“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
I don’t have much to say tonight, on the “current events” front. It’s about 1 PM here in Colorado and it’s pretty quiet at the moment–and I might not have the opportunity to update this if something big does break.
Let’s see. Sullivan still being an ass, exculpatory information still coming out in fairly large buckets (I can see why some think he’s drawing this out with the knowledge and approval of people on our side). Still got Leftists of various different types running around loose in our urban areas.
And rumors that Durham is simply going to drop his work. I sure hope not.
Reminder of the Most Important Thing about the MAGA Movement
Yes, I am going to harp on this, because it is the most important thing President Donald J. Trump has to do, and he hasn’t really gotten started on it yet.
Our movement is about replacing a failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People...Our campaign represents a true existential threat, like they’ve never seen before.
Then-Candidate Donald J. Trump
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. The gun is always loaded. 4a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 5. Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 6. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 7. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)
Mandatory Coin
Now it wouldn’t be one of my posts without a coin, would it?
What we have here is one of the rarest coins on Earth, and it’s a “legit” coin. It was intended to be used as money, was released as money, was issued legally, isn’t a pattern, a restrike or a fantasy piece. Many of the more famous rarities (1804 dollars, 1913 Liberty Head Nickels, for instance) fall into one of these later categories–they weren’t made to be used, and may have been illegally produced.
To my knowledge the lowest legitimate mintage for a coin was 24 dimes made in San Francisco in 1894. Ten are still known to exist. In this case, though, 17,796 half eagles (i.e., five dollar gold pieces) were made in 1822. But unless someone kicks over a rock and finds a stash of these things (not impossible), there are three of them today. And the Smithsonian has two of the three. So that leaves one in private hands. Apparently it sold in 1982 for $600,000, and was up for sale in 2016 in an auction but I can’t find any indication as to whether it sold and for how much, so I assume it did NOT sell–the owner was asking too much. (Surely there are people who would pay well into seven figures.)
Why so rare? I don’t know the complete answer to that, but any gold from before 1834 is tough to find. (There are relatively common dates, for instance this particular design, if you do find one for sale, will most likely be an 1813, which at least costs less than a new car even in the lower uncirculated grades.)
But I do know a large part of the reason for this is that although our original laws specified that gold and silver were to be minted at a 15:1 ratio, this had become out of date. What does that mean? That means if you took a pound of silver to the mint, you’d get a certain amount of coins back in return (this was a free service by the US mint, provided you were willing to wait for them to actually make the coins from your silver; if you wanted your coins immediately, there was a 1% charge). If you took a pound of gold in, you’d get back coins worth fifteen times as much. A pound of gold was legally worth fifteen pounds of silver. The problem was, this ratio had been slowly dropping since ancient times. In ancient Egypt, silver was actually worth more than gold; in the mid 1700s the ratio had shifted from 14:1 to 14.5:1. It was pretty much an unbroken trend, and lately the ratio is near 100:1 (sometimes over depending on the specific day).
[Note: as of 13:13 Colorado time, gold is at $1799/ozt, silver is at $18.75/ozt, for a ratio of 95.946666…:1.]
What happened when silver dropped relative to gold? The gold became over-valued. One could accumulate ten dollars of silver coinage, exchange it for ten dollars in gold (as two half eagles, most likely, as eagles weren’t being made then)…and the gold would actually be worth more. So you could melt it and sell it for more than ten dollars’ worth of silver.
So most of that old gold coinage is long gone, much of it now likely in Fort Knox or the gold “eagles” being produced today. Or in your wedding band.
Some people hung onto some pieces, and sometimes the mint or treasury had retained a small group in a vault somewhere, often all of the same date, which is why some dates are still obtainable, and others aren’t. Apparently no one happened to hang onto a stash of 1822 half eagles.
This page: https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1822-5/8130 discusses this coin, and has a picture of the two Smithsonian specimens as well. So now you’ve seen them all. They show prices below, but those can only be educated guesses when the coin, and I do mean the coin, as there’s only one outside of museums, hasn’t appeared on the market in 38 years.
The weight of gold was reduced in mid-1834, with a design change to go with it so you could tell the coins apart, and the problem was solved, for a while.
In the early 1850s, with the economy being flooded by gold coming out of California, the shoe was on the other foot for a change and silver became scarce. The problem was solved by deliberately reducing the silver in coinage (other than silver dollars) so much that now the silver in a coin was worth considerably less than face value, and that was the end of free coinage of silver. (This was in 1853, and the change was denoted by placing little arrowheads on either side of the date.) No more dropping your silver off at the mint to be made into coins, because they could only issue as much silver as there was gold to back it. For the rest of the century, whether or not silver should be freely coined was a huge political issue, and a large part of William Jennings Bryan’s support was from people who wanted free coinage of silver (and then, probably would have complained about the resulting inflation).
