nothing.
The boys were taken in by an uncle. Unfortunately, he committed suicide a year later. At this point they separated with James Jr. becoming an apprentice carpenter and Alexander being taken in by Nevis merchant, Thomas Stevens. He began work in the merchant field of import-export. He soon became a trader with business in New York and New England. He became so proficient even as a teenager that the owner would leave him in charge of the business when he went to sea.
Alexander was a prolific reader and once composed a letter to his father about the terrible effects the island experienced from a hurricane in 1772. His mentor and tutor, Rev. Henry Knox, read the letter and decided to submit it to the newspaper for publication. His highly descriptive writing style strongly impacted the right people in the community, who collected funds and sent him to the U. S. to receive an education. He started at Elizabethtown Academy and a year later was admitted into King’s College (Columbia). While there he developed an interest in patriot causes and used his writing skills to counter loyalist influence, yet, discouraged violence to accomplish change and independence. With the British occupation of New York City at the war’s start, his education at King’s came to an end.
Hamilton’s Military Career Accomplishments
Hamilton was quick to join the patriot war efforts as he and many of his classmates joined the militia and were in the Corsican unit. He was soon made an officer and led a raid with the Sons of Liberty to capture British cannons for their own use. With the captured weaponry the men became an artillery unit for the militia and was named the Hearts of Oak. He soon became Captain of a 60 man rear guard artillery unit for New York and assisted Washington in numerous battles including successful action leading to the British surrender in the Battle of Princeton.
Due to his successful service he was requested to be an aide to two Generals and declined, until George Washington contacted him to be his Aide de Camp at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He jumped at the opportunity and served four years in the chief of staff capacity. It gave him great experience corresponding with the Continental Congress, governors and other Generals. He drafted orders, dealt with diplomacy matters, worked with military intelligence and negotiated with other military officers on Washington’s behalf.
He met his future wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, in late 1779 in the winter headquarters of the military in New Jersey. She was the daughter of General Phillip and Catherine Schuyler. They married a year later at her family’s New York mansion and went on to have eight children together.
He left his role with Washington in February 1781 after a misunderstanding between the two, however, it really was a result of Washingtons consistent refusal to give him command of units in the war. The couple returned to her family’s home in New York where Hamilton continued to write letters to Washington seeking a command. Finally, in July he relented and Hamilton was assigned a total of four companies from NY and CT. Upon the Battle of Yorktown, he was given three battalions and an assigned target. He led his men in victory while only using bayonets at night to avoid attracting attention with gunfire.
Hamilton’s Public Service Career Accomplishments
After Yorktown he resigned his commission in 1782 and returned to New York City. After self study he passed the bar there in six months and soon began arguing cases before the state Supreme Court. To state that Alexander Hamilton was obviously a high functioning genius is an understatement. He was noted by his contemporaries as having the highest intellect of anybody within their midst.
He was appointed as a NY representative to the Congress of the Confederation. From his early Anti-federalist days, his mind and politics changed as he had become frustrated with the Continental Congress and the inability to obtain funds from the states to pay war debts. About this time the Newburgh Conspiracy occurred as previously discussed as well as another event with a disgruntled group of former military who marched on Philadelphia to make their points for back pay. Hamilton pushed to relocate the Congress to Princeton, NJ to avoid the confrontation and they were able to continue there without interruption.
Through the years that followed Hamilton had the following roles and involvements.
Left the Confederation Congress to restart his law practice, which primarily represented loyalists and Tories. Jumped back into the public realm with the Newburgh Conspiracy. Became a member of the NY legislature. He served on the King’s College (Columbia) Board of Trustees.
He was chosen as a delegate to the Constitution Convention where he pushed having the POTUS serve life terms as well as the Senators. He wanted electors selecting both, the POTUS having an absolute veto on legislation, SCOTUS having jurisdiction over all lawsuits, and state governors being appointed by the federal government. None of that went anywhere.
He recruited John Jay and James Madison to join him in writing the Federalist Papers in support of the proposed Constitution. He oversaw the influential publications and wrote 51 of the 85 essays in the pen name of Publius. Despite hard selling the need for the Constitution, he was unhappy with numerous negotiated provisions. However, when it came time to ratify and sign, he did so.
With the election of George Washington, the POTUS initially chose Robert Morris for the Treasurer role. Morris declined and recommended Hamilton, who accepted and was confirmed in September 1789. It was in this role that Hamilton’s genius and hard work shined. He immediately began the process of fixing public credit in a manner he had previously described to Morris back during the war in 1781; which was the primary reason Morris had recommended him to Washington. His work and process for establishing financial independence for the young nation was very impressive and successful. Many of the principles and methods are still used today. For better or worse he was successful in gaining approval for a national bank as he felt a central banking system was necessary for America to grow and be successful.
His proposals to establish a mint and coinage were accepted and eventually signed into law with the Coinage Act of 1792. With it the coins were minted in decimals instead of the 8ths that Spain used. Due to smuggling and pirating problems at sea along the coast lines he proposed an armed naval police force called the “revenue cutters” to address. This became the precursor to our current Coast Guard.
For federal tax revenues Hamilton first went after tariffs on whiskey and proposed excise taxes on other products to raise funds. This caused the Whiskey Rebellion, which was put down by Hamilton, George Washington, General Henry Lee and a large contingent of federal troops. Acceptance of tariffs and taxes was slow, but he persisted with the help of other leaders over time.
Hamilton was a tireless supporter of industrialization and promoted manufacturing as a way to diversify and grow federal revenues. He stood in contrast to Jefferson who preferred an agrarian based economy.
He wanted America neutral with Great Britain and France being at war in 1793, so he supported the Jay Treaty of 1795 that he had been instrumental in drafting. He wanted to continue trade relations with Britain to keep revenues growing in the federal treasury. Since his wife had suffered a miscarriage while he was dealing with the Whiskey Rebellion, he resigned from this cabinet position in early 1795 while leaving detailed instructions relating to handling the federal debt through public credit. Some months later he returned to his law practice.
Throughout the early to mid 1790’s Hamilton faced many accusations for his sexual exploits. Well founded or not they caused much damage to his political aspirations. He remained a Federalist throughout his public life and as such opposed the politics of Jefferson. However, as the 1800 Presidential election revealed he was willing to mix it up with anybody. At that point he was crossways with John Adams and worked against his reelection. When Jefferson and Burr tied for POTUS and Adams had lost, he felt Jefferson was the lesser of two evils and cast his lot for him over the northerner Burr, of whom he detested. Jefferson became POTUS and Burr VP. When Burr later ran for governor of NY in 1804, Hamilton openly worked against him and contributed to his loss. That directly led to the unfortunate events that follow.
The Rivalry With Aaron Burr
Rather than summarize what has been done numerous times by others, I have provided some well written biographical summaries that will take you just a few minutes with each to read. Each has a different emphasis.
However, this one is the best description of the events of the day in my opinion. It will take a bit longer to read, but is well sourced and makes sound conclusions in my opinion.
