“In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” — Mark Twain

In all Revolutions, really in all conflicts, there is a spark, a beginning. Thus is the story of the American Revolution. The tinder was there, the unhappiness with the Rule of the King had led to pressures and the ground was dry and ready for  a conflagration to spark…..

The Colonists chose to say “NO!” 242 years ago today.

They chose to stand and fight the legally appointed soldiers of the King of England, carrying out legal orders.

They chose to refuse to be disarmed.

Today, 242 years ago, warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes that “the British are coming!”, they chose to stand and fight. To say “NO!”….To do battle with seasoned soldiers in order to keep their way of life and to have their freedom from a King who gave them no representation and who ruled from thousands of miles away.

They chose to keep their guns, and to keep their ammo, in order that they would have a say in what their future would be, rather than be a disarmed serf to be ordered at the whim of the King’s men.

‘Twas on Lexington Green that early in the morning Captain Parker is said to have ordered his men: “Stand your ground; don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”.

Whatever the legend, we do know that several colonist men were shot, and 8 men killed in the exchange of gunfire and the subsequent rush with bayonets.

The bloodshed was to be repaid later that afternoon.

The British marched to Concord, searched the town for arms and powder and shot, finding none, but did find cannon secreted in several places. These cannon were disabled.

The British were foolish enough to fire a shot, beginning the battle of Concord.

The British, after the first skirmish, assembled and took their time before marching back to Lexington on their way to Boston.

The Militia took advantage of the terrain and their familiarity with it, and began sniping and ambushing the column of British Regulars:

“Chasing the red-coats down the lane / Then crossing the fields to emerge again / Under the trees at the turn of the road, / And only pausing to fire and load.”


In Lexington, the British were met with reinforcements, nearly doubling their number.
They rested their men, and began the long march back to Boston.

The Militia, whose numbers grew throughout the day, would stop, shoot, mount their horses, dash ahead, and repeat their depredations of the British. The closer to Boston they got, the more the British suffered at the hands of the growing numbers of Militia.  Menotomy and Cambridge were particularly bloody for the British.

The Revolutionary war had begun in earnest.

Remember those men. They, with their blood, and sweat, and their bravery made the country you have today possible.

Tonight is the 242nd anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride to warn the colonists that the “British are Coming!”

Wadsworth chronicled it later:

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,–
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.”

(click the link to see the rest of the poem)

There were, actually TWO men giving the warning (and later, a third), although William Dawes got screwed and wasn’t mentioned in Wadsworth’s poem.  Both took to horse and rode to Lexington via different routes to warn the colonists along the way as well as the residents of Lexington that the British Regulars, under orders of General Gage were to march  on Concord that evening and confiscate the powder and shot cached there as well as any weapons they could find. (without weapons, the colonists could not effectively fight back!)

Revere risked arrest by crossing the river (in a rowboat) at a time when it was against the rules to do so. He did so anyway risking arrest and imprisonment and waited for the signal from the North Church. One lantern if the British were to travel via land two Lanterns if they were going to travel by sea….

Across the river, Revere (and Dawes) saw two lanterns, and took to horse to warn the colonists. They warned everyone along the way, and Dawes met him in Lexington where they warned Adams and Hancock.. They continued in their travels (accompanied by Samuel Prescott) in an attempt to alert the folks at Concord, but ran into a British Patrol. Prescott got away, Dawes and Revere were detained. Prescott continued to Concord to warn the colonists there.

All in all, the warning carried by Dawes and Revere (and then Prescott) may well have made the difference between there being a successful American Revolution and the leaders of the Revolution being arrested and the colonists weapons and powder and shot with which to fight being confiscated.

Paul Revere, William Dawes (and Sam Prescott) were heroes who realistically saved the Revolution.

Revere got credited by Wadsworth. The others got an honorable mention in the history books. Their   warning led to a victory at Lexington and then at the Colonist were prepared for the British.

Then, as now, timely intelligence on the enemy is vital for planning.

Remember those men, and the others you will read about tomorrow. Without them, we might not have the republic we have today.

Anyone, no matter who you are, that tells me that I don’t pay my “Fair Share” is gonna get punched in the face.

So, on Chicago’s South Side, there were 40 (FORTY) people shot on Easter weekend. Forty people.

‘Twasn’t good Lutherans that did it, nor those rambunctious Amish Yoots. Probably not European ancestry folks either.

The press has studiously avoided telling us the race or giving descriptions of either the victims or the perpetrators, which should tell you something.

Until we can discuss the problem truthfully, we can’t fix the problem.

Yep, I know, I’m a racist.
Truth hurts sometimes though.

Seems that since Trump was elected, there is a rise in citizenship applications.

Some of the spin is that because green card holders now want to be able to vote…So they want to be citizens.

There is also a large group that lived here for years illegally, but never bothered to gain citizenship or any legal status like a green card….

Now, of course, that has changed.

Interesting that once the DNC and their ignoring of immigration laws (and outright violating them in some cases) people wanting to live and work here in the US are bothering to do the right thing.

Funny, that. 

Not so easy when the other side plays by your rules, izzit? 

I have always figured that if you think you need to hide your face, then you feel that your actions are contemptible and something to be ashamed of.

Notice, at Berkely, who wore masks to hide their faces?

And, this is Berkely….As the author says, try this in Texas, or Iowa, or  Kansas or Indiana or pretty much anywhere in the Midwest.

I’ve always found that a protest sign is most effective if it is stapled to a Louisville Slugger or an axe handle...(YMMV, check local laws, etc.). Especially when gripped tightly in both hands.  (“Ain’t nothing like a nice piece of hickory” and all that)

Someone, soon, is gonna get seriously hurt or killed. But hey, they set the rules. Live or die by ’em.

Didja notice in the YouTube, the Trump folks all had First Aid supplies and appeared to know how to use ’em? Planned on taking damage, it appears. I can respect that.

And they ain’t hiding their faces, either.

@calebWilde 11/16 2013:As a mortician, I always tie the shoelaces together of the dead. ‘Cause if there is ever a Zombie Apocalypse, It will be HILARIOUS.”

Via a friend who saw it on a facebook page.

The dealership called to tell me that the truck that I had ordered would be arriving in a week or 10 days…2 weeks at the outside……

Today (Saturday), they told me that it should be here in….2 weeks, maybe a week, ten days…two weeks at the outside.

I am beginning to see a pattern here…. 

Nah, the Secret Service will likely make me take off my gun(s) and knives and other pocket implements of destruction and mayhem. I hate that.

I dunno. I mean, “Victim Disarmament Zone”. I tend to avoid those. I have known 3 Secret Service Agents in my life. One I respect greatly (talking about you, Lee). The other two were Polish and Irish Drunks, with the IQ of a bar piano in a whorehouse…..and that might be insulting the piano.
(In case you didn’t get it, I don’t trust the SS very much…..Certainly not with MY personal security) …plus there is the To and From the event where I would be disarmed….in Atlanta.