Tonight was the first rehearsal for our (almost) annual Christmas musical; "Sarah Wesley's Christmas Tree". I wrote this show several years ago and performed a leading role in it at its premier. Since then, the very talented Todd Stuart had the role. He took a powder to Philly last year and isn't available to do the part anymore. So we held a moment of silent prayer in memory of Todd... and on I go...
Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church
13200 E. Bagley Road
Middleburg Heights, Ohio
In cooperation with Mark Foster Music Company and Shawnee Press
Presents
Sarah Wesley’s Christmas Tree
A Christmas Musical in Three Acts
With Dinner!
Book by James F Szakacs and Ann Montz
Musical Arrangements by Herbert Bielawa, Ginger Cover-Colla, Bradley Ellingboe, Z. Randall Stroope, Rene’ Clausen,Richard Donohue, James McKelvy, and Jerome Wright
Directed by James F Szakacs
Musical Direction by Bruce R. Giles
Friday, December 2, 2005 - 7:00pm
Saturday, December 3, 2005 - 7:00pm
Sunday, December 4, 2005 - 6:00pm
Thursday, December 8, 2005 - 7:00pm
Friday, December 9, 2005 - 7:00pm
Saturday, December 10, 2005 - 7:00pm
Sunday, December 11, 2005 - 6:00pm
Reserved Seating $28.00 includes dinner
roast pork with dressing, potatoes, vegetables, salad, rolls, dessert and beverages
Call: 440-234-5229 for tickets
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
More monday morning quarterbacking
Recently a 15 year old male was shot and killed by Cleveland Police Officers conducting a search of his home. It seems he was suspected of multiple cases of robbing pizza deliverymen at knifepoint. The officers went to his home with a search warrant and while conducting their search, were "allegedly" attacked by the young man wielding a knife.
Of course the community is outraged that these two officers found it necessary to protect themeselves by shooting this fine upstanding citizen.
This morning, Cleveland Plain Dealer Reporter Regina Brett raised several issues surrounding this incident. Following is a copy of an email I sent her. Since it will never make it to the paper, I publish it here...
Regina...
You really disapointed me today. You are usually level headed, fair, and right on point. Today however I think you are WAY out...
Near the end of your article you asked the question; "Did it take 10 shots to stop him? Couldn't armed police wearing bulletproof vests disarm a boy with a knife?"
Please Regina consider the following...
1) Bulletproof vests are NO protection from knives. This is primarily due to the fact that they do not cover arms, hands, faces, necks, legs, groins, etc.
2) This "boy" is 15 years old. a man by physical standards.
3) "armed police"; these are key words. Police are armed to protect themselves and society from "clear and present dangers". When an officer draws his/her weapon it is because either they, their partner, or another individual is in grave danger. These decisions must be made in split seconds. I believe that even the most liberal of liberals would have to admit that a knife wielding man lunging at you would be considered a clear and present danger.
4) Consider "split seconds"; How large was Brandon's bedroom? Let's assume it is a larger than normal bedroom, say...15'x15'. Do this experiment; either at home or in the comfort of your office have someone lunge at you from 15' away. How long does it take them to cover that ground and be on top of you? Now have your "attacker" pick up a knife ( how long of a knife? Use something the length of the one Brandon was caught with previously. Oh wait, that's not fair we don't know if it was that large. Let's make it only 3" instead of 8".) Now, have your "attacker" lunge at you brandishing that knife. Still not convinced? Replace your "attacker" with someone you don't know. Replace him with someone who is known to have used a knife on multiple occassions to rob other people. Is the scenario getting more intense?
5) Consider that even with 1 or 2 fatal shots in a lunging body, death does not come fast enough to protect you from attack in the final few "split seconds" before life ends. The attacker will continue to move toward you and most likely still be in attack mode. ( Shooting to wound would not be an option either now would it?)
