WHY IS JULY 4 THE UNITED STATES' BIRTHDAY?
Why exactly was July 4, 1776, chosen as the date to mark the nation's founding? The reason is that the Declaration of Independence was approved on that day by the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. It is an amazing document and, in eloquent language, it announced the Colonies' determination to free themselves of British rule.
The only person to sign the Declaration on July 4 was John Hancock (1737-1793) of Massachusetts, an extremely wealthy man who risked his life and his fortune on the success of the Revolution. He was president of the Continental Congress. When the Continental Congress adjourned on July 4 after debating the Declaration for three days and having voted to adopt the document with some revisions, Hancock was charged with authenticating the revised document, signing it, and sending copies to the colonial legislatures for approval. When Hancock affixed his boldly-written signature to the Declaration, he did so in an empty chamber.
The only other person present was Charles Thomson, a Pennsylvanian serving as secretary of Congress. Thomson was never a signatory. His name appeared on printed copies of the document due to his position as secretary of Congress.
Thus, it is apocryphal that, on signing the Declaration with a flourish and in big letters, that Hancock declared, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that without his spectacles." Like many great historical legends, it apparently never happened.
Most of the other delegates signed the Declaration on August 3, 1776, and the last of 56 signatures would not be added until five years later.
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As we contemplate our liberties and the current situation of the United States of America....what with TSA fondling children, fighting wars of aggression and occupation not to mention the millions of innocent lives we have taken (like depleted uranium munitions), indebtedness on a scale never previously seen (greed - wanting tomorrow's things today to the point of debt saturation and the result demand destruction), fraud and corruption rampant in government (like ATF “Fast and Furious” Top Gun Trafficking Suspects Were FBI, DEA Informants) and every major industry (like major banks laundering billions from drug smuggling proceeds - i.e. Wachovia/Wells Fargo), prevalent immorality from pornography to the adoptance of same sex partnerships, the murdering of millions every year via abortion, etc etc etc....we must ask the question - Where are we headed???
Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker warns that “there are striking similarities between America’s current situation and that of another great power from the past: Rome.” Three reasons “worth remembering: declining moral values and political civility at home, an overconfident and overextended military in foreign lands, and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government.” We are becoming more vulnerable to external enemies.
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I believe the crux of the problem is that freedom and the loss thereof is a spiritual problem for which there is not a political solution. The wicked (unprincipled) are in need of harsher taskmasters!
We can talk about the Constitution and our Constitutional rights all we want but the reality is they are all gone except for the franchise (right) to vote.....and that's meager at best with the likes of ES&S and DVS controlling 95% of the voting machine market (DVS up until most recently bragged on their website - We are much more than a systems manufacturer; we are an election solutions company.)
And while we rant about the Constitution most forget about the foundation which is God as shown in the foundation documents - especially the Declaration of Independence. We are on track for a head on collision with the Laws of Nature and Nature's God. Our hands and land are bloody with the blood of the innocent.....from unprincipled wars of aggression to abortion. Unless the people change course (repentance) and reconcile themselves to God's will/law (obedience) we will reap the consequences....and no man/men shall stop it.
Now I've been a big supporter of Ron Paul for many years now and donated to his 2008 campaign run for president. Over the past 3 to 4 months I've grown more cautious of him to the point that now I think he's no more solution to our problems than any other politician currently in the running for President. That said he's probably still one of the best in D.C. for lip service to the Constitution....anyways here are four of my major issues -
1) Wachovia (now under the Wells Fargo banner) was convicted of laundering several hundred billion dollars of drug money for the Mexican cartels (ultimately CIA as CIA planes were involved in cocaine smuggling).
Ron Paul is a senior member of the House Banking Committee. He hasn't mentioned this once to my knowledge.
2) In Ron Paul's last presidential run I've discovered that he knew he was going to withdraw from the race for president at least a month before he did so......meanwhile collecting millions in campaign funds from individuals who expected him to use that money in his run for president - which he didn't. In fact he cut his campaign spending allowing the large grassroots movement that had swelled around him to continue their efforts while he raked in the money.
Of course most Ron Paul supporters support him on the basis that he is a voice to the masses....and that his campaigning is not necessarily about him winning the race as much as it is an opportunity for him to voice his appeals to the Constitution.
3) Ron Paul has partnered with Democrat Barney Frank to introduce bill to legalize marijuana. Right off the bat this partnership stinks and frankly the bill is unconstitutional. Here's a couple links -
Marijanua 1
Marijuana 2
Ron Paul wrote the forward to Judge Andrew Napolitano new book; "Lies the Government told you." -
"One of the most important lessons Judge Napolitano exposes is how both the Conservatives war on Marijuana and the Liberals war on tobacco are manifestations of paternalism.- The Idea that government has a legitimate authority to stop adults from doing bad things, like smoking substances that politicians& bureaucrats do not approve of. Of course smoking, weather of marijuana or tobacco, does have negative health consequences- but respecting the right of individuals to be wrong, as long as they do not interfere with the rights of others, is one of the pillars of society."
