Posted on 12/31/2015 1:25:32 PM PST by Nachum
Stoodley's Tavern, Portsmouth NH, as it appears today. Here, on 13 December 1774, after a miserable day's ride of 65 miles through a snowstorm, is where Paul Revere delivered the news of British troop movements which led to the seizure by local patriots of the powder and arms at Fort William and Mary.
Politico promises us that: "Obama set to unveil curbs on gun sellers: Executive actions expected next week will be part of the president's new year push to make progress on long-stalled problems before the 2016 presidential election heats up."In addition, we are told -- "Coming Soon: Legislation To Heavily Regulate Ammunition In New York."
". . . To propose that a government could restrict access to ammunition without gutting the Second Amendment is akin to proposing that a government could ban churches without hollowing out the First. If a free people are to enjoy their liberties without encumbrance, the prerequisite tools must be let well alone."All of these maneuvers are a reminder that we have been here before. In "Encroachments of the Crown on the Liberty of the Subject: Pre-Revolutionary Origins of the Second Amendment" by Stephen Halbrook in 1989, is this transcript of King George the Third's diktat that sparked our fight for independence:
As reprinted in the Conn. Courant, Dec. 19, 1774, at 3, cols. 2-3:
At the Court at St. James's the 19th Day of October, 1774.
PRESENT,
The KING'S most excellent MAJESTY in Council,
Earl of Rockford, Lord Viscount Townshend,
Earl of Dartmouth, Lord Mansfield,
Earl of Suffolk, Lord North.WHEREAS an Act of Parliament has passed in the Twenty Ninth Year of the Reign of his late Majesty King George the Second, intitled, "An Act to empower his Majesty to prohibit the Exportation of Saltpetre, and to enforce the Law for impowering his Majesty to prohibit the Exportation of Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition, and also to empower his Majesty to restrain the carrying coastways of Saltpetre, Gunpowder, or any sort of Ammunition."
And His Majesty judging it necessary to prohibit the Exportation of Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition, out of this Kingdom, doth therefore, with the advice of his Privy Council, hereby order, require, prohibit and command that no Person or Persons Whatsoever (except the Master General of the Ordnance for his Majesty's Service) do, at any time during the space of Six Months from the date of this Order in Council, presume to transport into any parts out of this Kingdom, or carry coastways any Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition, on board any Ship or Vessel, in order to transporting the same to any part beyond the Seas or carrying the same coastways, without Leave and Permission in that behalf, first obtained from his Majesty or his Privy Council, upon Pain of incurring and suffering the respective Forfeitures and Penalties inflicted by the afore mentioned Act....
Signed, G. Chetwynd.
This action, reinforcing an earlier British raid to seize colonial gunpowder from the Powder House in Somerville, MA, on 1 September 1774, led to the colonists' response in what became known as The Powder Alarm. The Crown had surprised the colonists by beating them to the powder. It would not happen again.In the current issue (January/February 2016) of Muzzleloader magazine, is a description of the next moves in a cold war that would end at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775.
On October 19, an Order in Council confidentially issued by King George prohibited the export of 'powder, arms, and warlike stores' into North America. The secret order also called for the immediate securing of all arms and munitions that were stored in the colonies. Within this one order, the British Crown would not only stop arming the colonists, but it would also begin to secure the arms and ammunition that were already in the colonies.It did not take long for news of the order to reach the ears of the many patriot spies that prowled the gutters, back alleys and countryside of New England. Central in this interception of this order was the prolific patriot and insurrectionist Paul Revere. This intelligence came into his hands in early December, about the same time that British Admiral Graves was seen in Boston preparing four warships . . . to depart, loaded with troops, for a yet unknown destination and mission. While none of the ships were heading directly to Portsmouth (NH) to secure the powder (at Fort William and Mary), the news of their movement created nervousness and anxiety. Quickly, Revere and his agents went into action . . . With the stores of powder and arms at Fort William and Mary being so sizable, the people of Massachusetts and New Hampshire naturally assumed that this would be one of the first targets of the departing vessels.Paul Revere took it upon himself to warn his brethren in Portsmouth, NH. The winter in New England was already off to s miserable start since before Thanksgiving, the roads and trails were thick with snow and ice. On the morning of December 13, despite a snowstorm blowing, Paul Revere saddled his horse and began the 65 mile ride to Portsmouth . . . On a day when most stayed indoors, warm with drink in hand by the fire, Revere slogged north to deliver the news of the assumed impending seizure . . .
