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NICK Clegg last night branded those who believed in Scottish independence as “extremists”, as he claimed the Liberal Democrats had won the “centre ground” of the constitutional debate by calling for more Holyrood powers short of separation. The Deputy Prime Minister underlined his commitment to handing more powers to the Scottish Parliament as he declared that he was a “devolutionist” rather than a Unionist. On a visit north of the Border, Mr Clegg described independence as “the extreme” – a choice of words that led to the SNP suggesting that the Lib Dem leader should “rethink” his language. In an...

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...

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...

Was the Declaration of Independence legal? In Philadelphia, American and British lawyers have debated the legality of America's founding documents.On Tuesday night, while Republican candidates in Nevada were debating such American issues as nuclear waste disposal and the immigration status of Mitt Romney's gardener, American and British lawyers in Philadelphia were taking on a far more fundamental topic. Namely, just what did Thomas Jefferson think he was doing? Some background: during the hot and sweltering summer of 1776, members of the second Continental Congress travelled to Philadelphia to discuss their frustration with royal rule.By 4 July, America's founding fathers approved...

THIS IS WHAT A MOB LOOKS LIKE October 5, 2011 by ANN COULTER I am not the first to note the vast differences between the Wall Street protesters and the tea partiers. To name three: The tea partiers have jobs, showers and a point. No one knows what the Wall Street protesters want -- as is typical of mobs. They say they want Obama re-elected, but claim to hate "Wall Street."You know, the same Wall Street that gave its largest campaign donation in history to Obama,who, in turn, bailed out the banks and made Goldman Sachs the fourth branch...

Late this month, leaders of the Palestinian Authority are expected to issue a Unilateral Declaration of Independence and ask, in the words of PA Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, that it receive "the blessing of the U.N." That blessing will not come from the U.N. Security Council: If the Palestinians ask for approval from that body, President Obama is expected to exercise the American veto, though he has not unequivocally pledged to do so. He should -- for reasons I will attempt to explain in a moment. In the General Assembly, however, blessings almost certainly will be bestowed through the passage...

“How can the government help me?” This seems to be a growing sentiment among the American middle class. “The land of opportunity” is quickly becoming the “nation of the needy.” Here’s a question I received from a reader just last week: “I am not happy with how things are going since the Bush Administration allowed tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy. These cuts were supposed to end for those who just keep earning more off the middle class. My question is: I am told that investors can invest as little as $1000.00 in real estate, and make a living...

Juba, SOUTH SUDAN — Southern Sudanese and dignitaries from around the world watched the new flag of the Republic of South Sudan be raised for the first time at independence celebrations in the new country’s capital, Juba, on Saturday. The crowd turned ecstatic as the flag was raised while the old one was lowered.

I post this every year on July 4th. This is the obituary of my great-great-great-great-grandfather Selah Woodworth Jr., who blew himself up on July 4th of 1825 by double-charging a cannon during the celebrations. This bit of paper from our family Bible was printed while Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were both still alive.

Couldn't help it guys. This is only my second vanity. This video brought me to tears. Remember our Founding Fathers and what they risked to give us the precious gift of Liberty.

Video of my remarks at the Independence Day, 2011 Monmouth TEA Party rally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB92pT2fMDA

Happy Birthday, United States of America, and in a very real sense, Happy Birthday to liberty itself. After 235 years, that liberty is wearing thin in places ("Patriot" Act, federal agencies entirely devoted to unconstitutional missions, etc.), but not only is it not dead, it is not beyond recovery, either. What would put it beyond recovery? The "government monopoly on force" so beloved of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV). There can be no independence when citizens must depend on armed agents of the government to come to rescue them--something the government is under no obligation to do--when predatory...

On July Fourth, Americans eat hot dogs and apple pie, watch fireworks, and go swimming. But what are we really celebrating? Standard answers to this question are that we are celebrating our independence or the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Well, yes and no. Here are 10 things you might not know about our America's Independence Day.

