For our American friends as they imbibe Grace in the US Room.
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.
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.
Given that day, Under God.
We will drink to that.
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Update: 5 July.
The great Daniel Hannan had a few words, which I will only briefly put here lest a riot breaks out. Again !!
It’s a stirring story, but it’s false in every aspect. Neither Paul Revere nor anyone else could have shouted “The British are coming!” in 1775: The entire population of Massachusetts was British. (What the plucky Boston silversmith actually yelled was “The regulars are out!”)
The overall level of taxation in the colonies in 1775 was barely a fiftieth of what it was in Great Britain, and the levies to which Americans had objected had been repealed before the fighting began.
The Boston Tea Party, which sparked the violence, was brought about by a lowering of the duty on tea. George Washington wasn’t there when the Declaration of Independence was signed. The flag that the Patriots marched under was not, except on very rare occasions, the stars-and-stripes (which probably wasn’t sewn by Betsy Ross) but the Grand Union flag.
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Known also as the Congress Flag and the Continental Colors, the Grand Union Flag had the 13 red and white stripes as they are today, but in the top left-hand quarter, instead of stars, it showed Britain’s flag, made up of the St. George’s Cross for England and the St. Andrew’s Cross for Scotland. It was the banner that the Continental Congress met under, the banner that flew over their chamber when they approved the Declaration of Independence. It was the banner that George Washington fought beneath, that John Paul Jones hoisted on the first ship of the United States Navy.
That it has been almost excised from America’s collective memory tells us a great deal about how the story of the Revolution was afterward edited.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/381914/forgotten-flag-american-revolution-and-what-it-means-daniel-hannan
Pax Dei, Britannica and Americana.
Very well said
ReplyDeleteDrink deep and weep. Documents are easy to shred. They need strong people to keep them intact.
DeleteInspired by the Magna Carta (penned in 1215):
ReplyDeleteThe men in our kingdom shall have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, rights and concessions well and peacefully, freely and quietly, fully and completely for them and their heirs - in all things and places forever.
Let us raise a glass to us all keeping those hard won freedoms.
Indeed. The first furlongs of the long road are often forgotten. We are so far down that road that blisters are on calloused soles and souls.
DeleteLies and propaganda have been spread on BOTH side of the isle, America and Britain. Dig through British history, and somewhere you will find knights of the round table, sanctioned in a dreamland.
ReplyDeleteKing George was a real twit. Americans lived in freedom long before the revolution, on farms FAR away from the lords of London, and when the lords came down and wanted more control, (without representation, remember that was true) they simply wanted none of it.
Those greedy Americans wanted to own their OWN land.
As I recall the Irish and the Crown STILL don't get along, and they live right next door to each other.
Still, no matter how much the aristocrats of London put America down, the fact is: The American founders DID improve on that Magna Carta.
It was good stuff, and we still honor our English heritage, which sadly, is disappearing all over the world.
A twit is a twit, no matter what country he rules. And no people should have to apologize for getting rid of them. As we have seen since that revolution, it's not done very often.
So we drink a toast in the bar..to freedom....and pass the peanuts! Hic. (drumroll)
I can down a glass or three with you on that :) With Joy !
DeleteAny significance to the "a" in Independence in the url?
ReplyDeleteOf course. Absolutely. Once a title is typed, even when mis-typed, it cannot be changed !! They are a bit like sins. They can only be forgiven.
Delete