StanleyWheeler

For Flag Day, allow me to quote myself from Dec. 28, 2017:

"For a few minutes, the audience and players, home and away, are united in reverence and respect for the sacrifices of those who brought forth a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, for the brave whose sacrifices have hallowed the cause; we add our devotion to the proposition, with knowledge of past imperfections, but with a desire to preserve this more perfect union." 

When we honor the flag, we honor the nation, its founders, and those who have sacrificed their blood and treasure to protect it. While some prefer to focus upon shortcomings and injustice, both real and imagined, I suggest a recollection and return to the principles of the protection of life, liberty, and property upon which this republic was founded. Theodore Roosevelt said that a successful republic must combine intensity of conviction with broad tolerance for a difference of conviction. He argued, "Bitter internecine hatreds, based on such differences, are signs, not of earnestness of belief, but of that fanaticism which, whether religious or anti-religious, democratic or anti-democratic, is itself a manifestation of the gloomy bigotry which has been the chief factor in the downfall of so many, many nations."

Roosevelt went on to explain that protesters who cannot show love for their own nation because they claim to be citizens of the world, are usually undesirable citizens where ever they may be found. He submitted that anyone who can view his own nation with the same tepid indifference with which he views all other nations is not worthy of trust. That was 110 years go, and it still holds true today. 

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Fun Facts:
When General Gage sent his combination of light infantry and grenadiers (the elite of his army) after Hancock and Adams in Lexington, and the store of arms and powder at Concord, Dr. Joseph Warren (a fictionalized version of whom appears in Threading the Rude Eye) sent off Paul Revere and William Dawes to alert the countryside. Revere crossed the river to Charleston. Dawes traveled up the Boston Neck peninsula and the two met in Lexington. They persuaded Hancock and Adams to leave, before heading for Concord with a third rider, Samuel Prescott who was returning to his home. A British patrol captured Revere, seizing his horse's bridle, and putting they guns to his chest, but Prescott broke free and rode on. Dawes was thrown from his horse; he returned to Lexington on foot. Prescott alone reached Concord to alert the town. Local riders from Lexington and Concord roused the nearby areas.

Gage's troops were delayed by hours because the navy had not provided enough boats to transport them across the Charles River. An advance guard of 238 British soldiers  arrived at dawn in Lexington. Captain John Parker, a 46 year-old farmer and about 60 militiamen--dairy farmers and craftsmen--met them in the village green. 53 year old Major John Pitcairn (a fictionalized version of whom also appears in Threading the Rude Eye) saw the militia as a ragged collection of troublemakers. Pitcairn ordered the militia to lay down their arms. Parker commanded his men to step aside. 

Someone fired. At this time, no one knows who fired the "shot that was heard around the world." Immediately, anxious men on both sides fired. Most of the militiamen broke and ran. Several were shot down. Some of those were bayoneted where they lay. Eight were killed and nine wounded within one minute. One British soldier was wounded. The British searched the town for Hancock and Adams. Not finding either man, the soldiers started for Concord at about 9:oo o'clock. 

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Clamorous Harbingers is on the final proof with ten chapters left. It is possible that it will go live by the end of the week -- but no promises. In the meantime, get started on Threading the Rude Eye, and Power to Hurt. Look into the column at the left for the links to the books. My feedback this week from a reader of Threading the Rude Eye: "This book is great!...Riveting!"