“The Framers of the Bill of Rights did not purport to 'create' rights. Rather they designed the Bill of Rights to prohibit our Government from infringing rights and liberties presumed to be preexisting.” – Justice William J. Brennan (1906-1997) U. S. Supreme Court Justice I know that God is still on the throne and that only He is our answer through his son, the King of Glory, Jesus the Messiah. As for this country, my heart hurts and especially during July 4th celebrations for what we once were and what we have now become. I need to write about this......

Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful"

Welcome to this week's U.S. Navy multimedia production featuring an Independence Day tribute. The images in this special production represent the work of the many naval photographers deployed worldwide and submitted to Navy Visual News Service. For access to more than 90 thousand high resolution photos visit: www.navy.mil/view_photos_top.asp.

Every year for two centuries plus, the American people have celebrated the events of June and July, 1776… those fiery weeks when the Continental Congress debated changing their focus from improving our relationship with the King and Parliament who ruled them, to terminating that relationship once and for all. On a broader scale, on Independence Day, we champion the Founding Fathers, those wise and courageous patriots who managed this transition, who won us our independence and set these United States on the course to greatness. In addition to celebrating these actions, it might also be worthwhile to ponder who these...

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,...

And don't anybody worry out there- we'll get through this vile Obammunist era and come back stronger than ever. Pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps is what this country is all about, and that's just what the situation calls for.  I look at it as just another chance to shine,  and shine we will- striving to be that city on a hill that Reagan spoke of... May God Bless the United States of America toons/more at Reaganite Republican -Have a great holiday weekend, FReeper patriots-

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...

Although this column will not appear again for the remainder of the summer, this weekend, in honor of Independence Day, we are running Father Rutler’s column from this time last year. Stephen Decatur's toast, “Right or wrong, our country!” was qualified by the German Catholic immigrant Carl Schurz: “Our country, right or wrong – when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.” In this month of patriotic celebrations, we give thanks for the great blessings enjoyed by our nation at the cost of much sacrifice. “The love and service of one's country follow from the duty...

On this July 4th, American Independence Day, 2011, late Saturday night, I had come upon this YouTube recording of the Broadway presentation of the musical “1776″. The song, sung by actor Brent Spiner, who did the acting role of John Adams, one of the founding fathers and a member of the Second Continental Congress from Massachusetts, sings wondering if attending the Second Continental Congress was worth putting his life and ideas in danger. As the song progresses on, Mr. Adams realizes that it is all the more worth it when he thinks what the results will be and that an...

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...

We really didn't know how good we had it back then... eight of the best years this country's ever seen. God do I miss Ronald Reagan this 4th here in the deepest, darkest depths of the vile Obammunist era... never thought I'd live to see such a bizarre, Twilight-Zone episode of a presidency- not in this country Somebody please wake me when it's over... or when the Chinese troops arrive at least lol [VIDEO] Have a great weekend and 4th of July, FReepers~ Video/news/views/humor at Reaganite Republican

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I have been asked to give a dedication monologue of sorts to our military at my church this Sunday. It will be a July 4th service honoring all branches of the armed forces. They are asked to come in uniform and will be recognized publicly. The speech/monologue will be in conjunction with the patriotic songs our musicians will perfom. I have also just learned that the monologue we were originally going to use isn't really the best and I have been asked to try to locate a better one. I could think of no other place for an idea than...

Without saying his name, Mormon leaders and grassroots Mormons daily reference Wilford Woodruff when they interact with non-Mormons and the media. How so? Well, they like to tell others how polygamy is a supposed bygone of another era; how a certain Lds "prophet" in 1890 put the kabosh on it...or, at least, started a mainstream Mormon move toward monogamy. Yet, there's a little-known episode that this same Wilford Woodruff said that occurred in the 1870s -- before becoming the head "prophet" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the last two weeks before he left the St....

Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend's July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day. "Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation's political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party," said the report from Harvard.

INDEPENDENCE, Mo.— An alligator caused a lot of commotion for one Independence man Sunday when three Independence police officers shot at his concrete lawn ornament. Rick Sheridan was working in his garage when he heard gunshots. He went around the back of his house to a pond, where he saw three police officers. The three officers had spotted the gator and were lined up on the bank, shooting at the large reptile. "The officer fired two rounds, and killed my concrete, ornamental alligator," Sheridan said. After realizing their bullets were bouncing off the yard art alligator, police left. Sheridan says...