Late in the day of December 13, Revere arrived in Portsmouth. . . Before he took time to care for himself and his horse he set out to find Samuel Cutts, a high-ranking leader n the Portsmouth resistance to the Crown . . . Following a 15 minute meeting in Stoodley's Tavern, Revere then departed, anxious to begin his trip home. -- "A Most Unhappy Affair: The Portsmouth Powder Alarm of1774, Part One" by Vincent C. Spiotti, Muzzleloader, January/February 2016, pp. 37 - 44.
The next day, 14 December, after failing to trick the small garrison into surrendering the powder, the patriots in New Hampshire under arms marched to the Fort and seized 100 barrels of the precious "Unum Necessarium" as Sam Adams called it -- "the one thing needful." And the day after that, says Wikipedia:
The next day, additional rebel forces arrived in Portsmouth from across the colony, as well as from Maine. Led by John Sullivan, the rebels returned to the fort late on the night of December 15, overran the post without gunfire and removed muskets, military supplies and 16 cannon marked as the property of the King. British authorities declared the raids - for which Sullivan later received a stipend from the Continental Congress - high treason.Of course that was then, and this is now. Exactly who today should be charged with high treason for their actions in attempting to disarm the American citizenry is open to debate at the muzzles of our loaded rifles. And we, today, are far better armed and supplied with ammunition than the Founding Fathers ever dreamed. The only question is, do we have the guts and determination to use those instruments to defend our liberty, our property and our lives as they did?
What do you think?
Ride, ride, though the night be cold,
Ride, ride, 'til the truth be told,
Ride, ride, like that man of old;
Ride like Paul Revere.
In '75 upon an April night,
The air was chilly and the moon shown bright;
They rowed him past the man-of-war
And landed on the Charlestown shore,
Where the finest steed was ready for
The ride of Paul Revere.
He knew the British had the road patrolled,
Set out for Cambridge with a spirit bold;
He met two Regulars face-to-face,
Turned about at a lightning pace,
Until those men gave up the chase,
And on rode Paul Revere.
Arrived Medford Town at 12 o'clock
And there alerted Adams and Hancock,
Ev'ry house, didn't miss a one,
Was aroused on that midnight run,
All the way to Lexington,
On the ride of Paul Revere.
I wonder if, 200 years ahead,
If you'll awake or if you'll stay in bed;
When faith and freedom within you die
And then you hear the midnight cry,
And hoofbeats cross the moonlight sky,
Will you ride with Paul Revere?
Ride, ride, though the night be cold,
Ride, ride, 'til the truth be told,
Ride, ride, like that man of old,
Will you ride with Paul Revere?
We will all comply, eventually. There will be pockets of resistance, but the fact is, somehow we believe we have more to lose than the Founders. Somehow, we’re “better”. The Founders would have stood up long ago. We have soiled the legacy they left for us, because to do anything less would put our jobs, mortgages, cars & toys, big screen TV’s, sports and booze all at risk. Chances are, if we acted as the Founders did, we would quickly lose all of it. This is why we accept what is happening in Washington - why we continue to CONSENT.
The Midnight Ride of William Dawes
I am a wandering, bitter shade,
Never of me was a hero made;
Poets have never sung my praise,
Nobody crowned my brow with bays;
And if you ask me the fatal cause,
I answer only, “My name was Dawes”
‘Tis all very well for the children to hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;
But why should my name be quite forgot,
Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?
