Free Republic

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich invoked the spirit of the Founding Fathers by paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence in his speech to supporters following his second-place finish in the Florida Republican presidential primary. Gingrich, a trained historian and author, began his 15-minute speech by noting President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the first national military cemetery when he spoke of “government of the people, by the people, for the people." “And we’re going to have people power to defeat money power in the next six months,” he said in a reference to Florida victor Mitt Romney,...

On September 17, 2010 President Barack Obama spoke to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 33rd Annual Award Gala. During his speech – reading from a teleprompter – he quoted from the Declaration of Independence. Here is what he said: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain unalienable rights, life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Perhaps his teleprompter or his brain just can’t handle the phrase “endowed by our Creator!” The Declaration of Independence defines the Constitution philosophically and spiritually, therefore in Beauty and its Author. “Progressives” have argued...

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the OWS movement put out their Declaration of New York City online for the entire world to read. Well, guess what, I read it. (And using their childish logic, I should sue them for the three minutes of my life I wasted doing so.) Their “symptoms” are as follows: 1.They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage. 2.They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses. 3.They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the...

Declaration of Independence Was 'Illegal,' Grounds for Treason, British Lawyers SayPublished October 20, 2011 | FoxNews.com The Declaration of Independence was “illegal” and “treasonable,” according to a team of British lawyers, the BBC reports. The assertion was made at a debate in Philadelphia between British and American lawyers over the legitimacy of the United States of America. At the debate, pitting British barristers against American attorneys, lawyers for the former colonial power argued that America’s Declaration of Independence in 1776 “was not only illegal, but actually treasonable,” according to the BBC. The lawyers representing the British team decided that the...

“When all else fails … vote from the rooftops.” That’s how a T-shirt logo advertising Michael Dukes’ radio show reads. What can that statement, in blood-red lettering over a black background and paired with the image of an assault rifle, possibly mean except that people who aren’t satisfied with election results should use an assault rifle to take matters into their own hands. That they should climb to the top of a building and start killing people? It is, of course, a despicable logo. Most people, conservative to liberal, get that. Just this month, an AK47 owner blasted 11 folks...

As part of its preparations for possible mass riots among Judea and Samaria Arabs, the IDF is taking one of its more effective riot control methods and helping it go airborne. The “Skunk” crowd control substance can now be sprayed on violent mobs from above. By bringing the Skunk to the skies, the IDF is hoping that mobs that attempt to storm Jewish communities or IDF checkpoints can be turned back before coming within weapons range of their target, thus averting violence. The Air Force has already conducted a successful practice run, which it termed “Flying Skunk.” The Skunk went...

If the UN declares the PA to be a state, it might as well decide the world is flat, Netanyahu says. Regardless, US can block the move with veto. .....

Or are they teenage boys raging with hormones, like E.J. Dionne, that are willing to say anything to get into some panties? (with shows like Glee out there I'll throw libs a bone and not assign any pronouns to said panties) ...our friends in the Tea Party have offered a helpful clue by naming their movement in honor of the 1773 revolt against tea taxes on that momentous night in Boston Harbor.Whether they intend it or not, their name suggests they believe that the current elected government in Washington is as illegitimate as was a distant, unelected monarchy. It implies something...

As we celebrate our country’s beginnings how many of us truly remember and celebrate true beginnings? How many even care? Looking back on the formation of the United States of America we attribute her conception to the “founding fathers.� How soon do we forget what our own fathers have told us as we grow up and start a life for ourselves. So it’s no wonder that the majority of Americans can’t even name our founding fathers even less know what they thought.  When we don’t remember our history we are sure to have a sketchy future. Foundations are important. No...

As much as the American book-buying public has shown deep interest in the superstars of the nation's founding period, too little attention has been paid to some of the other legislative workhorses and statesmen of the period, and too few lessons thus learned from their examples. As we celebrate Independence Day on Monday, we should move beyond the famous Jefferson-Adams-Franklin troika, in order to marvel at the great decades of public service of the two other members of the committee charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence. Those two were Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New...

American Minute with Bill Federer July 4 The Declaration of Independence was approved JULY 4, 1776. John Hancock signed first, saying "the price on my head has just doubled." Benjamin Franklin said "We must hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately." Of the 56 signers: 17 served in the military;  11 had their homes destroyed; 5 were hunted and captured; Abraham Clark had two sons imprisoned on the British starving ship Jersey; John Witherspoon's son was killed in battle; Francis Lewis' wife was imprisoned and died from the harsh treatment; many, such as Thomas Nelson and Carter Braxton,...