In those few "split seconds" you consider the safety of yourself, your partner, anyone else in the vacinity. You consider your loved ones who you might be leaving behind... You don't have a taser because they have not been approved yet by your department because somewhere someone on crack-cocaine with a pre-existing heart condition might die if they are tasered... ( sorry this is another topic all together.)
Now ask yourself Regina... How many times would you pull the trigger?
Of course the community is outraged that these two officers found it necessary to protect themeselves by shooting this fine upstanding citizen.
This morning, Cleveland Plain Dealer Reporter Regina Brett raised several issues surrounding this incident. Following is a copy of an email I sent her. Since it will never make it to the paper, I publish it here...
Regina...
You really disapointed me today. You are usually level headed, fair, and right on point. Today however I think you are WAY out...
Near the end of your article you asked the question; "Did it take 10 shots to stop him? Couldn't armed police wearing bulletproof vests disarm a boy with a knife?"
Please Regina consider the following...
1) Bulletproof vests are NO protection from knives. This is primarily due to the fact that they do not cover arms, hands, faces, necks, legs, groins, etc.
2) This "boy" is 15 years old. a man by physical standards.
3) "armed police"; these are key words. Police are armed to protect themselves and society from "clear and present dangers". When an officer draws his/her weapon it is because either they, their partner, or another individual is in grave danger. These decisions must be made in split seconds. I believe that even the most liberal of liberals would have to admit that a knife wielding man lunging at you would be considered a clear and present danger.
4) Consider "split seconds"; How large was Brandon's bedroom? Let's assume it is a larger than normal bedroom, say...15'x15'. Do this experiment; either at home or in the comfort of your office have someone lunge at you from 15' away. How long does it take them to cover that ground and be on top of you? Now have your "attacker" pick up a knife ( how long of a knife? Use something the length of the one Brandon was caught with previously. Oh wait, that's not fair we don't know if it was that large. Let's make it only 3" instead of 8".) Now, have your "attacker" lunge at you brandishing that knife. Still not convinced? Replace your "attacker" with someone you don't know. Replace him with someone who is known to have used a knife on multiple occassions to rob other people. Is the scenario getting more intense?
5) Consider that even with 1 or 2 fatal shots in a lunging body, death does not come fast enough to protect you from attack in the final few "split seconds" before life ends. The attacker will continue to move toward you and most likely still be in attack mode. ( Shooting to wound would not be an option either now would it?)
In those few "split seconds" you consider the safety of yourself, your partner, anyone else in the vacinity. You consider your loved ones who you might be leaving behind... You don't have a taser because they have not been approved yet by your department because somewhere someone on crack-cocaine with a pre-existing heart condition might die if they are tasered... ( sorry this is another topic all together.)
Now ask yourself Regina... How many times would you pull the trigger?
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Who else can we blame?
Why do we find it necessary to find blame for everything that happens on this earth?
The Democrats are screaming that the current administration is doing a lousy job of responding to what we know is the worst natural disaster ever to occur in this country.
If the Democrats were in control, the Republicans would be doing the same thing.
Personally, it all makes me sick. To think that anyone could have responded any faster or better is preposterous. Wake up America!
Could the government possibly be better prepared? Of course they could. In fact, if we as a society were willing to increase our taxes to ridiculous levels, the government could fund research and preparation for virtually every conceivable and inconceivable tragedy that could occur. But that wouldn't be reasonable now would it?
Monday morning quarterbacking in this country has become an artform.
How about this... Democrats, Republicans, whites, blacks, hispanics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, MEDIA... let's start thinking like rational, caring human beings and band together to overcome this tragedy instead of spending energy and resource to point fingers and promote personal and political agendas.
The Democrats are screaming that the current administration is doing a lousy job of responding to what we know is the worst natural disaster ever to occur in this country.
If the Democrats were in control, the Republicans would be doing the same thing.
Personally, it all makes me sick. To think that anyone could have responded any faster or better is preposterous. Wake up America!