This sort of thing is why I don’t believe that we should switch to a bi-metallic monetary system…the ratios of values of the coins shift constant. Unless we set up two different, parallel denominations (silver dollars and gold ducats for instance) and let them float against each other, we’d have all sorts of problems. But there’s no reason we couldn’t go to a single-metallic system.
For some reason, my comment about you getting to look at all of the 1822 half eagles reminded me of a very old joke…from about 1980. You can update it as needed. Pedro and Luis run into each other in Mexico City. They hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years. After getting caught up on happenings in their lives, Pedro says, “Did you know that the US debt is now up to a trillion dollars?” Luis, thinking that sounds like a big number, asks, “How much is that in pesos?” Pedro answers, “All of them.”
And yes, that joke is woefully out of date, especially since our previous two presidents each doubled the national debt. Another advertisement for either a gold or a silver standard, but not both.
Disclaimer: Neither this, nor any other coin I post, is mine. [In this case: DUH!!!] With older coins, I’m going to find the best pic of one on the internet, so even if I happen to have one, it’s not the nicest one on earth…and some coins are worth more than my net worth so I certainly won’t have those!
Important Reminder
Just one more thing, my standard Public Service Announcement. We don’t want to forget this!!!
Remember Hong Kong!!!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0%3F
I hope this guy isn’t rotting in the laogai somewhere!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
14th Ordinary Sunday July 5, 2020 “Bearable with Jesus”
Zechariah 9:9-10 Romans 8:9-13 Matthew 11:25-30
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –
The COVID-19 Shutdown certainly has changed things for Americans and for the world. No one’s life has not been affected. Some will suffer economically for a long time to come. And who really knows how many physical, emotional, and social problems the shutdown caused – and is still causing – in many places and in many lives.
However, I think that there has been a real blessing that has come from the crisis that the pandemic caused. It is that it forced millions of people to re-evaluate their own lives and the way they live. It helped many to truly appreciate what most, if not all of us, take for granted.
It helped us make value judgments about what things are important and about what things are not. It forced us to explore and discover other ways of doing things. And if we used some of the time to reflect honestly and to look within ourselves – it would have brought us to a new and better relationship with God and with our loved ones!
These have been truly hard and stressful times. And for many, the hard times and the stress will continue well into the future!
Fortunately, the scriptures for today bring much to bear upon our present situation and how to grow in spiritual stature in the days ahead.
Zechariah tells us, and a broken, exiled, and captive people, that the Lord God is still in charge. Nevertheless, God is not like the warrior kings who overpower and exploit everyone else. Our God is a king of peace. He is not interested in or dependent upon all the instruments of warfare, past and present. He will conquer evil and the enemy with His kindness, His patience, His non-violence.
We know now, that Jesus was the one who was sent to teach us the ways of God – and the way that we should live. In fact, Jesus was the Son of God who actually rode into Jerusalem – not on a warhorse, but on a donkey – a symbol of gentleness and non-violence!
Jesus rode into Jerusalem to conquer the enemies of love. He would do this by his suffering and death on the cross. His suffering and death actually conquered death itself – because the Father raised him up as the champion of all that is true, beautiful, and good!
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus assures us that it is not university degrees, financial cleverness, or political astuteness that help us discover God or what is important in life. No, not at all! It is our simplicity and openness to God – in ourselves, in others, in the scriptures, and in the world around us that leads to true wisdom and to ultimate lasting peace.
But there is even more. Jesus tells us that if we trust in him – and throw in our lot with him – he can make life bearable for us. God has all the answers – Jesus is our guide through the mystery of suffering and the mystery of life. If we yoke ourselves to him, he will guide us through whatever hardships we experience now – and through those that the future will bring. Furthermore, he will be with us at every step of the journey!
Finally, St. Paul teaches us how important it is to live in the Spirit of Jesus – and not in the spirit of the world. The spirit of the world lives only in the here and now.
It idolizes youth – It glorifies the human body – It worships lust, wealth, and power as its gods. Just look at many of the designer fashions – the face lifts and the body sculpting – the glamour magazines and the youthful makeovers – None of these prolong our life or prepare us for meeting God at the moment of death! Even our accomplishments mean nothing if they don’t serve others and bring them closer to God.
Brothers and Sisters, we are not “debtors to the ‘flesh’ ” – to the false values of the world. If we are – then this life is all that we have. However, if we live in – and by – the Spirit of God and put these lesser things to death, we will live forever – starting now and infinitely beyond any time we can measure.
So, let us pray that we always walk with Jesus who can help us to make our journey into the infinite presence and glory of God!
Amen.
Msgr. Russell G. Terra, Parish Homilies, 5 July 2020 Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Redding, CA
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
This Superlative Sanctuary Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It is also a place to read, post and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for your fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure you’re addressing the issue only, and not trying to confront the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name calling, ridicule, insults, baiting and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
As we grew our nation from the Pilgrims to today, a national recognition of and reliance on God’s Providence has been a hallmark of our national character. From William Bradford to Donald Trump, with exceptions, we have thanked and praised God for His powerful and merciful hand as He has aided and dealt with us as a nation.