It takes two to tango with an illegal duel, even if one (Hamilton) has been set up by the other (Burr) to “defend” his honor. Both obviously knew it was against the law to do what they did. Hamilton had recently lost a son in a duel at nearly the same location as this one a few years before. It is amazing that two highly educated, intelligent, accomplished men of their stature decided to do what they did. They resorted to living out a grudge match to the death over what was best for their families and country. It revealed flaws in character of both men, not unlike all of us.
In reading at least a dozen accounts of this story, it does seem like Hamilton shot into the air. Whether that was because he was not practiced with the “hair trigger” it reportedly had or whether he did it intentionally we will never know. He had been an accomplished military soldier and leader, he knew how and what to do if he did not make a mistake. After experiencing the pain of the loss of his son in that duel a few years before, he had to know how it all could go. My gut says he refused to back away from the challenge of Burr due to pride and public image, but reconciled himself to the potential results of the event and that he would not harm Burr. One account stated that in the 30 hours he lived after being mortally wounded he sent word to his Episcopalian priest to perform his last rites. The priest initially refused due to the nature of the event that caused his injury. He later agreed after hearing Hamilton’s explanations of his thoughts and actions prior to and during the duel. The priest then performed the rites prior to his death.
It also seems that in death as well as in life, Alexander Hamilton was an enigma.
None of this rises to the level of wrongful death by Burr in my opinion without more facts. The truth is both men injured themselves unto death that awful day. One from the confrontation and gunshot wound that could have easily been avoided. The other lost a lifetime of trust and goodwill that led to a downward spiral into oblivion until he passed away. Neither was a fitting end for two patriots who had fought for our freedom and were seemingly committed to the best interests of America. Both had personal flaws that let strong opinions and political opportunism get in the way of common sense and reasonable compromise.
We are thankful for the many good things they did for America, especially Alexander Hamilton. We are sad for the turmoil that occurred prior to the ends of their lives. There is a great lesson in this for those who are placed in authority and that is to turn down the volume on discord, rancor and personal attacks against others. Fight the sin of pride. As I have posted previously, politics is dirty and a big ego can cause great harm to self and others.
The current Democrat Party and their demons of destruction would do well to pay heed. It will not end well for them either.
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9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, FEAR NOT;I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Reasonable Fear.
It is the human condition to face fears in our lives that are truly reasonable fears. But, when we have done all we can to prepare and protect, we still find our power is not sufficient to remove all sources of threat.
Psalms 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
May the truth of God’s provision and protection calm the fears of those who belong to him.
1 When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High.*
2 He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence.
3 He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse.
4 His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.
5 You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you.
6 Don’t fear a thing! Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you, nor will the powers of evil be launched against you.
7 Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed.
8 You will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment, for they will be paid back for what they have done!
9-10 When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?
11 God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm.
12 If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you and keep you from stumbling.
13 You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness, trampling every one of them beneath your feet!
14 For here is what the Lord has spoken to me: “Because you loved me, delighted in me, and have been loyal to my name, I will greatly protect you.
15 I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will feel my presence in your time of trouble. I will deliver you and bring you honor.
16 I will satisfy you with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!”
*boxed notes, above, are from The Passion Translation footnotes.
The Guardian Angel by Von Kaulbach
Our Turn.
We can make a difference. And we must make a difference.
May God bless and guide you as you pray and take action for our nation.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
It is now a very appropriate time to discuss political parties since they have been doing their best to disrupt the will of We the People for many years.
In our newly formed nation during the subject period of this series, the Federalists were the first organized political party that apparently formed in 1789, although some sources hold out for as late as 1795. When one considers that Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison produced and published the Federalist papers from 1787-1788 in NY newspapers, this writer chooses to use the earlier date.
That would be the year the Constitution was ratified. That did not take long, did it?
The Federalist movement and party dominated the affairs of America during the 1790’s, then never won an election after 1801 before disappearing not long after the War of 1812. Their lasting legacy will always be the Constitution, for better or worse.
To provide some background and more of a basis for this part, please review this summary of political parties in America.
Before we go further I have a confession to make. I firmly believe as POTUS James Monroe stated, “Surely our government may go on and prosper without the existence of parties. I have always considered their existence as the curse of the country”
You will find that statement in the fourth paragraph of the linked letter below from said James Monroe to James Madison on May 12, 1822.
Preach it, James. You understood this subject well in my opinion. It would not be long (1828) before a political party rose up against the freemasons, the Anti-Masonic Party. Seems you were a freemason. Oh well. That party was absorbed into the Whigs a decade later.
However, please do not miss what Monroe said in the sentence previous to the above referenced quote. “Public opinion will react on this body, & keep it right.“
Seems that is still the key over 200 years later; transparently keeping the citizens truthfully informed while they remain engaged with their government officials and related activities. Which is why the current day Uniparty worked successfully to take over the opinion shaping in media. They were successful in keeping the masses in the dark about what the usurpers were really doing while also cultivating a general disinterest or distaste of politics and voting within the general public.
The major problem they now have, thanks to POTUS Donald J. Trump, is a very large group of Americans no longer believe a stinking word they say and are now fulfilling James Monroe’s prediction of keeping the politicians more honest (“right”). The fake media’s effect is being relegated to the sheeple with Bob Uecker’s view. In honor of the recent start to MLB’s season…
Dang, I miss that guy.
British Legacy
We cannot really blame our founders for establishing political parties. The vast majority of them and other patriots who formed our new nation came from the United Kingdom. As a result, let’s take a look at the political party history and landscape there before the nation of America was a thing. Check out #3 in the link below.
Tory and Whig parties formed beginning in the 1680 time frame. Which makes it easier to understand how and why political parties formed in America. Colonists had been conditioned to their existence as subjects of Great Britain. They had seen the Tories remain loyal to the Crown and viewed as traditionalists all of those years. The Whigs were the reformers and liberals. As a result it was a natural reaction when opposing viewpoints developed in America during and after the war to create the Federalists and Antifederalists. The supporters took sides and the first to become organized appears to be the Federalists. They were soon followed by the Democratic-Republicans (Antifederalists), also known as the Jeffersonian Republicans in the 1792-95 time frame. The actual dates are disputed among many historical accounts, but are in the general time frame of late 1780’s to mid 1790’s for both parties.
Conditions On The Ground Then
As we know, political parties generally form to advance common interests. Alliances on issues of importance make it easier to advance those common interests. However, those alliances also tend to create issues to gain power and money while moving public opinion to their points of view.
That is clearly what the Federalists did. Seven of the thirteen states in the new nation of the United States of America were fine with the Articles of Confederation. The Federalists foresaw big trouble on the horizon as stated in the previous part, or, felt they could not gin up enough fear porn to hopefully move public opinion their way. At that point they did not believe they could influence the seven states sufficiently to gain the nine votes needed to produce a new, nationally governing document. The seven states were entrenched in their thinking and operation. The Federalists were obviously opposed to states’ rights exceeding federal authority and believed in a strong central government. So, they used a provision in the Articles to have state conventions to elect special delegates to amend the Articles at the Philadelphia Convention. It worked. The bottom line is they wore down their political opponents and succeeded in flipping three states to their views of terminating the Articles and replacing with the Constitution that resulted.
