Will the United States ever be free again?

wnd.com ^ | 7/4/2014 | Patrice Lewis

[rktman]

As we all embark on our Fourth of July holiday weekend – stuffing our faces with hot dogs and watching fireworks – it’s too easy to forget what we’re celebrating. We don’t remember the truly horrible beginnings of our nation. Specifically, I’m referring to the signers of the Declaration of Independence, those 56 brave men who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to give us liberty.

These men weren’t stupid. They knew what would happen by affixing their names on that document. Legend has it that the elegant and oversized “John Hancock” signature wasn’t prominent because Mr. Hancock was vain. Rather, it was a poke in the eye – “Take THAT, King George” – so the monarch could read the name without spectacles.

Whether or not the legend is true, it says something about the signers. In the mists of time and the gloss of hero-worship, it’s easy to forget that the Founding Fathers weren’t declaring independence from a foreign government. They were declaring independence from their own government. By signing that document, they were committing treason during an unforgiving age when treason meant endlessly ugly ways to be tortured, persecuted, or killed.

[DuncanWaring]

I recognized the name, I just couldn’t recall the exact details.

In the modern era, any time something is presented as “for the children” (or some variation on that theme) it generates a strong presumption of mal-intent.