It is entirely fitting that we have chosen “In God We Trust” as out national motto and the words “one nation under God” in our pledge of allegiance to our flag and country. May our recognition of and dependence on God grow ever stronger in the coming days.
The following are some short history and quotes of this relationship:
~ In God We Trust ~
“No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense,” Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase wrote to U.S. Mint director James Pollack in 1861. “The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.”
. . . one nation under God . . .
On February 10th, Senator Homer Ferguson from Michigan introduced a Senate Joint Resolution (S.J. 126), [6] explaining to the Senate:
“Our nation is founded on a fundamental belief in God, and the first and most important reason for the existence of our government is to protect the God-given rights of our citizens. . . . Indeed, Mr. President, over one of the doorways to this very Chamber inscribed in the marble are the words “In God We Trust.” Unless those words amount to more than a carving in stone, our country will never be able to defend itself.”
These resolutions were passed, and on June 14, 1954 (Flag Day), President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law, officially adding the words “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance, telling the nation:
“From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country’s true meaning. . . . In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource, in peace or in war.”
The Mayflower Compact: “In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc.:
Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith, and the honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another; covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”
George Washington “It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors.”
“My fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.”
Thomas Jefferson “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.
Abraham Lincoln “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”
“And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.”
“And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God … and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
“That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Theodore Roosevelt “I believe that the next half century will determine if we will advance the cause of Christian civilization or revert to the horrors of brutal paganism. The thought of modern industry in the hands of Christian charity is a dream worth dreaming. The thought of industry in the hands of paganism is a nightmare beyond imagining. The choice between the two is upon us.”
Donald Trump (from his Mount Rushmore speech, 3 July 2020) “Our Founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights – given us by our Creator in Heaven. And that which God has given us, we will allow no one, ever, to take away – ever.”
“We are proud of the fact — that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and we understand — that these values have dramatically advanced the cause of peace and justice throughout the world.”
“We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion, and creed. Every child, of every color — born and unborn — is made in the holy image of God.”
“We stand tall, we stand proud, and we only kneel to Almighty God.”
“This has been a great honor for the first lady and myself to be with you. I love your state. I love this country. I’d like to wish everybody a very happy Fourth of July. To all, God bless you, God bless your families, God bless our great military, and God bless America. Thank you very much.”
I’d like to add a few more quotes from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that are particularly appropriate on this Sunday following the day we celebrate our independence, and even more so in view of the struggle currently taking place in our nation:
George Washington:
“If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed.”
“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself.”
“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
“Occupants of public offices love power and are prone to abuse it.”
Abraham Lincoln: “Nations do not die from invasion; they die from internal rottenness.”
“In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong.”
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country… corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”
“We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving Grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!”
And so, on this Sunday, perhaps particularly on this Sunday, can we pray together as George Washington prayed –
“Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of Thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in Thy fear, and dying in Thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy son, Jesus Christ.”
“Almighty GOD; we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection, that thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States of America at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of The Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation.”
“Grant our supplication, we beseech thee, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen”
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.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. 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.
My comments
A lot of us like to highlight the following:
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.
Declaration of Independence
I even have a hat, which has on it the Betsy Ross flag, and those words are incused onto the stripes. Very politically incorrect! And not coincidentally, very historically correct.
But as much as I like those words, to me, that’s not the most important part of the Declaration.
It’s not just that we have rights. That alone doesn’t justify replacing one government with another. And explaining why our Founders were doing that was the point of the document.
For that you need to understand what a government is for. And that is explained in the very next “self evident” truth. (Yes, the list of “self evident” truths continues after the commonly quoted part, there are more of them.)
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
Declaration of Independence
If this is the proper purpose of a government, and indeed it is, then it follows that a government that no longer does so–say, one that steps on people’s necks for the benefit of others–has failed in its only legitimate purpose and should be replaced. And indeed, that’s the very next, and last, “self evident” truth.
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
Declaration of Independence.
The document then goes on to make it clear that this should be done with great caution, and when all other options are exhausted. Then it goes on to argue that, indeed, all other options had been exhausted, so it was now time to go that route. (It’s all very neatly laid out in a logical progression, which is why it isn’t a “ramble” in the way that some of my less-carefully-crafted posts are.)
The Declaration does not mention violent overthrow, but it was clear just from looking around, during those early summer days of 1776, that the rampant, over-reaching government they were complaining about was prepared to fight to maintain its authority and its alleged “right” to be what it was. And if King George was willing to do that, then he was certainly not going to be happy to be told, “not only should you not do those things, you shouldn’t do anything here at all.”
The replacement government would, indeed, contain many mechanisms to contain it, and mechanisms to peacefully reform it, because the Founders really didn’t like having to go to war to protect their rights, even if they recognized the necessity. They did what they could to avoid it being necessary ever again.