Just wanted to remind everyone that today is San Jacinto Day. April 21, 1836 was the day the Texicans won the final battle for independence from Mexico. Here are two links that describe the battle and capture of Santa Anna. The first was written by grandpappy Bostick and the second is a more rip roaring version. http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/miscmemoirs.htm#bostick "All three of us who had captured him were angry at ourselves for not killing him out on the prairie to be consumed by the wolves and buzzards. We took him to General Houston, who was wounded and lying under a big oak...

ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) – More than half of Baby Boom-generation mothers support adult children financially and 60 percent are the go-to person when their grown kids encounter problems, according to a survey issued on Thursday. That trend contrasted with the 86 percent of those 46- to 65-year-old women surveyed who said they were fully independent of their own parents by age 25. "We wanted to get the hell out as soon as possible," said Liz Kitchens, a partner in The Kitchens Group, a public opinion research firm in Orlando, Florida, that conducted the survey. > Helen Bernstein, a 54-year-old former...

Campaigners for Catalan independence claim they have made significant advances after one in five people in the region's capital city, Barcelona, backed a call for a separate state in Sunday's unofficial referendum. Although the vote was organised by volunteers and had no legal standing, organisers said it had pushed the issue of independence further into mainstream political debate in this wealthy and populous north-eastern Spanish region.

And now, friends and countrymen, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind? Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has...

In the early 1970s, America’s dependence on foreign oil was a little over 20 percent. Today, our dependence on foreign oil is over 65 percent. We have become more and more energy dependent because we have never had a serious energy independence strategy, and we still do not have one. Energy independence is within our grasp because we have plenty of energy natural resources. We have billions of barrels of oil, plenty of natural gas reserves, more coal than any other country in the world, lots of places we could build dams for hydroelectricity and some of the safest nuclear...

In feudal or monarchical constitutional theory, individuals were the subjects of a monarch or sovereign, but the republican constitutional theory of therevolutionary and post-revolutionary period conceived of the individual as a citizen andassigned sovereignty to the people. The distinction between citizens and subjects is reflected in Chief Justice John Jay’s opinion in Chisholm v. Georgia, [2 U.S. (2 Dall.)419 (1793)the first great constitutional case decided after the ratification of the Constitution of 1789: [T]he sovereignty of the nation is in the people of the nation, and the residuary sovereignty of each State in the people of each State . ....

"In Resolve with the Citizens of the United States of America, we citizens do united and express our grievances for redress; having done so and received no response but be ignored repeatedly do solemnly and humbly re-Declare our Independence. The people of these United States are and ought to be and remain in liberty with freedoms for all. No man or group of men has a right to withhold liberty from the people, so given their liberty by birth under their creator. We have tried for redress yet each grievance received upon deaf ears. The time now has come where...

The Texas Declaration of Independence (March 2, 1836) The Texas Declaration of Independence was produced, literally, overnight. Its urgency was paramount, because while it was being prepared, the Alamo in San Antonio was under seige by Santa Anna's army of Mexico. Immediately upon the assemblage of the Convention of 1836 on March 1, a committee of five of its delegates were appointed to draft the document. The committee, consisting of George C. Childress, Edward Conrad, James Gaines, Bailey Hardeman, and Collin McKinney, prepared the declaration in record time. It was briefly reviewed, then adopted by the delegates of the convention...

Last November was nothing short of a mandate from the people, a resounding call for a more conservative, level-headed government. Now, it is up to our newly elected officials to follow-through on those campaign promises, and really deliver. Looking ahead at the next two years, many may opt to rehash old battles or passively obstruct the progressive agenda; but what the voters really want are results. Show America once and for all that there is a better way. Republicans cannot rest on former laurels, and coast into 2012 thinking that the current administration’s failures will somehow make our candidates that...

