And it’s not me. Highly recommend you click on over to Story Mill Ranch and read this post, which includes a lovely letter from Abigail Adams to John, written in October 1774. I love the 4th of July. No, not because of hot dogs, watermelons, and fireworks, although those are certainly lovely, but because I
President Calvin Coolidge celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1926, with a speech providing a magisterial review of the history and thought underlying the Declaration. His speech on the occasion deserves to be read and studied in its entirety. The following paragraph, however, is particularly relevant to the challenge that confronts
In the ten (?) years of Bigfoodetc’s existance, I have mentioned this crappy old book in 43 posts. Anniversaries and Holidays: A Calendar of Days and How to Observe Them (Mary Emogene Hazeltine, American Library Association, Chicago, 1928) “Extracts from his speeches can be part of a program in Burke’s honor.” Right.
Reposting today. If you’ve been following along for the past … 10 years or so Originally published on June 30, 2020 by Marica You know that I really really like Independence day.
Reposting today Crappy Old Quote of the Day | NO. 138 Originally published on July 4, 2020 Cato’s Farewell John Trenchard & Thomas Gordon The London Journal, Saturday, July 27, 1723 “SIR, As I have with a success which no man has yet met with (if I regard the number of my readers, and the sale of
Reposting today Crappy Old Quote of the Day Originally published on July 6, 2020 Today we return Cato’s Letters (1720-1723) to the fourth shelf of the big bookshelf in the living room. It was a good run. Hope you enjoyed it. This is a bit late– I missed it entirely until just now as Lines of a Layman had been piled
Reposting today. The Grievances Originally published on November 2, 2020 These are the original. I think we could come up with some new variations on the theme– He/She has endeavored to keep us thinking that our individual safety was more important than our individual liberty. “He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies,
From that infallible source: Warren had been commissioned a major general in the colony’s militia shortly before the June 17, 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. Rather than exercising his rank, Warren chose to serve in the battle as a private soldier, and was killed in combat when British troops stormed the redoubt atop Breed’s Hill. His death, immortalized in John Trumbull‘s painting, The Death of
Hair cut day! That pixy I got when my wrist was broken was growing out very weirdly. Got home, busied myself with reviewing fantasy and mythology encyclopedias– didn’t find anything useful. … Sat down to look at the world as it appears on the inter-net and I see that some folks are cancelling Thomas Jefferson.
This is the day you’ve been waiting for! Okay. Maybe not you. But this is the day I’ve been waiting for! On this day in the year 1775 the battles of Lexington and Concord were fought. [Also, in the year 1809, the Siege of Ratisbon (Napoleonic Wars)] Truth be told, things were already in play
This is from weeks ago— our first morning in Budapest, 11/24/2019. Let me define the problem space. Despite spending about three weeks in early November (after Mr. Big Food semi-recovered from being a Hip Crip— remember that?) preparing to travel, I failed to pack a pour-over cone in the checked bags. Recall that we *always*
Originally posted July 3, 2013. Thomas Jefferson & Co. presented The Grievances in ascending order of importance. Taxation without Consent was #17. In TJ’s mind then, Taxation without Representation wasn’t the worst of what the American People– a people whose heritage of freedom dated to the Magna Carta– had endured under the reign of King
Originally posted July 3, 2013. Reformatted. As just a reminder, “TL;DR” will not be published in the comments. This is the history of your country, for crying out loud! but are interesting historical notes. Can you imagine having to house troops in your barn? Or being denied the right to a trial by jury? Or
Originally posted July 2, 2013. Reformatted. Contemporary commentary, if any, in blue. Grievance 17 of 27 For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent [From The Good Years: From 1900 to the First World War (Walter Lord, Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York, 1960). How anyone could refer to the years that brought us the
In late June, 2013, I began my “study” of the Grievances. Originally published June 30, 2013. Contemporary commentary in blue. And no– I do not want to see one singe TL;DR in comments. 😉 As I mentioned the other day, I thought I might study The Grievances— the 27 specific gripes the Colonists had with
Originally published June 28, 2018. Reformatted. Contemporary commentary in blue. Every American knows by heart how the Declaration of Independence begins. When in the Course of Human Events… I cannot recall what the circumstances were exactly six years ago, nor can I recall my state of mind, and I’m not inclined to go looking. But
I like technology just as much as the next country mouse but if you turn your life over to something over which you– you— do not have ultimate control, you deserve working up a sweat walking up the steps in your non-air conditioned apartment to physically check on your spawn.
In Pt. 1, I took issue with something our local meteorologist said, “It is impossible for us [meteorologists] to successfully do our jobs and keep you safe if… .” To which I replied: A successful meteorologist provides the information I need– in a timely fashion and with the relevant meteorological analysis– to act in accordance
I took this screen shot and sent it to Miss M who replied, “Ha! That’s pretty bitchy.” She did not realize Joel was a meteorologist. There were a couple of replies to Joel’s tweet, one from a newcomer to Mississippi who admitted she was not yet familiar with the state’s 83 county locations. She thanked
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