(A monarchy claiming divine sanction cannot be reformed from within; it must either come to the realization it has no divine sanction, or undergo some other change of conscience, or be forced to reform from the outside, or be destroyed. That second-to-last one is problematic, since the monarchy is left in a position to try to regain what it had lost, and it will want to do so.)
But let’s get back to the “self evident” truths (see, this is a ramble, but I’ll get there eventually). They are, in summation, an exposition of the enlightenment-era theory of rights and government. God made us in such a way that rights are a part of our nature; governments should protect those rights, not interfere with them. If a government does interfere with the rights, it’s violating the rights it is supposed to be protecting, therefore it’s not a proper government and its victims have the right to alter or abolish it.
I can certainly get along with those who argue this way (assuming that they have a proper notion of “rights,” a rather involved subject which the Declaration doesn’t take up, no doubt due to space limitations).
But there are a couple of things that stand out to me.
I’ve been putting “self evident” in scare quotes. That’s because it’s quite clear, based on prior history, that these truths are anything but self-evident. Many, maybe even most, people don’t believe them. And the Founders were certainly aware of that, they didn’t say, “These truths are self-evident,” but rather that “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” They were self-evident to them. But not to many others.
Indeed, if the truths were self-evident, we’d never have to rise up against government, because the government would restrain itself as a matter of due course. The events of July 4, 1776 (and the war that was ongoing on that date) would have been unnecessary and this would just be another early summer day here in North America, a proud Commonwealth country.
Of course there’s another issue, too. How does one know God wanted people to have these rights? That’s the starting assumption with the Founders’ theory of rights. The Christians and Deists both believed God wants us to have rights, and that was why we have them to begin with. But it is a pretty specific statement, involving two highly abstract concepts (rights and God), and therefore it’s one which ought not to be taken as axiomatic.
So, how do you know God wants you to have these rights? Have you examined this? Now, I’m the village atheist here, so my response to the question is that it’s a non-sequitur, but most of you reading this aren’t atheists, so I actually ask in all earnest whether you have examined this issue. Because I really hope you have an answer for it that satisfies you even if it cannot satisfy me.
It’s an important point for you to be clear on, because from what I have seen, many of those who believe there is a God do not have an answer for it and thus do not believe rights come from God. In other words, they come to the same end conclusion an atheist does (“rights do not come from God”), even if for a very different reason.
So wouldn’t it be useful to have some argument for rights that gets to the correct conclusion in some totally different way? To use on both of these groups of people? Even if there weren’t a single atheist on Earth, and even if everyone on earth were Christian, it’d be a good thing to be able to prove inalienable rights exist, without referencing God.
Why? Because so much of Leftism is based on the perspective that since rights don’t come from God, they don’t actually exist. Or at the very least, they’re just a societal convention or “construct” that we simply implement through our government. It serves the Left, therefore, to put forth the notion that if rights don’t come from God, then they don’t really exist in any meaningful sense since a right granted by government can clearly be alienated at the government’s whim. So it’s not really a right.
It’s actually a false choice. Rights can exist, even if they do not come from God. But the Left just loves it when people fail to see that it’s a false choice; it delivers many Christians and almost every atheist into their camp. And anyone on our side who insists that those are the only two alternatives is therefore actually helping the Left. Because people are much more likely to align their politics with their religious convictions, than to change their religious convictions to match their politics. So if you browbeat someone into accepting that there are only two choices: 1) adopt my religion or a similar one or 2) stop believing there is such a thing as rights…they’ll usually pick number 2. Now I know that you’d much rather they pick door number 1, but realistically, by setting their desire for rights to exist against their deepest convictions, you’re much more likely to goad them into picking door number 2.
So I hope I’ve convinced you of the political utility of a non-religiously-based argument for the existence of rights, even if you yourself have no need of it.
And if you do a bit of logical deduction, you’ll realize that I believe there is one. Because A) I can’t possibly believe the religious argument and B) I’m here even so, not going off helping to demolish statues.
So what is this non-religious argument? Well…it’s long. I’m actually going to point you to an article by Craig Biddle of the Objective Standard. In that article, he summarizes Ayn Rand’s theory of rights. But he doesn’t just do that, he has to discuss her theory of morality before he can cover rights, because, it turns out, rights aren’t a political concept, but a moral/ethical one! (Rand uses those two words interchangeably, which drives the Left nuts.) That’s why a theory of politics can’t deny them, because they exist before you even start talking about politics.
“Wait,” you say, “you can’t have morals without God!” Well, wrong, but thank you for helping the Left by trying to herd all non-believers their way.
Understanding what rights are needed for, gives you a proper definition of rights (rather than a short list of examples), and you then have to tools to assess whether some alleged right really is one.
Not everyone will agree with this (Ayn Rand’s morality is hard for some to stomach, largely because she deliberately uses words with some bad connotations to describe it), nor will everyone or agree it’s the best possible defense of “rights” but, the point is, it can be done. You do not have to buy into the Left’s assertion that anyone (believer or non-believer) who does not believe God grants rights has no logical alternative but to become a Leftist, an assertion that serves the Left, not us.
