It’s been almost a week since I’ve had time to post. Work, more work, refresher, more work, sick family member that needed a lot of “advocacy” to get moving in the right directions. Maybe all good excuses, but excuses they are.
In the meantime, today is Patriot’s Day, which probably doesn’t get all that much notice outside of Massachusetts. Where it is a holiday now mostly noted for a the running of a marathon from Hopkington to Boston. The truth is that the holiday marks a crucial day in American history. Actually, it marks the FIRST day in American history, because the brave militiamen who woke up on the morning of April 19, 1775 as British subjects, went to bed (those who lived) as something else. Exactly what else it took over a year to clearly define. To us, the men who stood at Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy (now Arlington) were heroes. To the British, they were treasonous scum who took up arms against their Sovereign Ruler. There is no excuse for rebellion… unless you win. Many paid with their lives on that day and for years to come. Some would lose everything they had achieved. All were fighting for an idea, something not seen elsewhere in the world before or since. That the people control the government, not the other way around.
Remember, the ultimate freedom is the right to say no to the government.
I’ll have more thoughts on this in a day or so, but for now your homework assignment is to read up on the Battles at Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy, MA on that day. This is where the American Revolution started over 230 years ago, although independence from Britain wasn’t declared for more than another year. And wasn’t achieved for eight long years after that.
That’s something far more important than some dumb footrace.
Agreed. Grat post. Hope your family member is on the mend.
Thanks. Sadly, like with you relative, it's a delaying action and preserving quality of life for what time is left. No fun at all, as you can attest.
I did my homework at an Appleseed Shoot on April 17-18. The history of April 19, 1775 was well-remembered. Info on The Appleseed Project can be found at http://www.appleseedinfo.org.
Which Appleseed? I was at Harvard, MA.
We need to educate the younger generation(s)… Lexington, Concord and Menotomy are being removed from the textbooks, like a lot of other history…
Remember the Gaspee! The first blow for freedom, May 10, 1774 a bunch of Rhode Islanders burned the schooner HMS Gaspee and captured the crew about 1000 feet from my house. It's a big deal around here, fireworks, beer, guns, reenactments, beer and more guns.
It is also worth remembering that good men died that day, and on many subsequent days, and never got to see the outcome of the conflict that took their lives.They had to choose to stand where it seemed right and not fret over anything else.