Who were those founding fathers who could be so formidable in support of their beliefs and persuasive in their arguments? Well, that would be political heavyweights George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Robert Morris, and John Jay primarily; along with many others who were friends and allies. They were a formidable, respected block of patriots.
Washington said, “I do not conceive we can last long as a nation without having lodged somewhere a power whick(h) will pervade the whole union in as energetic a manner as the authority of the state governments extends over the several states.” He wrote letters to the governors of all thirteen states expressing his views. His beliefs in a stronger central government weighed heavily on the leaders and the people.
To be sure there were heavyweight patriots lined up against the loss of the Articles and the provisions it contained. Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Elbridge Gerry, and William Paca among others opposed its discontinuance. Some changed their views during the negotiations or after the Constitution was ratified. Jefferson took the opposite view about the internal rebellions the Federalists feared. He felt they were good for the nation to experience occasionally to improve itself. He felt those involved in such events such as in Shays’s Rebellion should not be harshly punished as an example. As a student of the Enlightenment he believed the good of people would win out in the end. This was directly opposed by many Federalists who did not share his views. They pointed to the perceived selfish responses of state leaders in not paying federal war debts as well as rebels and insurrectionists in the general populace as evidence.
As in most things of importance in government, history indicates that both camps were probably right and wrong in their various assessments.
Conditions On the Ground Now
Fast forward to January 6, 2021. What say you, America? It is the day We the People realized fully that elections have been fake for some time. It is the day many realized the federal government had become fully corrupted and had become agents of criminal leaders.
I guess the Federalists did not foresee a day when America’s federal government and elected officials leading it would authorize its Intelligence and law enforcement agencies to plan and instigate domestic terror operations against fellow citizens to influence the views, activities and votes of the general populace. But yet, here we are still dealing with the same shiz the colonists faced when the Brits did so on behalf of the Crown and Parliament.
With the Constitution’s ratification there have proven to be precious few effective triggers for citizens and even states to pull to counter the corruption as the bad faith is exhibited. That has led to outright rebellion at times in our history, as Thomas Jefferson suggested it probably would and should. As it turned out there is a large segment of We the People who have been good and faithful citizens abiding by the laws while many elected leaders, the supporting federal bureaucracy, and judiciary have not been.
It has been an infuriating experience for many patriotic American citizens through the years who point to the Constitution and tell the tyrants of the day that their actions cannot stand per the rule of law. These have been the same We the People who are viewed as We the Peasants by their greaters. Peasants who have endured corrupted elected officials, bureaucrats, law enforcement agencies, and judiciary who turn blind eyes or even openly support the criminal activities without recourse for the lessers.
Is it any wonder that POTUS Trump frequently promotes the song, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Miserables in his events? He knows how we deplorables have been treated.
There have been clear violations of the intent of existing law in the Constitution over two centuries now. In response to it there is Monroe’s, “Public opinion will react on this body, & keep it right.“ Was the 2020 election, among other disputed elections throughout our history, supposed to be rectified through that statement? How about the related treatment of American citizens on J6 who objected to the obvious election steal and the authorities’ circumvention of keeping it right? Did we keep the federal government right? 🤣
When the interpreters, administrators and enforcers are corrupted; can there even be justice outside of divine intervention or rebellion by the peasants?
Need more evidence of federal government failure to protect in America? Per numerous government sources somewhere between ten and twenty million illegal invaders poured over our borders in four years from 2021 through 2024. Elected officials in bothpolitical parties along with federal law enforcement agencies and the judiciary did nothing to enforce the law and Constitution despite the catastrophic on-going effects it had on the nation and We the People. Instead many made the paths of these illegals smooth and easy to navigate with taxpayer money to also help them along while ignoring the needs of citizens. Many of these enemies of the state are still in seated roles of power and authority and are circumventing the laws daily despite the attempts of POTUS Trump and patriots to administer them legally.
If our government actually did operate as a republic and in accordance with the law we would not be $36+ trillion in debt, rife with corruption, and illegally ruled as subjects by evil doers and incompetents. There would be no need for DOGE.
Unlike our independence movement brothers and sisters who were not involved in political parties until after the Revolutionary War; who depended on Committees of Correspondence to make everybody aware pre-war along with newspapers and horseback delivery of letters post war; we have the capacity to know where each candidate and elected official stands or votes on every issue in real time every moment of every day. All that is truly needed is the will to do so with required transparency, improved use of existing technology, and the deemphasis of the propagandist media that provides misleading to false information.
Think about who we are today. One big convoluted mess in politics for over 200 years that led to wars, genocide, carpetbaggers, robber baron rule, corrupted institutions, and so on. Perhaps we need to consider what POTUS Monroe believed, “I have always considered their existence as the curse of the country.”
Back in the founders’ day as well as now in ours; it seems only sunlight, integrity, backbone and accountability are needed to make good things happen. Something they and we have available in state capitals in legislative houses and governors mansions located in the midst of We the People and not in the jackboot protected District of Criminals.
We will not solve this ages old problem here. It may never be. However, our thoughts and beliefs can be seen and heard to help provide sunlight. The more informed We the People are, the more impact we can have on the political process. With this in mind I say; kick azz, DOGE and POTUS Trump! We the Peasants support your efforts fully. Just let us know how we can help.
Signer time. We will only do one as his involvement is extensive, yet, rarely prominently discussed by historians and pundits except for his part in establishing one pain in the azz political procedural exercise.
Elbridge Gerry
Born in 1744 in Marlblehead, MA, Elbridge Gerry was the son of a wealthy, ship operator and merchant, Thomas Gerry and mother, Elizabeth, who was also from a wealthy merchant family. He was educated by private tutors before entering Harvard College at thirteen years of age, where he went on to earn BA and MA degrees by the age of twenty. He then joined the family merchant businesses, which was active with shipping routes into the West Indies, Spain and all along the North American coast. His father was also active in local politics as well as the militia.
Gerry aligned with other notable Massachusetts patriot leaders Samuel Adams, John Adams, and Mercy Otis Warren among others. He won election to the state assembly in 1772 and worked closely with Samuel Adams for colonist causes against Parliament. He established the Marblehead’s Committee of Correspondence, but ran into trouble with the people there when he supported small pox inoculations being done at a local hospital. This was met by violence against the supporters and hospital as the people were not sure about the transmission of the disease at that time.
He rebounded politically a couple of years later when the Boston Port Act closed it and pushed the activities to Marblehead, where Gerry was instrumental in keeping supplies flowing back to the Boston area while caring for his dying father. He was elected to the First Continental Congress, but declined due to the grief from losing his father. When the governor began making moves against the colonists, he helped store weapons and supplies in Concord, which became a target of the British military at the start of formal hostilities in the Revolutionary War. While the Siege of Boston was ongoing, he helped supply the developing Continental Army as he continued to do throughout the war. He used his business contacts in France and Spain to continue to supply weapons and supplies the entire period. Despite all of his merchant activities he chose not to overtly profit from the war and spoke out against price gouging. He desired price controls to help increase the quantity of supplies they could obtain. The Descendants site indicates he was the 11th wealthiest signer of the Declaration.