Could the government possibly be better prepared? Of course they could. In fact, if we as a society were willing to increase our taxes to ridiculous levels, the government could fund research and preparation for virtually every conceivable and inconceivable tragedy that could occur. But that wouldn't be reasonable now would it?
Monday morning quarterbacking in this country has become an artform.
How about this... Democrats, Republicans, whites, blacks, hispanics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, MEDIA... let's start thinking like rational, caring human beings and band together to overcome this tragedy instead of spending energy and resource to point fingers and promote personal and political agendas.
Friday, September 02, 2005
100% of your contribution will go to hurricane relief
UMCOR: Hurricane Relief
Hurricane Katrina carried heavy rains and high winds that wrought catastrophic damage to the Gulf Coast. UMCOR is there, responding to the needs of the thousands of people affected by this disaster. UMCOR will continue to provide assistance to the people left most vulnerable by this storm for years to come.
Donations to the United Methodist Committee on Relief's (UMCOR) Hurricanes Global (Advance #982523) response can be made online through UMC.org's secure server.
www.umc.org
Your tax-deductible gift may be placed in United Methodist church offering plates or sent directly to: UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be made out to: UMCOR. Please list in the memo area of your check "UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 Global". Donations are also being taken by phone at 1-800-554-8583.
Hurricane Katrina carried heavy rains and high winds that wrought catastrophic damage to the Gulf Coast. UMCOR is there, responding to the needs of the thousands of people affected by this disaster. UMCOR will continue to provide assistance to the people left most vulnerable by this storm for years to come.
Donations to the United Methodist Committee on Relief's (UMCOR) Hurricanes Global (Advance #982523) response can be made online through UMC.org's secure server.
www.umc.org
Your tax-deductible gift may be placed in United Methodist church offering plates or sent directly to: UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be made out to: UMCOR. Please list in the memo area of your check "UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 Global". Donations are also being taken by phone at 1-800-554-8583.
Friday, August 19, 2005
I don't know where all of that time went. I have an increasing appreciation for Bob Segers' "Like A Rock".I still feel like I'm 25 or so, but that can't be because my oldest daughter is 24.Life is good. When I was 16 I was convinced that I would meet with some tragic early death and never see 18. So every year after that has been a gift.
Stood there boldly
Sweatin’ in the sun
Felt like a million
Felt like number one
The height of summer
I’d never felt that strong
Like a rock
I was eighteen
Didn’t have a care
Working for peanuts
Not a dime to spare
But I was lean and
Solid everywhere
Like a rock
My hands were steady
My eyes were clear and bright
My walk had purpose
My steps were quick and light
And I held firmly
To what I felt was right
Like a rock
Like a rock, I was strong as I could be
Like a rock, nothin’ ever got to me
Like a rock, I was something to see
Like a rock
And I stood arrow straight
Unencumbered by the weight
Of all these hustlers and their schemes
I stood proud, I stood tall
High above it all
I still believed in my dreams
Thirty years now
Where’d they go?
Thirty years
I don’t know
Sit and I wonder sometimes
Where they’ve gone
And sometimes late at night
When I’m bathed in the firelight
The moon comes callin’ a ghostly white
And I recall
Recall
Like a rock. standin’ arrow straight
Like a rock, chargin’ from the gate
Like a rock, carryin’ the weight
Like a rock
Lihe a rock, the sun upon my skin
Like a rock, hard against the wind
Like a rock, I see myself again
Like a rock
Bob Seger
Stood there boldly
Sweatin’ in the sun
Felt like a million
Felt like number one
The height of summer
I’d never felt that strong
Like a rock
I was eighteen
Didn’t have a care
Working for peanuts
Not a dime to spare
But I was lean and
Solid everywhere
Like a rock
My hands were steady
My eyes were clear and bright
My walk had purpose
My steps were quick and light
And I held firmly
To what I felt was right
Like a rock
Like a rock, I was strong as I could be
Like a rock, nothin’ ever got to me
Like a rock, I was something to see
Like a rock
And I stood arrow straight
Unencumbered by the weight
Of all these hustlers and their schemes
I stood proud, I stood tall
High above it all
I still believed in my dreams
Thirty years now
Where’d they go?
