4th of July!!

[elder999]

artyon: Here we are at another celebration of independence from Great Britain. One of the current blessings of independence is knowing we’ll never have to bow or curtsy to Camilla Parker.:lol:

Our English cousins don’t have that guarantee. This is a letter, dated July, 1776, from Isaac, to his son, Benjamin. Perhaps you will find this look into the past informative and entertaining.

Charleston, July 17, 1776

My dear son Benjamin, Greetings from all your loving family, especially your dearest Mama, who holds you ever closer in her heart, and from your Papa, who prays constantly for your welfare, both temporal and spiritual. In these times of trouble and strife, it becomes daily more critical that we guard closely that which is most dear to us. There are those, whose stated intentions are for the common good, yet whose actions threaten the stability of the community and the safety of our own hearths. These gentlemen have been so bold as to call into question the fitness of our Sovereign Lord, the King. Surely you are aware of how God, as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, according to His Holy Will, has placed His Majesty to rule over us. Any suggestion to the contrary constitutes nothing less than treason. At worst, this treason is blasphemous, being clearly in contradiction to Holy Scripture. Do we not pray at Morning and Evening Prayer for His Majesty and his family? Consider well the blessings, bestowed by the Almighty upon us, before questioning the wisdom of St. Paul, when he reminds us that God, Himself, in His infinite wisdom, has placed those in authority over us, requiring our humble submission unto the same. There is no provision made in Holy Scripture for removing oneself from the divinely consecrated Prince, whose mission is to educate, edify, protect and guide that people whom Providence has placed in his care.



Who are these men that suggest revolution? By what right do they presume to separate themselves, and all of us in the process, from the lawfully constituted government? Are they to think themselves superior to the Lord Governor, the Prime Minister, the Parliament, and even His Majesty, King George? It might serve you well, dear son, to think twice before associating yourself with those who would turn our world upside down. Are we not all British subjects, partakers of the most powerful kingdom in the world? Our flag soars proudly over these American colonies, our beloved Motherland, England, from Hudson’s Bay to British East India, and the seas intervening. Yet, how quickly these reckless men, dare one call them revolutionaries, would squander this magnificent heritage, in pursuit of their vain imaginings. The Holy Scriptures remind all who humbly approach Them, that Pride goeth before a great fall. To suggest independence is an affront not only to our neighbours and treason to our Sovereign Lord, the King, but an unfathomable offence to God, Himself.



I must confess to you, dear son Benjamin, that I was forced to consign your most recent letter to our evening fire. The sentiments and thoughts expressed were surely not your own. Your mother’s heart is grieved, and my own spirit saddened, to see your thoughts so influenced by foreign philosophies. The presumptuous innovations of these Frenchmen do nothing to enrich knowledge and conversation between Christian gentlemen. Even the papists, themselves so far from a perfect understanding of Holy Scripture, and alien to the Will of God, have condemned these Continental French brigands. It is most disturbing to your loving parents, having come to realise that our most dear son Benjamin is in association with the like of these rebellious

Massachusetts upstarts. We beg you to refrain from any contact with Thomas Paine, or his cohorts. Our own dear friend in Virginia, Patrick Henry, seems to have taken leave of his senses, and is surely confused in his support for this rabble. How quickly they would sacrifice what our forefathers built upon these shores.