With his election to the Second Continental Congress he had the honor of approving and signing the Declaration. His support was so strong, John Adams wrote, “”If every Man here was a Gerry, the Liberties of America would be safe against the Gates of Earth and Hell.” 👍 🇺🇸
He was accused of being one of the Conway Cabal against the leadership of George Washington, but quickly brought that to an end with a rebuttal that strongly countered the accusers. In the early years post war he was against a strong central government other than having concerns over Shays’s Rebellion. He remained an opponent of political parties until around 1800. At that point he felt it necessary to align and join the Democratic-Republicans in opposition to the continuing Federalist push for a dominant central government.
In 1780 he resigned from the Congress and refused all other public service appointments and offices until 1783 when the Confederation Congress met to make improvements and reforms to that document, many of which he strongly supported. He served two years before resigning from it. It was one year later that he finally married. He wed Ann Thompson, some twenty years younger, who was the daughter of a wealthy NYC merchant. His good friend, James Monroe, was his best man in the wedding. The couple went on to have ten (some say nine) children together over the next fifteen years, which needless to say strained the health of his wife. With wealth earned pre and during the war, he sold off his merchant business and made land purchases. This included a 100 acre estate of a former royal lieutenant governor that he named Elmwood that was located in Cambridge, MA. It became his home for the remainder of his life.
He returned to public life with the Constitutional Convention, making sure to represent the interests of the states in the negotiations. However, the Shays event had an impact on his beliefs about individual citizens having the right to vote to affect government. He strongly advocated for indirect elections. He was unsuccessful in the House, however, he helped make that happen in the Senate. He was very unhappy the Constitution as proposed did not enumerate specific personal liberties and did not want the central government strengthened in its position. As an Episcopalian he fought specifically for stronger language relating to religious freedom, which did not go far enough in his opinion. As a result of it and other differences he voted against the Constitution along with George Mason and Edmund Randolph – the only three against its ratification. At this point John Adams seemed to change his opinion of Gerry and called him obstinate and focused only on small things, although they remained cordial and continued working together. 😂
When it came time for Massachusetts to take up the issue he was not chosen as a delegate due to his stance, although he was invited to attend. Even with that state’s strong Federalist involvement it still only passed by a 187 – 168 vote. This vote and the beliefs of many he knew soured him against numerous formerly friendly officials.
Per the Descendant’s site, “Overcoming his objections to the Constitution, Gerry served in the House of Representatives from 1789 to 1793. To the dismay of his anti-federalist friends, he supported the Federalist agenda, including Hamilton’s proposals to fund the War debt and establish a national bank.“
This reversal and acceptance led to Gerry being brought back into the good graces of John Adams. The following information from the Descendants site gives an interesting look at America’s position in the world at that time.
“On June 20, 1797, President John Adams sent Gerry along with Charles Pinckney and John Marshall to France, to negotiate a peace treaty with Talleyrand, Napoleon’s new foreign minister. The mission was a disaster, with the French trying to bribe the American commissioners, and came to be known as the XYZ affair with the letters representing the three chief French bribers. Finally, the Treaty of Mortefontaine was completed in 1800 and is considered a great achievement by the Adams administration in keeping the United States neutral in the expanding war between Britain and France.
In 1800, maligned by federalists who believed him partial to France, and concerned about the likelihood of Alexander Hamilton becoming General of the army, Gerry joined the moderate wing of the Republican party. He ran for Governor of Massachusetts, a strong Federalist stronghold, in the early 1800s but was unsuccessful.”
He ran again for governor as a Democratic-Republican in 1810 and was elected and reelected in 1811; only to lose in 1812 for the following that leads to the reason most folks would ever remember his name. From the Descendants site,
“He had become unpopular after supporting a redistricting bill that gained him lasting fame. By rearranging voting districts around Amesbury and Haverhill to favor the Republicans, the resulting district resembled a salamander, thus earning the famous sobriquet of a “gerrymander.”
So he was the trouble maker responsible for what is still happening today! For those who want to know more about it…
I noted in one source that even as an older man he must have had an eye for female beauty. 😂
“He paid special attention to Betsy Patterson Bonaparte, the American-born sister-in-law of Napoleon, whose revealing attire caused a stir wherever she went.” For those like me who were clueless about Ms. Bonaparte there are the links below. Lady readers may be especially interested in the second one.
Despite Gerry’s election loss for governor, he was added to the ticket of James Madison as VP. With their election and the War of 1812, his work became very contentious. However, he enjoyed the aristocratic lifestyle and DC parties despite the rancor in the Senate over which he presided. He died on his way to the Senate in 1814. His wife Ann lived until 1849, the longest surviving widow of a Declaration signer.
The following Descendants site description gives us a more personal look at the man.
“Elbridge Gerry was a small, dapper gentleman possessed of pleasant manners, but never very popular because of his aristocratic traits. He had no sense of humor, frequently changed his mind on important issues, and was suspicious of the motives of others. But he was a conscientious businessman who paid attention to detail. His patriotism and integrity could never be questioned.
While Gerry’s actions can be considered those of a maverick, they can also be viewed as those of a man of principle with independence of thought and action independent of party influence. He signed the Declaration and the Articles of Confederation but vigorously opposed the Constitution. He then served in Congress where he supported Alexander Hamilton’s federalist agenda ensuring the future financial security of the young republic. He became a Republican in 1800, lost several contests for Governor of Massachusetts. But he was elected Madison’s Vice President and stayed loyal to him when most of the Republicans split off over Madison’s handling of the war.
Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote that he was “a genuine friend of republican forms of government.” One of Gerry’s own statements was “I hold it to be the duty of every citizen, though he may have but one day to live, to devote the day to the good of his country.”
His home at Elmwood is located a half mile from Harvard’s campus and has remained a place where Harvard people have lived. The school purchased it in 1962 and its President has resided there ever since. Gerry was buried in the Congressional Cemetery in DC.
Elbridge Gerry was a great American Patriot who worked tirelessly for the betterment of our nation. His expectation was for all of us to do likewise.
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2024 Presidential Election Map by County. (an uncertain credit) Let us Never Forget: our VOTES gave the Trump Administration a Mandate to FIX IT ALL.
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
We got our miracle. America is back.
Let us dedicate ourselves to the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of our beautiful nation.
God will guide us. Prayers & thanks to God for President Donald J. Trump.
Exodus Jubilation.
This is the first week of the Eastertide season.
Eastertide (also known as Eastertime or the Easter season) or Paschaltide (also known as Paschaltime or the Paschal season) is a festal season in the liturgical year of Christianity that focuses on celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The church refers to this period of time after the resurrection as the Paschal Season. What are they referring to?
It’s all about the Passover.