Why should I ask? The reason is clear —
My name was Dawes and his Revere.
When the lights from the old North Church flashed out,
Paul Revere was waiting about,
But I was already on my way.
The shadows of night fell cold and gray
As I rode, with never a break or a pause;
But what was the use, when my name was Dawes!
History rings with his silvery name;
Closed to me are the portals of fame.
Had he been Dawes and I Revere,
No one had heard of him, I fear.
No one has heard of me because
He was Revere and I was Dawes.
Great stuff, and so true.
Dear Farmer Dean,
Have you noticed the uptick in sales of archery gear in the last few years? I do not mean those contraptions called compound bows, I mean stick and string. Take a look and see if you see what I see.
I’m afraid that you are correct, though as I age I’m more willing to GO4IT.
That is why you continue to consent.
No, that is why I have begun to shed the extras...downsized a lot of my life...got rid of most the debt, the toys, I have no mortgage payments or car payments...no credit card debt - nothing that can be used to threaten me with. I don't have a driver's license - I've reduced my taxable income to ensure I am not feeding the giant. I am going Galt in preparation for what is to come.
Well, bye.
"and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed"
In 1774 one lot of my 5th great grandparents were living in Mehoopany, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania...
another lot were at “Half Moon” in Albany, NY...
Going somewhere?
My mistake than. Carry on.
So What exactly do You think should be Done besides living in the sixth century like muhamhead ?
We certainly can’t go back to Concord Massachusetts1775,yet you pontificate that no one measures up to You’re standard.
Rather Judgmental,you think?
Like I said before;
What are You Doing?
Feel Froggy?
JUMP!
Nope. Washington is what the voters made it.
You can have the country the founders envisioned, or you can have women voting.
You can't have both.
Wrong! Wrongwrongwrong! A bit of historical weirdness here, fueled by the half-bottle of Cabernet I just downed no doubt.
Now kiddies, shut yer gobs, because
Gonna tell you the story of Charles G. Dawes.
(BT Drill, 2015)
OK, Charles G. Dawes. Great-great grandson of William Dawes, the first Vice President of the United States to have a number 1 hit record on the charts after he died, win the Nobel Peace Prize, and generally save German workers from starvation between the wars. Personal friend of General Pershing. Banker, financier, composer, and co-author of the Dawes Plan.
The deal was this: France had imposed draconian terms on Germany following WWI (not unlike the terms imposed by the Germans on them following the 1871 Franco-Prussian War; people forget that) which called for considerable cash payments to Belgium, France, etc. When Germany encountered the hyperinflation of the early 20's, the French said essentially, "you aren't paying us off with those inflated marks!" and seized the Ruhr, intending to exact the payments in kind: coal and iron ore. German workers there said, "No way, Jose!" (I'm paraphrasing) and struck. France replaced them with French workers.
Dawes, a big-time banker at that point, said, "OK, we'll loan Germany money with which they pay off France and the other creditors, who will, in turn, pay it back to the U.S. in the form of war debt payoffs." Win-win. Only condition - France must unoccupy the Ruhr. Which they did.
Nobel for that one, and it did save those German workers from starvation. But it also meant that the Ruhr was in German hands when Hitler came along six years later. Was it a good thing? Given what Dawes knew, yes, I think. Given what happened later, maybe even good deeds can turn sour.
But anyway, sure, we know who William Dawes was! He was the great-great-grandfather of the guy who wrote "It's All In The Game".
Few bankers have won renown as composers of music. I know that I will be the target of my punster friends. They will say that if all the notes in my bank are as bad as my musical ones, they are not worth the paper they were written on.
Yeah, historical weirdness. Glass is empty. Happy New Year, everyone!
What do I think ,to quote Ben Franklin "A republic if we can keep it " . This will not be a civil-war but a rebellion to oust the traitors of our country . There will be a shortage of rope in the near future.
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