Dear son Benjamin, you speak of independence and freedom. Yet, what you suggest is nothing less than rebellion against God and King. For the sake of your immortal soul, I beg you reconsider placing yourself in such a precarious predicament. Before risking our lives, our fortunes and indeed, placing our very souls in jeopardy, let us reconsider the wisdom of challenging the beneficent system of governance which God, in His wisdom, has placed over us, for our edification, guidance, and protection. For, what precedent will you place in Providence’s Path, if your efforts at revolution should succeed? Shall this Doctrine of Revolution also allow the generations following you, to upset and replace with their own innovation, that which you will have established? After you have expelled His Majesty’s army and authority from these shores, whom shall you put in their place? To whom shall this ruler give account? He will surely himself, be a revolutionary, who will already have proved his contempt for lawful authority. Shall you, and your revolutionary compatriots, permit to every God fearing man, the same extent of liberty you demand for yourselves? Shall you permit your critics, and you shall surely have them, the same freedom to criticise you and your government, as you now demand from Parliament and the King? Since you find yourself eager to overturn the order of government, ordained by Providence, think long and hard upon these things. You propose to benefit the common good by these revolutionary actions, but perhaps it is only your merchant and planter friends who shall benefit. What thought has been given to the yeomanry, the uneducated who need trust those over them for guidance in things politic? Is it not likely that, free of a benevolent monarch, a harsh tyranny should enthrone itself, enslaving you, your children and your children’s children? In which case, you shall have bequeathed them, not the Rights of Englishmen, enjoyed by you and your ancestors, but an empty, bitter cup.



Keep safe, dear son, and let your frequent communication, free of treasonous imaginings, inform your loving parents of the progress of your studies at Yale. We pray that one day, Yale will again produce Godly men of good will, to sit in the halls of governance, having been educated to put the public good before their own personal gain, foregoing aggression and treason, grievous afflictions now so common in those precincts of learning. Remember also, dear son, that it is through His Majesty, the King’s benevolence, that the public schools stand ready to educate and edify loyal Englishmen. It pains us to consider that these centres of culture have become hotbeds of treasonous plans and blasphemous musing. Yet, despite our misgivings, you shall receive your regular allowance in company of this letter. God save the King! I am now, as ever, your loving Father

It’s good for us to keep in mind that what we’re celebrating this July 4th is nothing less than a small group of rebels who turned the world on its head. They risked their lives by defying the lawful authorities, not simply with words, but with bullets. Most of their neighbors did not support them, and were horrified by the idea of revolution. Most colonists weren’t willing to rock the boat, to risk their homes, their livelihoods, through criticism of the authorities, much less taking up arms against the government. The Minutemen you celebrate this July 4th were a citizen’s militia, in open, armed, violent rebellion against their government. You are celebrating men who, through armed force, changed their rulers, their form of government, their monetary system, and their flag. Homeland Security, Janet Reno, Bill Clinton, John Ashcroft, John Kerry, or George W. Bush, would not have been happy with them. In this day and age, on July 4th, 2006, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, or Benjamin Franklin, wouldn’t stand a chance. The media would vilify and marginalize them through accusations of “angry white, racist males”. The Fundamentalist Christians would dismiss them as “unbelievers, unpatriotic, guilty of treason, who disregard the Bible”.

Today, the Federal Government would condemn them, confiscate their property,throw them in jail without a trial, and possibly execute them,but don’t be a party pooper or spoil sport by mentioning any of this at your barbeque. Just wave your flags, and sing “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy”-or, for the umpteenth time, "God Bless America." Thank your lucky stars that the government is too busy maintaining their empire, killing foreigners, fighting the war on drugs, the war on poverty,the war on "non-Judeo Christian values," the war on gay marriage, the war to pillage and loot the environment, the war on personal liberty, and the war on terror, to pay much attention to us domestic critics.....for now.

Have a happy Fourth, though-everyoneartyon:

 

[Makalakumu]

Excellent letter, where did you get it?

 

[Monadnock]

http://www.lewrockwell.com/ocregister/roots-of-liberty.html

This increasingly independent group of colonists was therefore ripe to rebel when the British monarchy sought to finance the French and Indian War (ended in 1763) with a tax imposed on the colonists without consulting them. This "taxation without representation" was followed by the Sugar Act, the Currency Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts and eventually the Intolerable Acts, all designed to reinforce British control and squeeze revenue from the Colonies.

...

The Declaration opens with a statement of personal dignity, an acknowledgment that "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation."

Then comes some of the most revolutionary language in history:

"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."

Good enough for me. I'm won't appologize.