Actually the pillar of any society should be Laws of Nature and Nature's God....or else it isn't much of a pillar. What Ron Paul is saying is that everyone can violate the Law's of Nature to their hearts content as long as they don't interfere with the rights of others. Of course you have to ask yourself....who gave everyone their rights? It certainly wasn't the Constitution!
Are we interfering with the rights of children to prohibit them from tobacco, marijuana, pornography, alcohol, etc???
I believe neither libertarianism nor socialism is the answer. Only correct alignment with the Law's of Nature and Nature's God(principles) is. I believe that embracing (legalizing) and allowing (legalizing) that which is evil compromises the virtue of our children as well as setting up the collision course with the Law's of Nature and all its consequences.
4) Ron Paul supported Obama and his vote to repeal "Don't ask Don't tell" after saying the day before he wouldn't. I believe this is not in alignment with the Constitution which Ron Paul so ardently claims to uphold. Also indicative of his many other switcharoos like his stance on Obamacare. Or his backing down on the impeachment of the past two presidencies when he said he would support it. One day he accuses Bush/Cheney of completely violating the Constitution and the next day when it comes time for a vote he backs down saying there is not enough evidence.
Alan Keyes summed it up in the following manner -
The Constitution is founded upon the Declaration of Independence. The first premise of the Declaration of Independence is that morality is defined by God's will, not (collective or individual) human will. If you reject that premise, you reject what follows from it, which is the whole idea of government limited in its exercise of power by respect for right, as endowed (which is to say provisioned) by God not human (individual or collective) will. The provisions made for human laws and government must therefore respect the provisions of God's law and sovereignty.
Government is all about the use of force to assure respect for "the laws of nature and of nature's God."
The idea of natural right doesn't lead to a world in which all human (sexual or other) preferences must be treated as equal. Rather it guarantees security only for those who exercise right, i.e., choose to act rightly, as determined by the standard of nature, i.e., the way the Creator made human beings to be.
Nature is not a human preference or choice. It is a consequence of the Creator's choice. Natural rights are not about respecting human whims. They are a consequence of respect for the limits and boundaries whereby God defines the distinct possibility of human existence, and in so doing sets human nature free. Therefore, the basis for constitutional government in the United States is not respect for equality regardless of right. It is respect for the equality of all who act rightly, which is to say in a way that preserves human nature by observing the limits and boundaries that make its existence possible.
The founders of the United States referred to God. They stated that rights and the authority of law are endowments by the Creator. They relied on Divine Providence and appeal "to the Supreme Judge of the World [ a phrase drawn directly from Locke, as I recall ] for the rectitude" of their intentions. (Rectitude means "rightness", so they regard the Supreme Judge as the final arbiter of what is right, and therefore of the meaning of rights.)
Without God reason is a ruler with no standard by which to mark its length, good only as kindling for the flames of unruly passion.
At the end of the day though this rant is intended to be more than just a tirade on Ron Paul, who frankly is one of the best politicians we have in D.C. at the moment, .....the reality check on the fact that Ron Paul (and any other politician) is NOT going to save the Constitution/country/economy...THERE IS NO POLITICAL SAVIOR! Ron Paul's hand if ever appointed as President will still be forced by the needs of the times to inflict harsher sentences upon a wicked people (despite the clamor for the Constitution) or he will have to let it all decay into chaos. A people who clamor to have it all today while they wallow in the filthy mire and refuse to pay the price when tomorrow arrives....will ultimately destroy each other as reality hits home.
Neighbor vs. neighbor as homeowner fights get ugly
The Republic is government based on God's law.
Samuel Adams said - "Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself!"
James Madison - "Limited government alone -- inadequate for a Nation"
John Adams - "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
George Washington - "...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
Benjamin Franklin - "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation"
Expecting a free market economy and limited government under a Republic (Rule of Law - God's Law) to endure without morality is expecting the impossible!!!
A Tale of Revolution - The Patriot that was Sent Home
My tale begins with me and three friends hunting in the Jungles of Honduras where I decided "I wouldn't kill a monkey now any more than I would a human. I quit my three partners and went to Greytown with a capital of a thousand dollars. There I met up with an Englishman who had mining interests in Honduras and went with him to Tegucigalpa, the capital of that country. Something entirely different happened to break up this Honduras venture.
"I'd been managing the mining property out in the mountains near the capital for a year and began to feel like a real mining magnate on my way to millions when along comes the Fourth of July and with it a feeling to celebrate. I concluded I would give the natives a regular old-fashioned Kentucky barbecue. We were making lots of money and I staged the fiesta lavishly, telling the native miners to go into Tegucigalpa and bring out all their friends.