…the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus comes clothed to us in the imagery, symbolism, and language of the Jewish Passover. In fact, the name these early Christians give to their Easter festival is the Greek word pascha. Pascha is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Pesach, which is the Hebrew name for Passover. The Latin church picks up this usage and calls Easter in Latin as pascha as well. And from that Latin origin, modern European romance languages get their name for Easter: French: Paques, Spanish: Pascua, Italian: Pasqua. — Gordon Lindsey, The Bible is in My Blood
Drawing parallels between the exodus and the resurrection, Christians see the Exodus as a type, a foreshadowing of the massive jailbreak when Christ frees the righteous dead from the shadow-lands of the underworld, leading them in triumph from darkness into His light. And Christ’s defeat of sin and death is indeed, Good News.
This parallel is highlighted not only within the Gospel accounts themselves, but throughout the New Testament.
For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. — 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Rejoice!
Easter’s message rings out in the traditional greeting; one says, “Christ is risen!” and to which the response is, “He is risen indeed, Alleluia!” There is joy in the air. An exuberance, a jubilation, as believers celebrate the defeat of their enemy, and the triumph of their Savior.
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! — Paschal troparion, Christos anesti
In the book of Exodus, after witnessing the Egyptians absolute defeat by the hand of God, the people of Israel, led by Moses, break into song–not only singing–but dancing in celebration. Finally, they are beginning to believe that they have been freed from their oppressors.
We see a people filled with exuberant jubilation rejoicing over the utter defeat of their enemy, and the stunning triumph of their saving God.
And we are right there with them in this Eastertide season. God has mightily delivered us. Let us rejoice!
The Song of Moses
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: (Exodus 15:1-21)
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my refuge is the LORD, and he has become my savior. This is my God, I praise him; the God of my father, I extol him.
The LORD is a warrior, LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea; the elite of his officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
The flood waters covered them, they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power, your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.
In your great majesty you overthrew your adversaries; you loosed your wrath to consume them like stubble.
At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, the flowing waters stood like a mound, the flood waters foamed in the midst of the sea.
The enemy boasted, “I will pursue and overtake them; I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them; I will draw my sword; my hand will despoil them!”
When you blew with your breath, the sea covered them; like lead they sank in the mighty waters.
Who is like you among the gods, O LORD? Who is like you, magnificent among the holy ones? Awe-inspiring in deeds of renown, worker of wonders, when you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them!
In your love you led the people you redeemed; in your strength you guided them to your holy dwelling.
The peoples heard and quaked; anguish gripped the dwellers in Philistia.
Then were the chieftains of Edom dismayed, the nobles of Moab seized by trembling;
All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away; terror and dread fell upon them.
By the might of your arm they became silent like stone, while your people, LORD, passed over, while the people whom you created passed over.
You brought them in, you planted them on the mountain that is your own—
The place you made the base of your throne, LORD, the sanctuary, LORD, your hands established.
May the LORD reign forever and ever!
When Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen entered the sea, the LORD made the waters of the sea flow back upon them, though the Israelites walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, while all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing; and she responded to them:
Sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
Welcome. Please visit this post for our long-standing site rules. ### Kindly identify all AI products, per warning in the header ###
2024 Presidential Election Map by County. (an uncertain credit) Let us Never Forget: our VOTES gave the Trump Administration a Mandate to FIX IT ALL.
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
We got our miracle. America is back.
Let us dedicate ourselves to the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of our beautiful nation.
God will guide us. Prayers & thanks to God for President Donald J. Trump.
Sovereignty
Sovereignty. Souveraineté. What does this word, sovereignty, mean? It seems to mean different things to different people.
This Kind of Sovereign?
Judging by a paper called, “A QUICK GUIDE TO SOVEREIGN CITIZENS,” by the UNC School of Government, there are some people that think they can become free by resisting the governmental structures currently in place in our nation. In brief, the paper tells us:
“Sovereign citizen” is a catchall phrase referring to a variety of anti-government individuals and groups who share some common beliefs and behaviors. The organizations to which many sovereign citizens belong have a variety of names… In one way or another, though, all sovereign citizens, whether tied to an organization or not, adhere to a view that the existing American governmental structure, including the courts and law enforcement, is illegitimate and that they, the sovereign citizens, retain an individual common law identity exempting them from the authority of those fraudulent government institutions.
Hmmmm. Maybe this isn’t the kind of sovereign we were looking for.
A Different Take on Sovereignty.
We’ve already had some discussion recently on this essay, but you might not have read far enough down to reach this fantastic claim:
… Still, their eyes were always looking forward, toward a moment when the government wouldn’t just digitize its services but its sovereignty. Enter DOGE. The Department of Government Efficiency didn’t materialize in a vacuum. It was seeded during the Obama years, whispered into existence by those who knew that the real power would come not from Congress, but from a system nimble enough to move faster than legislation, and quiet enough to reshape infrastructure without fanfare. It began as the United States Digital Service—a small team of technocrats who fixed websites, sure, but more importantly, mapped the internal circuitry of American bureaucracy. They weren’t patching holes. They were creating access points. And then, just as quietly as they arrived, they left the back door open.
Sounds interesting. But I’m not sure exactly how to respond. The author provides three hypothetical outcomes of the end of Act III. The second outcome, narrative fracture, doesn’t look good. The first outcome, sovereign reset, is just about what most people seem to want. But that third outcome—if it is even possible—the revelation state, I think people with a heart to be free might want an outcome like this:
It’s not just about controlling the machine—it’s about purifying it. The Sovereign Reset without accountability is stable, but cold. The Narrative Fracture without vision is chaotic and likely irreparable. But the Revelation State? That’s the rarest kind of government: One that awakens, without collapsing. One that confesses, without capitulating. One that still serves, even after seizing control.
However, does this path return us to the intentions of the Founding Fathers of our nation? I wonder.
The Declaration of Independence affirmed the republican principle of popular government. The people were the source of all sovereignty, or authority, in the representative government. They gave their consent to their elected representatives to govern them. The document stated, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving [receiving] their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The Preamble to the Constitution outlined that the new constitutional government was also to be based on this principle of popular sovereignty. It stated, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union.” This meant that the people of the United States, through their representatives, established this new government. The previous government under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1789) did not have sufficient power to govern the nation because the states were sovereign.
The core purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to establish a just political order that recognized human equality in natural rights for all persons. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable [impossible to take away] Rights.” This meant that the equality of all people would be the basis of any American system of government. This promise, though not fully realized, has guided American political debates ever since.
This was recognized in the Preamble, which stated simply that one of its main goals was to “establish Justice.” Justice meant that all were equal under the law and equal in their rights. Individuals would be able to pursue their own happiness and have equal opportunity to work hard and keep the fruits of their labor. James Madison noted the importance of justice in Federalist No. 51 when he wrote, “Justice is the end [purpose] of government. It is the end of civil society.”
God as Sovereign.
On this Maundy Thursday of the Christian Holy Week, it seems fitting to reflect on how Jesus the Christ, and our Lord, presented his sovereignty in the last hours before laying down his life for those he came to redeem.
From the Gospel of John 18:33-19:22 (AMPC):
So Pilate went back again into the judgment hall and called Jesus and asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus replied, Are you saying this of yourself [on your own initiative], or have others told you about Me?
Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your [own] people and nation and their chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done? Jesus answered, My kingdom (kingship, royal power) belongs not to this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My followers would have been fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here (this world); [it has no such origin or source].
Pilate said to Him, Then You are a King? Jesus answered, You say it! [You speak correctly!] For I am a King. [Certainly I am a King!] This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth [who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth] hears and listens to My voice.
Pilate said to Him, What is Truth? On saying this he went out to the Jews again and told them, I find no fault in Him. But it is your custom that I release one [prisoner] for you at the Passover. So shall I release for you the King of the Jews?
Then they all shouted back again, Not Him [not this Man], but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber. So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged (flogged, whipped) Him. And the soldiers, having twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple cloak around Him. And they kept coming to Him and saying, Hail, King of the Jews! [Good health to you! Peace to you! Long life to you, King of the Jews!] And they struck Him with the palms of their hands.
Then Pilate went out again and said to them, See, I bring Him out to you, so that you may know that I find no fault (crime, cause for accusation) in Him. So Jesus came out wearing the thorny crown and purple cloak, and Pilate said to them, See, [here is] the Man!
When the chief priests and attendants (guards) saw Him, they cried out, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no fault (crime) in Him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to that law He should die, because He has claimed and made Himself out to be the Son of God.
So, when Pilate heard this said, he was more alarmed and awestricken and afraid than before. He went into the judgment hall again and said to Jesus, Where are You from? [To what world do You belong?] But Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to Him, Will You not speak [even] to me? Do You not know that I have power (authority) to release You and I have power to crucify You? Jesus answered, You would not have any power or authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater.
Upon this, Pilate wanted (sought, was anxious) to release Him, but the Jews kept shrieking, If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anybody who makes himself [out to be] a king sets himself up against Caesar [is a rebel against the emperor]!
Hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement [the Mosaic Pavement, the Stone Platform]—in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about the sixth hour (about twelve o’clock noon). He said to the Jews, See, [here is] your King! But they shouted, Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar!
Then he delivered Him over to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led [Him] away; so He went out, bearing His own cross, to the spot called The Place of the Skull—in Hebrew it is called Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two others—one on either side and Jesus between them.
And Pilate also wrote a title (an inscription on a placard) and put it on the cross. And the writing was: Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews. And many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, [and] in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am King of the Jews.
Pilate replied, What I have written, I have written.
Prayer.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
I had not planned for this part to be released on this date as it was scheduled for two weeks from today. However, the Lord had other plans. Many of you will probably understand what I mean as you read the following.
What does the word “Providence” really mean in the Declaration when in the last sentence it says, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”?
Did you notice the word is capitalized? Why do you think that is? The answer is revealed in the definition of the word. Merriam Webster has the following,
1aoften capitalized: divine guidance or care – bcapitalized: God conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny
2: the quality or state of being provident
From this we learn that Providence is all about God and His relationship with humanity. We see the capitalization of the word has meaning. It ties God in as a powerful, divine being giving guidance and His care to humanity. The first two paragraphs of the Declaration state this understanding by the signers as they establish the basis for their move toward independence. We need to focus on the capitalization of the words a bit closer.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
A number of words are capitalized in the Declaration of Independence. In addition to capitalizing titles and names, the framers did so with other key words to emphasize the points they were making. When individually listed, they lead the reader to conclusions about the purpose of the document. From the opening two paragraphs, they are listed below:
Course, Laws of Nature, Nature’s God, Creator, Rights, Life, Liberty, Happiness, Right of the People, Government(s) – various places, Form of Government, Safety, Happiness, Prudence, Object, Despotism, Guards, Systems of Government, Tyranny, Facts
If you had not read the Declaration and only saw these capitalized words from it that are listed above, could you come to a conclusion about the document’s purpose and intent? How about something like this in TradeBaiteese?
In the course of living life within the laws of nature under nature’s God who established it, our Creator has granted rights to life, liberty and happiness that governments in whatever form and system must honor and provide for the safety of the people. If not, the people should object and guard against any despotism that leads to tyranny and get rid of it. Those are just the facts!
I am sure readers can come up with their own versions as well. However, the intent of the words in the document remain clear. As it states in its wrap up,
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
More Providence Discussion
Which leads to this excellent discussion of “Providence” by our own Bakocarl in the 4/13/25 daily thread. That God had Bakocarl provide this discussion in the same time period as my own preparation for this thread on this topic of God’s hand guiding the completion of the Declaration of Independence, well, it will likely be met with acceptance of Providence by believers and called coincidence by non-believers. For the record, he and I had no previous discussion relating to the subject. Bakocarl said,
Then we have what is called the providence of God. The doctrine of providence holds that God quietly and invisibly works through the natural world to manage events. God, in His providence, works out His purposes through natural processes in the physical and social universe. Every effect can be traced back to a natural cause, and there is no hint of the miraculous. The best that man can do to explain the reason why things happen in the course of natural events is to point to “coincidence.”
Believers proclaim that God arranges the coincidences. The unbeliever derides such ideas because he believes natural causes can fully explain each event without reference to God. Yet followers of Christ are wholly assured of this profound truth: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
The book of Esther shows divine providence at work. The banishment of Vashti, the selection of Esther, the plot of the assassins, the pride of Haman, the courage of Mordecai, the insomnia of the king, the bloodlust of Zeresh, and the reading of the scroll—everything in the book happens, like cogs in a well-oiled machine, to bring about the deliverance of God’s people. Although God is never mentioned in Esther, His providence, working through “coincidence,” is plain to see.
God is always at work in the lives of His people, and in His goodness will bring them to a good end (see Philippians 1:6). The events that define our lives are not simply products of natural causes or random chance. They are ordained by God and are intended for our good. We often fail to sense God’s hidden guidance or protection as events in our lives unfold. But, when we look back at past events, we are able to see His hand more clearly, even in times of tragedy.
I doubt there is a MAGA supporting believer alive that doubts “Providence” was involved in Butler, PA that eventful day; which could have ended in tragedy. As we believers know it did not because God had other plans for Donald Trump and America since we under his divine “Providence”. What is to be our response to same? “…, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Does that even remotely resemble what has happened in America in your lifetime outside of Ronald Reagan’s and Donald Trump’s presidential terms? Even in those periods the Dems and RINO’s worked against the unity the Declaration requires that is under divine Providence.
Coincidently (not), the subject of Providence is exactly what Donald Trump believes.
I hope all of you will take this discussion of Providence to heart and worship the Lord who rose from the dead to give us life eternal.
Time for more signers, let’s finish the Maryland crew.
William Paca
William Paca was born in 1740 in Abington, MD as one of seven children. His parents were John and Elizabeth Smith Paca. His father was a wealthy plantation owner who was the third generation of Paca’s who had lived in Maryland. The first generation family patriarch, Robert, had indentured himself to a colonist named John Hall when he arrived in America in 1660. He worked on the Hall property. When John Hall passed away, he later married his widow and in so doing became an owner. This became the basis for the family’s future possessions and occupation as planters. This became a family tradition for the Paca men as they married well and added to the family’s possessions and properties. They were involved in the Anglican Church and later joined the Quakers. However, William’s parents left the latter to return to the Anglican Church when they were married in 1732. John went on to become a justice of the peace, Captain in the militia, and delegate to the General Assembly.