WASHINGTON -- Our nation confronts a challenge this Fourth of July that we face but rarely: We are at odds over the meaning of our history and why, to quote our Declaration of Independence, "governments are instituted." Only divisions this deep can explain why we are taking risks with our country's future we're usually wise enough to avoid. Arguments over how much government should tax and spend are the very stuff of democracy's give-and-take. Now, the debate is shadowed by worries that if a willful faction does not get what it wants, it might bring the nation to default. This...

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It's William Whipple's turn to be recognized. The New Hampshire merchant is one of the lesser-known signers of the Declaration of Independence. This year, there are plans for Whipple and 11 others to be honored for their place in history with a small bronze plaque at their gravesites or homes, thanks to a group of descendants of the Founding Fathers. Whipple, one of three men from New Hampshire who signed the famous document — the others were Josiah Bartlett and Matthew Thornton — had no direct descendants. His only child, a boy, died as an infant...

Two hundred and thirty five years ago a group of concerned citizens after repeatedly trying to work within the existing government announced their intentions. By openly declaring their views and putting the government on notice they risked everything. All peaceful methods and petitions got them nowhere. They knew the consequences of their actions. By signing this document they would be wanted criminals. That is why John Hancock signed with such flourish, so those in power would not mistake his signature with anyone else. We know what transpired after that and it is what we celebrate today. Continue reading on Examiner.com...

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America hen 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...

DAD, WHAT's UNABHANGIKEITSTAG? "Is that when the thirteen colonies broke away from England?" My ten year inquired out of nowhere at 6 AM German time this morning. "Yeah, why do you want to know, eat your breakfast," I mumbled, too sleepy to be very curious. "Because I am afraid my teacher will ask me, since I am wearing this T-shirt and I'm the only American in the class." With an effort, I adjusted my gaze upward to his white T-shirt. It was brand new. Prominent on his breast was an image of the flag and below that: OLD NAVY FREEDOM...

...The 4th of July is the the day when people gather all over the United States of America to celebrate their Independence. Fireworks light up the sky, families and friends will join to remember those who gave their lives so that the promises set forth in that Declaration of Independence could inform a new Nation. 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...

The Jubilee of the Constitution A DISCOURSE Delivered at the Request of The New York Historical Society In the City of New York, On Tuesday, the 30th of April, 1839 Being the Fiftieth Anniversary Of the INAUGURATION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON as President of the United States on Thursday, 30th of April, 1789. by John Quincy Adams   (Eldest son of John Adams, born in 1767, served as Minister to the Netherlands under President Washington, as minister to Prussia and to Russia, as Secretary of State, and as U.S. Senator.  He was the Sixth President of the United States and...

(CNSNews.com) – In a statement released Friday, President Barack Obama declared that "LGBT persons are endowed with" what he called "inalienble rights," but ommited the word "Creator" from what clearly was an allusion to the famous language of the Declaration of Independence.The president's June 17 statement was in response to a U.N. resolution on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity. “(T)his marks a significant milestone in the long struggle for equality, and the beginning of a universal recognition that LGBT persons are endowed with the same inalienable rights -- and entitled to the same protections -- as all human beings,” the statement said.The Declaration of Independence reads: “We...

Two New Examples!The Blaze managed to catch Obama omitting the word "Creator" when referring to words from the Declaration of Independence yet again!!As we’ve noted several times, Obama has a habit of leaving out “Creator” when he quotes the founding document (see here, here, and here). And he did it once again while speaking to supporters in San Francisco last night:Obama had a problem with leaving out that phrase back in 2009 and 2010 but seemed to get with the program during the last couple of months in 2010. (He must have gotten the message around October 2010 because he...

Declaration of Independence. "America the Beautiful." Bad anthem. Bad commercials. Weird night. I admit to having watched it wrong. No one is supposed to pay 100 percent attention to the Super Bowl. You're not meant to stare at it. You're not meant to derive meaning from it.

Colin Powell is in it but try to get past that and its good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctKRPq2cPDQ

Rep. John Lewis Says Declaration's ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ Language and 14th Amendment Authorize Congress to Force People to Buy Health InsuranceBy Nicholas Ballasy Wednesday, January 19, 2011 (CNSNews.com) -Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said on Tuesday that the government should require individuals to buy health insurance and cited the Preamble to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence’s “pursuit of happiness” language and the 14th Amendment as the sources of Congress’ authority to enact such a mandate. “I think people should be required to get health insurance. We require people to get insurance for their automobile state by state but the federal...

Progressives delight in proclaiming that God is not mentioned in the Constitution.  But the Declaration of Independence does mention our Creator in the first two paragraphs along with the last.  Our Declaration is the why of what our Founding Fathers did.  The Constitution is the how.  The Declaration is the foundation, and the Constitution is the structure or framework of our government.  The Declaration is act one, and the Constitution is act two.  Both acts make for a viable construct.  Leave one or the other out, and the whole becomes incoherent. What is the purpose of the Constitution?  To set...