A Reminder Of Today’s Issues.
Our movement is about replacing a failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People...Our campaign represents a true existential threat, like they’ve never seen before.
Then-Candidate Donald J. Trump
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Political correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. The gun is always loaded. 4a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 5. Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 6. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 7. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)
Coin of The Day
I could point you to the Bicentennial quarter, half dollar and dollar for this. And you can fairly readily obtain proofs of these coins for a fairly low price. (They don’t turn up in circulation. Even the quarter is under-represented in circulation once one corrects for its age and its mintage; people apparently keep them when they get them.)
1794 silver dollar, the first to be minted by the United States under our Constitution.
Once the Mint had hired bonded officers, it was able to start producing silver and gold coinage, starting in 1794. A small number of these coins 1758 of them to be exact, called the “Flowing Hair Dollar” was produced in 1794, a much larger number, 160,295 in 1795. (In 1796 the portrait of Liberty was changed greatly, and the eagle was changed more subtly.) Today, best estimates are that about 4,000 to 7,500 of them still exist, with maybe 150-250 in uncirculated condition. Even the rattiest uncirculated example is going to cost around $60,000; in Extra Fine condition, it drops to a mere $12,000. But those are prices for a 1795, not a 1794. For a 1794, expect to pay an even million dollars for a ratty uncirculated coin, and $300,000 for an extra fine.
The most ever paid for a rare coin was $10,000,000, and it was for a 1794 dollar (named the “Contursi Specimen” after one of its former owners) that, under detailed examination has to be one of the first made, probably the first one made of those that still survive. (We know this because the dies that stamp out the coins themselves degrade with use; one can tell the difference between coins struck from fresh dies versus ones from dies that were getting tired, and if you’re really good at that sort of thing, you can tell new from almost, almost new, and so on.)
The Contursi Specimen 1794 dollar. Is this the very first dollar the US Mint ever made?
The coin has a silver plug (you can see part of its outline below the eagle’s beak), possibly to bring the silver content up to standard, but it also has “adjustment marks” (file marks across the surface, you can see them at 2 and 8-10 o’clock on the obverse, and 5-8 o’clock on the reverse) used to reduce the weight of the coin. Many claim that that coin was the very first US dollar made, and their argument is strong but (to me) not really conclusive. In any case a company named Legend Numismatics won the thing in an auction for over $7 million and then asked to have their bid increased to ten million. Just for bragging rights! (Legend, by the way, is a table worth stopping by at coin shows–they have absolutely killer, high grade stuff. [Just try not to drool.] I really want to go through their dumpster someday; their rejects would look fantastic in my collection. Come to think of it, I did get a coin in one of their auctions, once; it was definitely not one of their finer offerings.)
Standard disclaimer: Neither this, nor any other coin I show here, is one I own. In some cases I own a similar coin, but by no means all or even most of them. I certainly couldn’t afford to even think about paying ten million dollars for any coin.
Obligatory PSA/Reminder
Just one more thing, my standard Public Service Announcement. We don’t want to forget this!!!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0%3F
I hope this guy isn’t rotting in the laogai somewhere!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
It doesn’t matter what the occasion in my house, it’s all about the food in the end. How we celebrate is by cooking. In my hometown, that means grilling various cuts of pork.
There’s the locally famous (no other city or town does this as a matter of course) household staple, sliced pork butt nicknamed “pork steaks” just to make them sound fancy. Since the cut of meat is really rather fatty, they are grilled on low with a cider vinegar and water baste. Once they’re done, they are smothered in sauce. Maull’s is the go to if you’re on a budget, but local joints like Bogarts, Pappy’s, Sugarfire and more sell their sauces in the grocery store.
Of course, you can always make your own.
And then, there is the St. Louis style rib. As one writer put it once, they’re manicured. The skirt is cut from the rack, and then they are grilled low and slow over a period of hours, only to be steamed for a bit at the end so that they slide off the bone. (Literally, put one in your mouth, and pull out a bare bone the meat just falls off. My Godfather is a master of the art.) Of course, they must be smothered in sauce.
And then there’s the kabobs. I grabbed my recipe file to get my recipe and it’s not there. 😣 So, I’ll have to try to recreate it, but I remember it was chicken breast chunks, olive oil, honey, ginger and garlic for the marinade, and you put it on the skewers alternating with onions, sweet peppers, pineapple and mushrooms. Sort of like this:
We also grill bratwurst from a local maker and chorizo from family recipe that’s classified, do fresh corn on the cob, watermelon, oil and vinegar slaw (not every year), sour cream cucumbers and more.
So, what are your favorite summer recipes for the Fourth of July? Every celebration needs a good spread. How do you do it?
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
And from Paul –
Rejoice with those who rejoice; Weep with those who weep.
Romans 8:18-23 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
From God’s Perspective June 29, 2020 by Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Any study of the life of the apostle Paul requires a serious look at the subject of pain. Suffering is not a pleasant subject to explore.
