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BS: Happy Independence Day!!!
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Subject: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Rapparee Date: 04 Jul 13 - 11:43 AM IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: maeve Date: 04 Jul 13 - 11:54 AM Thank you, Raparee. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Date: 04 Jul 13 - 11:56 AM Yep. GfS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: GUEST,Musket noting the date Date: 04 Jul 13 - 12:26 PM Err.. You still owe us the duty on that tea. Just a gentle reminder....... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Mrrzy Date: 04 Jul 13 - 01:06 PM I love this holiday. We had the right idea even if the "people" are getting it completely wrong lately. Huzzah! Oh, wait, I mean Hurray! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: MGM·Lion Date: 04 Jul 13 - 05:48 PM Thank you for the Declaration. Happy Day indeed. ~M~ Surprised that Google didn't give us a special doodle for the day. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Rapparee Date: 04 Jul 13 - 05:52 PM Now git yer troops outa Boston! Wait, I'll GIVE you Los Angeles if you want it. Send them lobster backs to LA! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Ron Davies Date: 04 Jul 13 - 06:07 PM "He has...burnt our towns..." Interesting story here. Norfolk was the most populous city in Virginia and one of the largest in the entire 13 colonies--probably #7 in size. In 1775 Jefferson and other patriots agreed: "Delenda est Norfolk". They considered it a nest of Tories, and did not want the British military to have a comfortable place to winter over. Governor Dunmore had been forced out of Williamsburg and was with a British fleet offshore, together with many Tories. In fact the fleet had become a floating refugee camp.--they had been there since about August. He issued an ultimatum to the patriots in Norfolk: either resupply me or I will burn Norfolk. They refused; he started cannonading, destroyed about 100 houses. Then the Americans had to decide whether they could defend Norfolk or not. After much agonizing they decided they could not---and decided to burn it themselves. They did so; burned about 1100 houses to the 100 destroyed by the British. They of course did not admit they could not defend it and had burned it themselves. They also assured patriots they would be compensated for any losses to their property, by having an assessment done of the value of every house in the city before the wholesale destruction. It appears that the patriots were in fact compensated--in Continentals. None of this ever came out until 1836, long after all principals were dead--and it came out in "the form of a summary buried in an obscure Virginia legislative journal." Above story comes from Flight From Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War, pp 68-83. So by far the largest city thoroughly destroyed in the American colonies was destroyed overwhelmingly by the Americans themselves. Yet another fascinating aspect of this is that the British did not take advantage of the huge propaganda windfall this offered. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Date: 04 Jul 13 - 06:16 PM Musket noting the date: "Err.. You still owe us the duty on that tea." Take it up with the TEA Party!...They'd just LOVE to talk it over with ya'! GfS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Ron Davies Date: 04 Jul 13 - 06:22 PM The burning of Norfolk by the Americans happened in December 1775 and mostly January 1776. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 04 Jul 13 - 07:12 PM Of course the overwhelming majority of Native Americans were against it, fearing, rightly enough, that settler Independence would mean an end to their own freedom to live in their own country. And thousands of escaped slaves fought against in the hope of winning their own freedom There was another side to it... Still, that's a long time ago. I hope all you Mudcatters out there had a great day. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: gnu Date: 04 Jul 13 - 07:47 PM Well, I am gonna cite some history too... Thanks Yanks! Ya done a lotta good for a lotta people! You deserve accolades fer what ya done that helped millions. Have a brew and light up some fireworks and sing yer anthem proudly. Glad ta say youse are my neighbours and friends. Couldn't ask fer a better crew. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: keberoxu Date: 03 Jul 17 - 11:07 AM Have a safe and happy one, everybody. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Rapparee Date: 03 Jul 17 - 09:09 PM No video, audio only. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Steve Shaw Date: 03 Jul 17 - 09:18 PM 241 years of independence and you come up with NRA and Trump. I left home when I was too young too. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Rapparee Date: 04 Jul 17 - 10:09 AM I'll swap both for a genuine Barlow knife and an apple. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Rapparee Date: 04 Jul 17 - 10:19 AM Happy Independence Day! I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. --John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 04 Jul 17 - 11:27 AM By happenstance, a friend dropped off a homegrown watermelon yesterday afternoon. So, I shall be celebrating Independence Day by eating watermelon. I've already had it for breakfast and am eagerly anticipating having more for lunch, and dinner. Actually, what I'm eagerly anticipating is having the bulky thing out of my refrigerator so I can put some real food back in it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Rapparee Date: 04 Jul 17 - 04:41 PM We're celebrating with ourselves; tomorrow there is an ice cream social here and I'll be Elsewhere (it's a bunch of quilters). We'll be having brats, corn on the cob, and watermelon for dinner. Then a quiet evening reading the Constitution (I only read it for articles), a toast, and then quietly to bed and a nice night's sleep. Fireworks? There is a community display, but no one here ever, ever would break the law about fireworks! Oh no, not here in Idaho! No, nay, never! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: frogprince Date: 04 Jul 17 - 05:25 PM A very small village a few miles from our not very large city has surprisingly substantial, enjoyable, and well attended "4th of" parades. Lots of cool cars, lots of vintage tractors, including Farmall M's and H's identical to the ones I grew up attached-by-the-rump to. Last in line come firetrucks, from all over the area, ranging from ancient to modern equipment, hosing the kids and whoever else opts to stay close to the street. And the ice cream parlor even had some sugar-free my wife could have with no misgivings. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Happy Independence Day!!! From: Joe Offer Date: 04 Jul 17 - 06:24 PM I just came back to California from a circuit of Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon. This is a beautiful country, and I'm proud to live here. I like the flag of my country, and I like our national anthem, and I'm proud to be a veteran. I do not like the attempt by the conservatives to take exclusive ownership of our flag, our anthem, our armed forces, and our country. The country I love is the product of diversity, and it belongs to everyone who lives here. -Joe- |