LA PAZ, Dec 6 (Reuters) - In a violent show of anti-Venezuela sentiment, a crowd of about 200 Bolivians hurled stones at a Venezuelan military plane and prevented it from refueling after it landed on Thursday, local radio reported. After hearing the incoming plane, the mob seized control of the airport in the Amazonian city of Riberalta and attacked the aircraft. Regional leaders had said they suspected it was carrying arms and not humanitarian supplies, according to the radio reports. "We won't put up with these Venezuelans who come to the country and do whatever they want. We won't let...

WASHINGTON -President Barack Obama says the United States intends to formally recognize Southern Sudan as a sovereign, independent state in July. Obama made the announcement Monday in a statement congratulating the people of Southern Sudan for "a successful and inspiring" referendum. Election officials said Monday that more than 98 percent of ballots in the Jan. 9 vote were for independence. That means South Sudan will become the world's newest country in July. Obama said that after decades of conflict the image of millions of southern Sudanese voters deciding their own future was an inspiration to the world. He also said...

I happened to catch near the beginning of a commercial during the Super Bowl yesterday and was absolutely stunned in amazement. People were actually reciting the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest founding documents of any nation in the world. Given the Super Bowl's world-wide reach and its large audience, whoever came up with this idea and then put action to it needs to be greatly praised.

That brought tears to my eyes.

It seems some people in Washington are on the ball! Too bad the media neglected this from a [?] "constitutional lawyer". Maybe the current regime is rewriting the rest of America's history, too? "1984" anyone? Let's see if this gets corrected. Our very liberties are at stake and we need to re-inhabit the republic.

In its Dec. 14 editon, the New York Times ran a feature article by Jerusalem correspondent Isabel Kershner about Ein Hod, an artists' colony that susatained major damage during the recent blaze across the Carmel Mountain range("Arabs And Israelis, United by Flames" page A5) Kershner's ostensible thesis is the close cooperation between Jews and Arabs in fighting the blaze and mitigating damage in its aftermath, focusing on Jewish residents in Eid Hod and Arab residents in the nearby village of Ayn Hawd. But that's just a jumping-off point for Kershner's deeper objective -- rewriting the history of Israel's War...

In the wake of Republicans’ takeover of the House, many pundits are convinced that the federal government will be at a stalemate for the next two years, unable to get anything done. I believe we can—and should—do better. One area where I believe we can make significant strides with common sense solutions is in energy. As governor of one of America’s largest oil producing states, you could reasonably assume that I’m a proponent of fossil fuels. Guilty as charged—and the 2010 oil spill off the Louisiana coast, awful as it is, hasn’t changed that. But what may surprise you is...

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...

American actor George Clooney is visiting the little known region of Southern Sudan. The U.N. Security Council arrived to a raucous welcome on Wednesday, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum also made a recent trip here. The high-level visits are putting the spotlight on the Texas-sized area of Sudan that is far less known to Americans than the western region of Darfur, where mass atrocities have been committed over the last decade. Southern Sudan is three months from a Jan. 9 independence vote that could see Africa's largest country break in two. The vote _ and the potential of...

LAS VEGAS – Rep. Dina Titus has been a loyal soldier in pushing the Democrats' ambitious agenda, voting for health care legislation, extended unemployment benefits, new energy taxes and a repeal of the military's ban on gays serving openly. Her campaign signs, however, proclaim Titus an "independent voice" for Nevadans. Aware that their stock has taken the same tumble as home values, Congress' most vulnerable Democrats are declaring their independence from their party's agenda in Facebook profiles, television advertisements, news interviews and campaign websites leading up to the Nov. 2 election. That's when Republicans hope to retake control of the...

In a classic case of misdirection, while the media are preoccupied with the fate of the Bush tax cuts, President Obama is preparing to attend a United Nations summit next week to endorse “innovative finance mechanisms”—global taxes—to drain even more wealth out of the U.S. economy. A draft “outcome document” produced in advance of the September 20-22 U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) commits the nations of the world to supporting “innovative financing mechanisms” to supplement foreign aid spending. The term “innovative financing mechanisms” is a U.N. euphemism for global taxes. But the document actually goes further, praising...