Our Forefathers Legacy, we shall not fail. HamiltonJay's letter to his Grandfather. A must read by all Patriots.
Posted on 09/17/2001 7:57:33 AM PDT by firewalk
Our Forefathers Legacy, we shall not fail. HamiltonJay's letter to his Grandfather. A must read by all Patriots.
Mister President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?
For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it. I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging the future but by the past. Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer.
Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.
Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne!
In vain, after these things, may we indulge in the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free -- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending -- if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon, until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained -- WE MUST FIGHT!
I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak -- unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature has placed in our power. Three millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.
The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged. Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable -- and let it come!!
I repeat it sir, let it come! It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry "peace, peace" -- but there is no peace! The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it, Almighty God - I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick Henry then took his seat. No murmur of applause was heard. The effect was too deep. After the trance of a moment, several members started from their seats. The cry, "To arms!" seemed to quiver on every lip and gleam from every eye.
No written records of this speech exist. The words were so powerful that they were etched into the minds of every man present, who later assisted biographer William Wirt to bring words to paper.
Patrick Henry lived from 1736 to 1799. This speech was given before the Virginia Provincial Convention (assembled after Lord Dunsmore had suspended the Virginia Assembly) which was debating whether to send the militia under arms to defend the colony against the Crown's Government, an act of treason.
In arguments against the Stamp Act of 1765, he said "If this be treason, let us make the most of it."
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I'll be back in a few - I'm going to go over to WFTD thread and see if I can rally a few $$$.
True heroism is doing what needs to be done regardless of the danger or impact to or on yourself.
The rescue workers at the Pentagon and the WTC ground zero are true heroes of the first caliber.
Many of the people working at these sites have not been home since Tuesday morning, almost a week ago. They have not had a chance to see or hug their loved ones.
These are people that deserve our utmost respect, admiration, and support.
If you know someone that is in this effort, please do your best to support their families and loved ones. Visit them, talk to them, listen to them, try to do anything that you can to support them.
Heroes have families also.
In regards to the people that lost their lives to these acts of war - Pray for them, for they are in Gods hands now. They can no longer be hurt by ANY act, regardless of who perpetrates it.
Pray for their families, that they can recover from the loss of loved ones. Grief can go on, even while recovery is taking place.
Do all you can for these families also. Their loss is unbelievable. I can only imagine how they feel.
In regards to the people that perpetrated the heinous acts - May they be found and justice served on their bodies and souls.
I believe that if the mastermind behind these acts can be caught and brought back to the United States, after the trial and sentence, the execution should be broadcast on television for all to see. Those that do not wish to watch don't have to watch. I, personally, would watch.
Would you kindly repost your #114 from the last thread? It's too beautiful to be missed.
For anyone who would like backgound information on "Let's Roll!" here are the links:
Let's roll,'' Flight 93 victim heard to say minutes before crash Pennsylvania field
One way or another, it is hard to escape the feeling that we are reaching the end of the road for Salon.com and its noble effort to publish a magazine on the Web. The thing is either going to work or it isn’t, and we ought to know pretty certainly in the coming few months what the outcome will be.
MSNBC is crying in their latte.
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