Rare 'Declaration' Copy Sold In Boston For $380KBroadside Copies Were Printed To Spread Word UPDATED: 6:44 pm EST November 14, 2010 BOSTON -- A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence sold at auction in Boston Sunday for $380,000. The rare historical document, a broadside, had originally belonged to the family prominent New Hampshire man who was a judge at the time the Declaration was signed in 1776. Broadsides were large sheets of paper on which notices and proclamations were printed in the 18th century. They were intended to alert townspeople of important events and were posted in various meeting...

On NOVEMBER 9, 1954, President Eisenhower addressed the National Conference on the Spiritual Foundation of American Democracy at the Sheraton-Carlton Hotel, Washington D.C.: "Now Dr. Lowry said something about my having certain convictions as to a God in Heaven and an Almighty power. Well, I don't think anyone needs a great deal of credit for believing in what seems to me to be obvious... This relationship between a spiritual faith...and our form of government is...so obvious that we should really not need to identify a man as unusual because he recognizes it." Eisenhower continued: "Our whole theory of government finally...

Part 5 of Bill Whittle's ongoing "What We Believe" series, focuses on the right to Keep and Bear Arms. . . the whys and the real reason for the Second Amendment. . .

Washington – No one should “read anything into" the fact that President Barack Obama repeatedly left out the word “Creator” when quoting the Declaration of Independence, nor should they read anything into the fact that he began using the word after the White House was questioned about the omission, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. Gibbs did not say whether press reports about the omission prompted Obama to start using the term. The Declaration of Independence says “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed

During the past two months, I've read several articles about Obama omitting the phrase "by their Creator" when quoting from the Declaration of Independence. Most of these articles have pointed out three examples. I've found a few more which I'll quote from below. Note: that Obama likes to use "inalienable" instead of "unalienable" (see bottom of this post)

Imagine that you’re the president of the United States of America and you’re reading your teleprompter, quoting a verse from the Declaration of Independence, but suddenly you see a defect in the quote you’re about to read what do you do? Well here’s what president Barry Hussein Soetoro did. He batted his eyes several times like he couldn’t believe the defect that he was seeing and he just ignored it. He didn’t read it. Just what was the defect? Well it been a defect in the Declaration for over two hundred years, but it took this special president to find...

Congratulations are due to Freeper BigBobber for the impact he has had with his post to Free Republic on Friday evening about Barack Obama omitting our rights come from our Creator when he recited part of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week.BigBobber, who has been a Freeper since the Sore Loserman days of November 2000, shows how Freepers are still impacting the national political debate even as Free Republic marks its 14th anniversary on the Web this month. Since BigBobber posted his report at 8:40 p.m. EDT Friday night,...

On September 15, President Obama addressed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. At around 22:30, he incorporated part of the The Declaration of Independence, but removed any reference to the "Creator." After President Obama says "created equal..", there is a long pause during which he scowls and blinks several times. For once, he may actually have opted to not read something that was on the teleprompter. Is looks like he is disgusted and decided it would be better not to read what the preamble actually says. President Obama, if our Creator is not the purveyor of our rights, then who is?...

File this under the pseudo-Christian column. President Obama concluded his speech at this week's Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gala with: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights, life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”The U.S. Declaration of Independence reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”Poser. "...there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying...

Did You Know that Half the Declaration's Signers Had Divinity School Training? by Larry Schweikart No phrase has been more egregiously misapplied than Thomas Jefferson’s infamous “wall of separation between church and state,” a line he used in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802.This line, along with references to the supposed lack of Christian faith among the Founders, has for decades fed the fires of the American leftists in their drive to excise any references to God and/or Christ from the public square. Yet how “ir-religious” were these Founders? It is worth beginning at the beginning...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Just in time for the document’s 233rd anniversary, President Barack Obama has issued an executive order apologizing to Great Britain for America’s Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Very rarely a well written scholarly book directed to the general reader not only corrects profound misperceptions of historical persons and events but also shows the true origin of a basic part of human social action. Such a book is Defending the Declaration by Gary T. Amos.1 This excellent book belongs in the library of every Christian church, college, school, history scholar and teacher, pastor, attorney, and family especially when home schooling. It should be required collateral reading in American history courses (high school and college) dealing with the origins of America. Last but not least it makes a wonderful...

This is a question from Tom Coburn yesterday. He asked her about the whole business of natural rights. She's not sure! She is not sure on the Declaration of Independence. Yesterday Tom Coburn (R-OK): "Do you agree that the natural right of resistance and self-preservation -- the right of having and using arms for self-preservation and defense. He didn't say that was a constitutional right. He said it's a natural right. I'm asking with you: Do you agree with that?" KAGAN: Senator Coburn, t-t-to be honest with you, I -- I -- I don't have a view of what are...