"The day arrived, and how things hummed! Unwisely I had supplied the camp with aguardiente and that's what worked our ruin. There were several native bands of music, enthusiasm ran high, everybody got mellow, I along with the rest. I spoke Spanish pretty well than, but I couldn't seem to get them to take much interest in my speech until I began reading from a copy of our Declaration of Independence and translating it as I went along.
"The first time I used the words, 'Independencia y Libertad," they all began to prick up their ears and a few yelled out 'Independence and Liberty forever!' Then I began talking about tyrants, the bands began playing patriotic airs and the whole gang started yowling like demons. They all thought it was a pronunciamento, a declaration of revolution, and began calling me General and shouting, 'On to Tegucigalpa! Down with tyrants! Viva el General!'
"There was a mad rush toward the capital and I was borne along on the current. Such excitement I never saw in my life. We emerged from the mountain road onto the Camino Real leading to the city and rushed headlong down it, the crowd screaming all the time, 'Viva el General!' and brandishing machetes. Speak to them! Explain! Might just as well have tried to reason with a Kansas cyclone or a Dakota blizzard.
"As we rolled along we gained in numbers and when we neared the city there were at least a thousand of us. The garrison of the capital had been warned of our approach and as we reached the city gates they were ready for us. They just naturally gathered us in without firing a shot, and that night I slept in the calaboose.
"The next morning I had a drum-head court martial and was sentenced to be shot at sunrise. The American consul came to see me and when I explained how it had all happened he interposed on my behalf and got the sentence changed to immediate expulsion from the country. All of my property was confiscated and all I had to get to San Francisco on was a purse that my American friends made up for me. I got back to California with just four-bits in my pocket after an absence of four years and experiences that cost me several little fortunes.
On this 4th of July I urge you to understand that real hope is confidence which only comes from knowledge of God and country.
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And I would add....that not only knowledge but obedience to God's law! Otherwise we are bound to collide with the Laws of Nature and Nature's God!!!
Fukushima???
Gates of Hell???
In addition the Missouri River Valley in the food belts are now facing saturated soils and the biggest floods since 1993. Flooding threatens land that produces 540 million bushels of corn and 140 million bushels of soybeans. There is more rain soon expected over the whole Upper Missouri River watershed. Four of the nation’s 10 largest reservoirs are along the Missouri River — Fort Peck, Fort Randall, Garrison and Oahe. With a combined height of 700 feet, these three dams are nearly full. Melting snow surely will complete the task. The water level at Oahe Dam was within six-tenths of one foot of the top of the spillway gates at midnight July 4. The water passed through Oahe Dam goes into Lake Sharpe, where the water level was within three feet of the top of spillway gates at Big Bend Dam on Monday night. Gavins Point currently has more than three feet of freeboard between the water in Lewis and Clark Reservoir and the top of the dam’s gates.
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A Record 6.3 Million Acres Of Crops In North Dakota Will Go Unplanted
After driving through much of the northern Red River Valley late last week, it was painfully evident that many acres of crops on both sides of the river will not get planted this year, and many more acres have been drowned out by relentless rains. If things weren’t bad enough, much of the area received more than two inches of rain over the weekend.
When the USDA number came out this week, it wasn’t a shock to read some of the numbers. An estimated 6.3 million acres of North Dakota’s 28.2 million acres of cropland will not get planted. That crushes the old record of 3.9 million acres set in 1999. Combine the unplanted acres with planted crops that will be lost due to drown-out, total losses could easily reach 8 million acres, or 28%of the total crop.
The worst hit area is the typically arid northwest corner of North Dakota where unplanted acres due to wet conditions are off the charts. Divide county, the state’s northwestern most county, will see 80% of its crops go unplanted. The heavy precipitation in northwest North Dakota and neighboring southeastern Saskatchewan has caused the typically tame Souris River to devastate Minot, ND, where more than 4,000 homes and businesses have been lost to flooding.
In the Red River Valley, the six counties that border the Red River have not been able to plant nearly 409,000 acres, or about 10% of the crop. Many more acres will be lost to drown-out after heavy rains fell on saturated soil this past weekend.
The weekly crop reports from the two states tell the story. While it appears more than 90% of the potatoes have been planted, drown-out and seed rot are a concern, and late blight looms on the horizon.
North Dakota and Minnesota have both released condition reports for potatoes. In Minnesota 83% of the potatoes are listed in good or excellent condition, but in North Dakota only 51% are rated good or excellent.
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(Reuters) - With rivers still running above flood stage and soils saturated, forecasters predicted on Wednesday this summer flooding season could rival the worst in United States history
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