As best that can be determined William was schooled at home until age 12, when he was sent to the Academy and Charity School with his brother in Philadelphia. He went on to later graduate from Philadelphia College (Penn) in 1759 at age 19. He went to Annapolis to begin his law career, clerked for Stephen Bradley, and helped found a pro democracy debate society called the Forensic Club. It was in the club that he forged a strong, lasting friendship with fellow signer, Samuel Chase. From there he progressed to attendance at the prestigious Middle Temple in London before following with a Masters back at Philadelphia College. He was admitted to the bar in 1764.
The previous year (1763), William did the male thing in the Paca family; he married into money He married Ann Mary (Molly) Chew. She was from long established, wealthy family who had family descended from the settlers of Jamestown in 1622. Her father had died soon after her birth and her mother had married another wealthy and politically connected man named Daniel Dulany who helped raise Molly. After William and Molly married they moved into a large mansion they had built in Annapolis.
Soon after this in 1765, William and Samuel Chase founded the county’s Sons of Liberty group and both pushed opposition to the Stamp Act. William was soon elected into the state’s General Assembly the next year just as in the previous generations of Paca men as he became popular and successful in his law practice. In personal settings he was reserved and thoughtful. In his political public life he was bold and unafraid to challenge authority. His political stature grew as he took on British oppression. Then personal tragedy hit, his beloved wife Molly died during childbirth of their third child in 1774. William became distraught with grief.
In response he turned his attention completely to the independence movement. It was not long until he joined the First Continental Congress and became close to John Adams. John Adams gave him the nickname of the “deliberater” due to his thoughtfulness and manners. He was also a signer of the Olive Branch Petition. It was during this period that Benjamin Rush described him the best when he described Paca as, “beloved and respected by all who knew him, and considered at all times as a sincere patriot and honest man.”
When Maryland removed voting restrictions on its delegates relating to independence, he immediately voted for approval of the Declaration of Independence and signed later. He continued to serve in Congress into 1777 before returning to Maryland and being elected into the senate of the Assembly. He was soon appointed as a General Court judge where he faced dealing with legal challenges from insurrectionists and traitors along the Eastern Shore. By 1780 he appointed to the Court of Appeals.
Back in 1777 he married well again, this time to Ann Harrison who was 16 years younger. She was the daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia merchant and past mayor, Henry Harrison. However, Paca faced tragedy yet again when she died in 1780, also possibly during the childbirth of their first child. In between marriages Paca had two children our of wedlock. Only two of his six children survived to adulthood, John Philemon Paca from his first wife, Molly, and an illegitimate child, Henrietta Mara, born to Sarah Joyce. He provided for his children born out of wedlock during their lives in every way possible.
Paca was a major backer of states’ rights and resisted efforts to change from the Articles of Confederation. He was an antifederalist during the period. However, when it came time he voted to approve the Constitution. During the period of its negotiation he pushed 28 amendments to make it more palatable to states’ rights advocates and those concerned with individual freedoms relating to religious liberty, freedom of the press, and freedom from judicial tyranny (we need him today for that one). Many of the proposed amendments passed into law in the Bill of Rights. You and I are beneficiaries today.
in 1789 Paca was appointed judge by George Washington to the Court of Maryland, a position that he held until his death in 1799. He was nearly 59 years old. This dedicated, important American Patriot was instrumental in giving us so many of the freedoms we take for granted today. We salute his service to our nation.
Thomas Stone
We now focus on an unquestioned patriot signer that will also include a short mention of a vaccination and dying from the grief of losing a loved one near the end.
Yes, this was the life of one Thomas Stone, who was born in 1743 in Charles County, MD. He grew up in wealthy plantation owning family and was educated at home until age 15. He started to a nearby small school of a Greek and Latin teacher for three years, riding by horseback ten miles each day to attend. He then moved to Annapolis to study law under a prominent attorney. Although from a wealthy family, Stone had to borrow the money to do it indicating his father was not in support. He was admitted to the bar four years later at age 21. At the age of 25, he married eighteen-year-old Margaret Brown who was the daughter of Dr. Gustavus Brown and his second wife, Margaret Black Boyd. He then built a beautiful home named Habre deVenture on his 400 acre estate, where they had three children together. They were Episcopalian in their faith.
His father passed away in 1773 and left his huge estate to the oldest son of a previous marriage and nothing to Thomas. That left Thomas and Margaret with taking in his six, much younger siblings. In response they added on to their home and did so without hesitation with great love.
Stone was a quiet man who disliked the concept of war with the British. However, as many others grew to accept it, he found it to be inevitable. His alignment with independence became official when he was appointed to the state’s Committee of Correspondence. As his recognition grew, he was appointed to represent the state in the Second Continental Congress after the battles of Concord and Lexington. He signed the Olive Branch Petition as a last attempt for reconciliation.
The following was included in one of his letters. “I wish to conduct affairs so that a just and honorable reconciliation should take place, or that we should be unanimous in a resolution to fight it out for independence. The proper way to affect this is not to move too quick. But then we must take care to do everything which is necessary for our security and defense, not suffer ourselves to be lulled or wheedled by any deceptions, declarations, or giving’s out. You know my heart wishes for peace upon terms of security and justice to America. But war, anything, is preferable to a surrender of our rights.“
In June 1776 he was chosen to be one of the thirteen who drafted the Articles of Confederation. A month later when the state freed its delegates to vote, he voted for the Declaration of Independence, signing the document a month later. He returned to Maryland, his law practice, and in public service as he was elected to the state Senate. He served for several years before once again being elected to serve in the Continental Congress in 1783 as the war ended. He returned to his law practice and public service in 1785. He left the latter after serving for a year with the Constitutional Convention.
In 1787 his world was turned upside down. I will finish the body of this discussion on his life with a direct quotation from the Descendants site:
“In 1787 Stone’s wife Margaret became alarmingly ill. She had received a smallpox inoculation a decade earlier, and from the effects of the mercury contained in the vaccine, she experienced a long state of weakness and decline. During her illness, Stone wrote as follows: “The illness of a wife I esteem most dearly preys most severely on my Spirits, she is I thank God something better this afternoon, and this Intermission of her Disorder affords me time to write to you. The Doctor thinks she is in a fair way of being well in a few days. I wish I thought so….”
Stone watched over her with unwearied devotion and a deep and abiding melancholy overtook his spirit. At length, however, in the middle of 1787, she sank to the grave at the early age of thirty-six.
From this time on, the health of Stone evidently declined. The grief-stricken Stone abandoned his work, and declined to attend the Constitutional Convention to which he had been elected. In the autumn his physicians advised him to take a sea voyage and in obedience to that advice, he traveled to Alexandria to embark for England. Before the vessel was ready to sail, however, he suddenly expired on October 5, 1787 in the forty fifth year of his age. Stone is buried in the family graveyard about 200 yards from his home at Habre deVenture, in Port Tobacco, Maryland.”