When in the course ...

A few miles up the road from Ground Zero, the Obama administration recently submitted its account of the United States human rights record to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The administration’s report, the first ever submitted by this nation to that body (whose members include Libya and Cuba), was succinctly summarized by identical Washington Post and CBS News headlines: “US admits human rights shortcomings in UN report.” It’s certainly telling that the Obama administration chose to issue condemnations of America’s sins — alleged or otherwise, past or present — and to submit these to the UN.

"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...

One Day in D.C. was written by An American Man who went on a rather interesting journey across these great United States, from San Diego, CA to Washington D.C., and back again, in just one day. Enjoy! - - - - - - - Inside most men and women is a spirit of adventure, a desire to break out of the norm, to do something daring and bold … all too often squashed by everyday living that drains the life right out of our weary souls. So we hope and dream until we can afford a real vacation, and in...

Religious Affiliation of the Signers of theDeclaration of Independence Religious Affiliation # ofsigners % ofsigners Episcopalian/Anglican 32 57.1% Congregationalist 13 23.2% Presbyterian 12 21.4% Quaker 2 3.6% Unitarian or Universalist 2 3.6% Catholic 1 1.8% TOTAL 56 100% Name of Signer State Religious Affiliation Charles Carroll Maryland Catholic Samuel Huntington Connecticut Congregationalist Roger Sherman Connecticut Congregationalist William Williams Connecticut Congregationalist Oliver Wolcott Connecticut Congregationalist Lyman Hall Georgia Congregationalist Samuel Adams Massachusetts Congregationalist John Hancock Massachusetts Congregationalist Josiah Bartlett New Hampshire Congregationalist William Whipple New Hampshire Congregationalist William Ellery Rhode Island Congregationalist John Adams Massachusetts Congregationalist; Unitarian Robert Treat Paine Massachusetts...

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1825 that he intended the Declaration of Independence to be “an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.” Yet, he did not propose the Declaration should “find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of….” The last statement is the clearest articulation of what Jefferson and other members of the founding generation thought of the Declaration. It was a restatement of the rights of Englishmen, modeled in large part by previous works of English and American law. The Declaration was...

We meet to celebrate the birthday of America. The coming of a new life always excites our interest. Although we know in the case of the individual that it has been an infinite repetition reaching back beyond our vision, that only makes it the more wonderful. But how our interest and wonder increase when we behold the miracle of the birth of a new nation. It is to pay our tribute of reverence and respect to those who participated in such a mighty event that we annually observe the fourth day of July. Whatever may have been the impression created...

"Subjects." That's what Thomas Jefferson first wrote in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence to describe the people of the 13 colonies. But in a moment when history took a sharp turn, Jefferson sought quite methodically to expunge the word, to wipe it out of existence and write over it. Many words were crossed out and replaced in the draft, but only one was obliterated. Over the smudge, Jefferson then wrote the word "citizens." No longer subjects to the crown, the colonists became something different: a people whose allegiance was to one another, not to a faraway monarch....

"Subjects." That's what Thomas Jefferson first wrote in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence to describe the people of the 13 colonies. - - - - - B I G - - - - - - -S N I P - - - - But in a moment when history took a sharp turn, Jefferson sought quite methodically to expunge the word, to wipe it out of existence and write over it. Many words were crossed out and replaced in the draft, but only one was obliterated. Over the smudge, Jefferson then wrote the word "citizens."

WASHINGTON - Library of Congress officials say Thomas Jefferson made a Freudian slip while penning a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence. In an early draft of the document, which is kept under lock and key in one of the Library's vaults, Jefferson referred to the American population as "subjects," then replaced it with the word "citizens," a term he used frequently throughout the final draft.

HOW IS it,’’ the great English man of letters Samuel Johnson taunted Americans 235 years ago, “that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of Negroes?’’ His fellow Englishman Thomas Day remarked in 1776 with equal scorn: “If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature it is an American patriot signing resolutions of independency with the one hand and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves.’’ That America’s founders were hypocrites, above all on the subject of race, is an enduring charge. Examples are legion. At a Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society rally in 1854,...

Draft Declaration and Protest of Virginia on the Principles of the Constitution of the United States of America, and on the Violations of Them [by the Federal Government] December, 1825We, the General Assembly of Virginia, on behalf, and in the name of the people thereof, do declare as follows: The States in North America which confederated to establish their independence of the government of Great Britain, of which Virginia was one, became, on that acquisition, free and independent States, and as such, authorized to constitute governments, each for itself, in such form as it thought best. They entered into a...