Explaining Paul’s words to the Romans, John Stott writes, “It is not only our fragile body which makes me groan; it is also our fallen nature, which hinders us from behaving as we should. Our groans express both present pain and future longing. Some Christians, however, grin too much (they seem to have no place in their theology for pain) and groan too little.”
The man has grown weary of the perpetual Christian grin—frankly, so have I. If you groan and allow your countenance to reflect any measure of inner turmoil, people frown at you judgmentally, as if to suggest you’re not walking in the Spirit.
Don’t get me wrong. I find nothing offensive about Christians laughing. I wrote an entire book affirming that God’s people need to laugh more. Laughter demonstrates authenticity in our lives. I simply believe there’s no need to glue a permanent Cheshire grin to our faces, lest we look like we’re not living a victorious Christian life.
If a fellow believer tells you he’s going through a particularly tough time, I urge you not to insist he smile. (I tell the folks at the church not to ask me to listen to one of my tapes on joy when they notice I’m feeling down.)
Don’t urge people to sing along with you on some tune you think they should be singing. Sometimes we just don’t feel like singing or smiling. After all, God gave us more than one emotion on purpose.
My desire is to help equip you for what life will inevitably sling across your path. I understand you may be bearing a burden or heartache, the likes of which I’ve never known. You may be living with pressures or some debilitating physical disease or emotional pain I couldn’t even begin to imagine.
In almost four decades of pastoral ministry, I’ve often seen the evidence of inner turmoil surface on the faces of God’s people. In those times, when I feel at a loss to offer encouragement, I am most thankful for the Scriptures. In God’s Word we not only discover His will for our lives, we find words of genuine comfort for those times when life comes unglued.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
1 Peter 1:3-6 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.
This Superlative Sanctuary Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It is also a place to read, post and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for your fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure you’re addressing the issue only, and not trying to confront the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name calling, ridicule, insults, baiting and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
Let’s not give the Internet Censors a reason to shut down this intellectual haven that Wolf has created for us.
The Storm is upon us. Please remember to Pray for our President.
AND WHAT TIME IS IT? TIME TO DRAIN THE SWAMP!!!
Our movement is about replacing a failed and CORRUPT political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People. ~ Candidate Donald J. Trump
Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
And,
On this day and every day –
God is in Control . . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . . Keep Looking Up
Hopefully, every Sunday, you can find something here that will build you up a little . . . give you a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” . . . “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
In Romans 12:3-8 , we see from verse 3 that God gives varying measures of faith to his people. Paul says that we ought “to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” In the context this is not a limited reference to the unique spiritual gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9). For Paul says, “I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” “To each” refers back to “everyone among you.” God has given all Christians varying measures of faith. This is the faith with which we receive and use our varying gifts. It is the ordinary daily faith by which we live and minister.
In this context, Paul is concerned that people were “thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think.” His final remedy for this pride is to say that not only are spiritual gifts a work of God’s free grace in our lives, but so also is the very faith with which we use those gifts. This means that every possible ground of boasting is taken away. How can we boast if even the qualification for receiving gifts is also a gift?
That’s how important humility is in God’s eyes. This is exactly the same aim of God mentioned in Ephesians 2:8-9 where Paul stresses that saving faith is a gift: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.” Faith is a gift from God, so that no one may boast. Or, as Romans 12:3 says, So that we will not think too highly of ourselves. The last bastion of pride is the belief that we are the originators of our faith.
Paul knew that the abundant grace of God was the source of his own faith. He said in 1 Timothy 1:13-14, “I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; but the grace of our Lord overflowed [for me] with the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” He was an unbeliever. But then grace overflowed to him with faith.
So he knew this was the case with every other believer too. He said to the Philippians, “To you it has been given for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29). This is why he thanked God and not human resourcefulness for the faith he saw in his churches: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). We thank God for the enlargement of faith because “God has allotted to each [his own] measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).
This truth has a profound impact on how we pray. Jesus gives us the example in Luke 22:31-32. Before Peter denies him three times Jesus says to him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus prays for Peter’s faith to be sustained even through sin, because he knows that God is the one who sustains faith.
So we should pray for ourselves and for others this way. Thus the man with the epileptic boy cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). This is a good prayer. It acknowledges that without God we cannot believe as we ought to believe. Similarly the apostles pray to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5). They pray this way because Jesus is the one who can do that.
This teaching about faith being a gift of God raises many questions. God has answers for them all. Even if we don’t, let us seek to put the teaching to its practical Biblical use: namely, the humbling of our pride, and the stimulation of our prayers. In other words, let us pray daily: “O Lord, thank you for my faith. Sustain it. Strengthen it. Deepen it. Don’t let it fail. Make it the power of my life, so that in everything I do you get the glory as the great Giver. Amen”
I am writing this Wednesday night. The DC Appeals Court has ordered Sullivan to dismiss the case.