Thomas Stone was a great American Patriot and an even greater person. We have been graced by God to have men and women like Thomas and Margaret Stone in our national heritage.
Please remember Wolf’s rules for our community. In general that means to be respectful to each other and to pull no shenanigans that your mom might find offensive or otherwise cause jail time. That said, free speech is honored here.
Welcome. Please visit this post for our long-standing site rules. ### Kindly identify all AI products, per warning in the header ###
2024 Presidential Election Map by County. (an uncertain credit) Let us Never Forget: our VOTES gave the Trump Administration a Mandate to FIX IT ALL.
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
We got our miracle. America is back.
Let us dedicate ourselves to the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of our beautiful nation.
God will guide us. Prayers & thanks to God for President Donald J. Trump.
Vigilance.
Here we are. We are living through some of the most amazing days in the history of our country. And yet we can sense an uneasiness. An awareness that we need to remain vigilant. A feeling that the enemies of what is good and right are still hard at work trying to interfere, disrupt, overthrow, yes and even murder those building a better future for our nation.
Being Warned in a Dream.
It has been rare, but there have been times in my life when I needed to be warned about something, and it seemed that a dream was given. A dream that would shake me deeply. And then I would ponder, pray, seek insight, and face whatever the warning seemed to be about. Then I would try to respond appropriately in the circumstances.
Two days ago I awakened out of a dream with a grave sense of imminent danger. It was so disturbing, but I couldn’t really make out the full meaning. I will try and tell the details here as I remember them:
I am looking out over a freeway which is just below me in a canyon. At the edge of the canyon there are couple of people sitting at a table, maybe sharing a meal and talking. Beyond them, off in the distance, I can see a large silver airplane flying low over the city. It is apparently having mechanical trouble. I sensed great cry of prayer going up to God for the plane. The plane steadies, there is a sigh of relief. But then there is a distraction. I am still watching the plane. Suddenly it upends and then goes down hard, crashing. I run from where I witnessed the crash over to the airport. The wreckage is on the runway, but there is no fire, no emergency response crews, no activity at all at the crash site. I look around and see that there are people working in other parts of the airfield. They are focused on their work. Work that seems to be related to organizing or preparing to create chaos, not just protests, but also other kinds of disruptions and destruction. In the dream I picked up the sense that these are the kind of people that intend to harm our country—and it’s people—in any way they can.
Needless to say, reading Gail’s post yesterday did not do anything to calm my heightened sense of needing to be on alert. Alert in prayer. Alert in the world around me.
Nehemiah the Builder.
One of my early Bible teachers taught us to face difficult situations by praying and asking, “Where am I in the Bible now?” Perhaps the example of Nehemiah—rebuilding a nearly destroyed people and nation while facing danger and threats from those who hated and opposed his success—might just be a good fit for today. May pondering this story strengthen us to work at the tasks set before us with wisdom, humility, strength and courage.
For those that might appreciate a quick video overview:
An Inquiring Heart.
The story begins with Nehemiah in captivity, serving the king of another nation. But his heart is back home with his people. He questions his brothers that had just returned from Judah about of the state of his homeland. They reply, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Ne 1:3, KJV)
A Broken & Contrite Heart.
The response of Nehemiah reveals his tenderness and compassion for his people. “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” (1:4) Nehemiah doesn’t stand in judgment over others, he sits among them in his prayer:
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” (He was cupbearer to the king.)
Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem
Nehemiah succeeds in his plan to get King Artaxerxes’ support in returning to Judah to help rebuild. He gets the authority from the king to do this work. The king authorizes materials and military protection as well. However, some of the local officials are “very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”
Nehemiah quietly checks out the situation after he arrives and then goes to the leadership of Jerusalem with his plan and the good news concerning the king’s support. They agree to begin rebuilding.
The Opposition’s Response #1
Their first response is to not only mock and ridicule the Israelites, but to also accuse them of rebellion against the king. Nehemiah answers them by (1) identifying God as their hope for success, (2) noting their submission to God as his servants, (3) declaring their undeterred decision to keep rebuilding, (4) pointing out the opposition’s lack of claim or historical right to their city.
The Opposition’s Response #2
As the work begins, the opposition becomes more incensed. The opposition leader airs his ridicule in front of his associates and the army of Samaria. “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Then his sidekick piles on, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
At this point Nehemiah has nothing left to say to their enemies. He goes straight to Godwith his appeal. “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.”
The Opposition’s Response #3
The work continues to make good progress, and when the opposition hears about it, their anger grew to the point that “They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.”
Nehemiah’s response again was to pray “to our God” and this time he “posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”
Internal Discouragement
The workers start to report that their discouragement, and their fear of attacks by their enemies. Nehemiah’s listened to their reports. He takes direct action to fortify the protection for the families working on the wall. Again, he personally looks over the situation and speaks to the people directly.
I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
Remaining Vigilant
Nehemiah then reports on the new level of vigilance provided to protect those working:
From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.
Correcting Internal Exploitation
At this time there is a famine and the people are being (illegally) charged interest and are having their crops and lands siezed by the wealthy. When Nehemiah learns of this he beomes very angry for this injustice. He calls a public meeting and speaks directly to these wealthy leaders:
So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.” “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
The Opposition’s Response #4
When the opposition hears that the wall has been completely rebuilt (but without doors in the gates yet). They try a new tactic. Four times they send letters to Nehemiah, attempting to persuade him to come out of the city and meet them in an outlying village. But their plan was to ambush him and cause the work to stop. Nehemiah refused.
The Opposition’s Response #5
A fifth time the opposition sends an unsealed letter (so others would know what was written) with lying accusations saying the Israelites were planning to revolt against the king. Nehemiah says about this latest attack:
I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
Intrigue Within the Community
Nehemiah then elaborates on an incredible amount of intrigue where people inside of his own community try and trap or entangle him, are collaborating with their enemies due to alliances via intermarriage, are leaking information back to them and are lobbying to influence Nehemiah to see their enemies in a good light. Sounds familiar.
A Great Awakening
Chapters 8 through 12 of the book of Nehemiah recount a profound return to God by the people. Starting with fasting and confessing their sins, listening to Ezra read from the scriptures, repentance, and crying out to the Lord their God. The people then agree to obey the Lord by correcting wrongs, agreeing to obey the Lord’s instructions for offerings, worship, and consecrating the new wall in a large festival-like event. Things are going well for as long as their leader, Nehemiah was there to keep watch over the community.
However, in the final chapter of the book we learn that as soon as Nehemiah left to go back into service with the king, some of the people went back on their promises to God. When Nehemiah returns he again brings correction, helping the people to remain faithful to their God.
Keep Us Faithful, O Lord
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. — Jude 24-25 (KJV)
Our Turn.
We can’t leave this to others. We can make a difference. And we must make a difference.
May God bless and guide you as you pray and take action for our nation.
Twitterati, etc.
May I recommend to you toresays.com. A worthy follow.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
