Pete's Log: Log Entry 339
Entry #339, (Politics)(posted when I was 21 years old.)
watched some of the libertarian national convention live on c-span today. was neat. yay libertarians! the presidential debate between the four libertarian candidates was fun to watch, they were all actually nice to each other, the debates between republican or democratic candidates all seem to be full of animosity... i received the following email from oma and papa which seemed appropriate both to the libertarian deal and the upcoming fourth of july:
REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY
Have you ever wondered what happened to
the 56 men who
signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the
British as traitors, and tortured
before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and
burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the
Revolutionary Army; another had two
sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from
wounds or hardships of
the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their
lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation
owners; men of means, well
educated. But
they signed the Declaration of
Independence knowing full well that the
penalty would be death if they were
captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy
planter and trader,
saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home
and properties to pay his debts, and
died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the
British that he was
forced to move his family almost
constantly. He served in the Congress
without pay, and his family was kept in
hiding. His possessions were
taken from him, and poverty was his
reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the
properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge,
and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson
Jr, noted that the
British General Cornwallis had taken
over the Nelson home for his
headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire.
The home was destroyed, and Nelson died
bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and
properties destroyed. The enemy jailed
his wife, and she died within a few
months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's
bedside as she was
dying. Their 13 children fled for their
lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year
he lived in forests and caves,
returning home to find his wife dead and
his children vanished. A few
weeks later he died from exhaustion and
a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar
fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of
the American
Revolution. These were not wild-eyed,
rabble-rousing ruffians. They were
soft-spoken men of means and education.
They had security, but they valued
liberty more. Standing tall, straight,
and unwavering, they pledged: "For
the support of this declaration, with
firm reliance on the protection of the
divine
providence, we mutually pledge to each
other, our lives, our fortunes,
and our
sacred honor." They gave you and me a
free and independent America. The
history books never told you a lot about
what happened in the
Revolutionary War. We
didn't fight just the British. We were
British subjects at that time and
we fougnt our own government! Some of us
take these liberties so much for
granted, but we shouldn't.
So,take a few minutes while enjoying
your 4th of July holiday and silently
thank these patriots. It's not much to
ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
sandy fails and her family joined us for dinner... we had chinese food. i made more egg rolls and won tons. they turned out even better than the previous batch... we then watched sound of music, i stuck around with nothing better to do. the movie has its moments. at one moment some character, i think captain van trapp, said "you were right" and i couldn't help but think "tell your sister, you were right"