I’ll be honest, I doubt he’ll do this. If having the government move to dismiss the charges didn’t do it, why should this?
When the government first moved to dismiss, everyone here was celebrating and I was, frankly, shat on by some for trying to point out that the judge actually had to grant the motion and dismiss the case. It was a done deal, as far as everyone (but me) was concerned.
Until Sullivan actually does this (or someone finally does it for him), Flynn’s legal status is that of a convicted felon awaiting sentencing, because to the best of my knowledge the trial phase ended with his guilty plea, which has never been vacated.
I said his legal status, not his actual character.
Well, hopefully Sullivan finally folds. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries another delaying tactic.
If nothing else the absurd lengths to which that sack of bearded dragon poop will go to avoid ending the trial of General Flynn tells us that it’s very important to someone that this trial never end. The judge dragged out sentencing (one way to end the trial), now he’s dragging out dismissal.
Reminder of the Most Important Thing about the MAGA Movement
Yes, I am going to harp on this, because it is the most important thing President Donald J. Trump has to do, and he hasn’t really gotten started on it yet.
Our movement is about replacing a failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People...Our campaign represents a true existential threat, like they’ve never seen before.
Then-Candidate Donald J. Trump
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. The gun is always loaded. 4a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 5. Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 6. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 7. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)
Mandatory Coin
Now it wouldn’t be one of my posts without a coin, would it?
The California Gold Rush brought massive amounts of gold into the streams of commerce, so much so that its value relative to silver dropped greatly (hence leading to the silver coinage weight reduction of 1853). There was so much gold that the US decided to start issuing $20 gold pieces. One was made in 1849 as a pattern piece, and it belongs to the Smithsonian. But in 1850 production began in earnest in Philadelphia and New Orleans, using gold from California (the San Francisco mint was four years in the future). At the time we had two other mints, in Charlotte, NC and Dahlonega, GA, both started in response to gold strikes, but those mints did not produce any double eagles.
A word about that name, “double eagle:” Our original monetary system was set up as follows: 10 mills equals one cent. 10 cents equals one disme, 10 dismes equals one dollar, ten dollars equals one eagle. The only thing not “new” to the world here was the dollar; it was essentially equivalent to a Spanish Piece of Eight, known as a “Pillar Dollar” for reasons that may become apparent if I ever decide to highlight the coin. And the word “dollar” is a direct descendant of “Thaler,” which is short for “Joachimsthaler” or “from Joachimsthal”, a very rich silver mining strike in what is now the Czech republic, where big silver-dollar sized coins were first made.
We never made mills, but we did make cents, dismes, dollars and eagles, quickly dropping the s in “disme.” Indeed that’s the legal name of the ten cent denomination…the coin we use today actually has the word “dime” on it, it’s not a nickname, like “nickel” is.
Only after the California gold rush brought a veritable gusher of gold into human hands, did we decide to come up with a double eagle (and a gold dollar coin, very tiny thing), and the coin is, physically, a bit smaller than a silver dollar. However, because of the great density of gold, it’s noticeably heavier than a silver dollar–it may well have been the heaviest gold coin ever made as of that time. In fact it weighs over a troy ounce. However, since ten percent of it is copper and silver alloy, there is a bit less than a troy ounce of gold in a double eagle. That amount stayed constant through the end of US gold coinage in 1933. It’s possible to obtain a much more recent gold double eagle, in perhaps not as nice condition, for not much more than the spot price of an ounce of gold–which almost breached $1800 on Wednesday (and maybe will have done so by the time you read this).
In 1866 the motto “In God We Trust” was added to the reverse, and the shield was redesigned. In 1907, this type ended, and was replaced with what collectors call the St. Gaudens (renowned sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens created the design), in an ultra high relief (rare), a high relief (readily available but in high demand, so still pricey), then finally the regular relief you’ve probably seen (those can be inexpensive depending on date). The coin originally did not contain the motto “In God We Trust” on it, because President Theodore Roosevelt considered it sacrilegeous to put God’s name on mere money. Congress made him add it back on.
The No Motto coins of 1850-1865 tend to be very rare today in uncirculated condition, and the most common date is 1857-S. That’s because a shipload of them sank in deep water aboard the SS Republic that year, causing an economic panic, but allowing us to recover them with robots today.
Did the US ever try for something even bigger? There was talk of a $50 gold piece…imagine, almost two and a half troy ounces in ONE coin. In fact, some private mints (which were legal then, barely) did indeed make such “slugs,” usually octagonal in shape. And in the 1870s some patterns were struck, not in gold but in copper, the right size, but not actually containing any gold. The design was essentially an enlargement of the double eagle design. There was talk of defining a “union” equal to ten eagles, so this coin would have been the “half union.”
But only in 1915 did the mint do anything official; in order to commemorate the Panama/Pacific exposition, both a round and an octagonal $50 gold piece were made, and those will set you back over fifty thousand dollars, each, today.
Today, the word “eagle” has been redefined to apply to any of the bullion coins the US mint makes, including the one ounce silver (face value, $1.00) four different sizes of gold coins (1/10th, 1/4, 1/2 and full ounce, face values $5, $10, $25, and $50, respectively and yes the quarter ounce should be $12.50 for consistency), platinum (same weights, but $10, $25, $50 and $100), and one ounce palladium (no denomination, from what I’ve seen).
Reminder Of One Basic Fact
Just one more thing, my standard Public Service Announcement. We don’t want to forget this!!!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0%3F
I hope this guy isn’t rotting in the laogai somewhere!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
12th Ordinary Sunday June 21, 2020 “Trust Instead of Fear”
Jeremiah 20:10-13 Romans 5:12-15 Matthew 10:26-33
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –
There is one thing for certain that the Corona Pandemic has forced us to do and that is to assess our priorities. Everyone has been affected by the virus in some way. Sooner or later most will be exposed to it in some way before herd immunity is finally achieved.
The economic consequences of the pandemic have touched everyone even if the virus has not. Consequently, most of us have had to reflect very seriously upon what is truly necessary for our physical and economic survival and what is not. Moreover, everyone must come to grips with the shortness and the tenuousness of our physical life on this planet!
Unfortunately, those without faith, belief in God, or hope in an after-life probably suffer the greatest anxiety. Life here is all that they believe we have. Thus, they must live as long as they can and stay alive at all costs.
Those with true faith are in an entirely different position – For they know in their heart of hearts that they are made for something more. Their belief in God helps them to aspire to the goodness that brings great inner peace even now! And they also trust that God, who is the Supreme Good, will, ultimately, triumph over the worst evil in the world!
Jeremiah was a prophet whom God sent to change the hearts of the Chosen People and their leadership five centuries before the coming of Christ. However, with the exception of only one king, whose reign was short-lived, those in power resisted Jeremiah and wanted him destroyed. Jeremiah had to be constantly vigilant wherever he was because of his unsettling message.
Today, Jeremiah praises God because, somehow, God always protected him and delivered him. In fact, Jeremiah escaped to Egypt and lived in personal spiritual freedom shortly before Jerusalem was destroyed and the Chosen People exiled to Babylon!
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches us that God has a purpose and a plan behind everything that happens in our lives and in our world. God can even bring goodness and salvation despite the evil that often seems rampant everywhere.
Today, Jesus counsels us to fear no one – and we could add: no thing!
God will ultimately triumph. “Nothing is concealed or secret that will not be revealed!” We are not to fear the political powers or the viruses that can wreak havoc and even kill our bodies. God knows all and sees all. Just as He knows what happens to the sparrows in our trees, so, too, He knows us and what happens to us. Furthermore, we have far more value than the sparrows themselves!
What is paramount for us is that we never break faith with Jesus or with the Father who sent him. We cannot let fear of the virus or its economic consequences overpower us or cause us to despair. Very likely, there could be a second, or even a third, wave of the virus. This could happen before a vaccine is available or herd immunity is achieved. Nevertheless, no matter what transpires, we must not give up or begin to lose faith.
St. Paul reminds us that death entered the world through our first parents.
They sinned by wanting to be gods themselves. It was not enough for them to be God-like and created in God’s image. They wanted divine autonomy – to be free from the Godhead – And for this they brought suffering and death to all of their children!
This temptation to be accountable to no one is the same temptation to which much of our modern world has succumbed even before these present troubled times.
Moreover, that self-serving arrogance is far worse than the virus itself, because it can kill our soul and destroy our relationship with God. This is the reason St. Paul reminds us that although we inherited death from Adam and Eve – we now have eternal life through the gift of Jesus himself!
And so, Brothers and Sisters, let us never lose heart – God knows all things.
God can bring goodness and salvation even in the face of the seeming power of evil.
May we continue to walk with Jesus no matter what lies ahead. And may our hearts and souls always embrace God who continues to give divine life to us!
Amen.
June 21, 2020 Msgr. Russell G. Terra Msgr. Russell G. Terra, Parish Homilies, February 16, 2020 Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Redding, CA
This Mighty Warrior Monday Open Thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KMAG/KAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Yes, it’s Monday…again.
But it’s okay…we’re going to get through this!
Free Speech is practiced here at the Q Tree. But please keep it civil.
Discussion of Q is not only allowed but encouraged. Imagine that! We can talk about Q here and not get banned.
Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.
With the Storm upon us…please Pray for our President.
Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
For your listening enjoyment, I offer this composition from Ray Pherz, titled ‘The Time Has Come’:
We will fight in the rain…because we are in the race of our lives!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Wheatie’s Word of the Day:
Portmanteau
Portmanteau is a noun that comes from the French words porter, meaning “to carry,” and manteau, meaning “mantle or cloak”, thus the plural of portmanteau is portmanteaux, following the French form for pluralization.
It can refer to a large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments…or it can also refer to a word formed by combining two other words, such as ‘smog’ from combining smoke and fog.