Thirty years
I don’t know
Sit and I wonder sometimes
Where they’ve gone
And sometimes late at night
When I’m bathed in the firelight
The moon comes callin’ a ghostly white
And I recall
Recall
Like a rock. standin’ arrow straight
Like a rock, chargin’ from the gate
Like a rock, carryin’ the weight
Like a rock
Lihe a rock, the sun upon my skin
Like a rock, hard against the wind
Like a rock, I see myself again
Like a rock
Bob Seger
Friday, August 12, 2005
Differences
A Marine from our town was buried today…He was 25 years old. The same age as my daughter and her friends…He wanted to be a policeman.
There were several thousands of people at the service. The funeral procession went on for miles. It included relatives, friends, acquaintances, representatives of every branch of the armed services, politicians, dignitaries, representatives from at least 50 police departments, two motorcycle clubs, and hundreds of people who never met this young man; they just wanted to pay their respects and say thank you and goodbye to a hero.
As a Reserve Police Officer, I had the honor of playing a small role in this dramatic farewell. I worked all night then spent a long hot morning assisting with traffic and security. It was the least I could do.
Two things occurred to me;
First, as more of our son’s and daughter’s come home in boxes, there will be less and less attention…
Second, if the people who hate the U.S. so much were right about us, we would have approached the terrorism situation much differently… Instead of sending our son’s and daughter’s as liberators, we would have sent our bombers until the mid-east were nothing but ashes. Then we would have sealed our borders, and deported, imprisoned, or executed anyone who matched the profile of our enemies.
We don’t think that way however. As a country we never enter war as conquerors but as defenders and liberators. As citizens, despite our differing political views we support our troops as they defend the principals of freedom, wherever they are sent.
And unlike the terrorists who embrace and welcome death…we value life, and we mourn.
There were several thousands of people at the service. The funeral procession went on for miles. It included relatives, friends, acquaintances, representatives of every branch of the armed services, politicians, dignitaries, representatives from at least 50 police departments, two motorcycle clubs, and hundreds of people who never met this young man; they just wanted to pay their respects and say thank you and goodbye to a hero.
As a Reserve Police Officer, I had the honor of playing a small role in this dramatic farewell. I worked all night then spent a long hot morning assisting with traffic and security. It was the least I could do.
Two things occurred to me;
First, as more of our son’s and daughter’s come home in boxes, there will be less and less attention…
Second, if the people who hate the U.S. so much were right about us, we would have approached the terrorism situation much differently… Instead of sending our son’s and daughter’s as liberators, we would have sent our bombers until the mid-east were nothing but ashes. Then we would have sealed our borders, and deported, imprisoned, or executed anyone who matched the profile of our enemies.
We don’t think that way however. As a country we never enter war as conquerors but as defenders and liberators. As citizens, despite our differing political views we support our troops as they defend the principals of freedom, wherever they are sent.
And unlike the terrorists who embrace and welcome death…we value life, and we mourn.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Bitten again.
Integrity, honesty, and loyalty. Three attributes that everyone should appreciate in their friends, relatives, and business acquaintances. Why is it, that despite my committment to these qualities, I keep getting bitten on the ass?
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Rain
It’s raining today. It feels good.
It has been very hot and humid lately, only threatening to rain during the day with an occasional shower at night. Sometimes, I just feel like I need a rainy day. It relieves me of my “responsibilities” to work in the yard and be productive. It gives me a day off to relax and think.
We’ve had a lot to think about lately. My Dad discovered he had all five major arteries to his heart blocked anywhere from 90 to 100%. This caused damage to his mitral valve.
All week, I felt like it should be raining.
At 79 it could have been the end. But Dad is tough. He survived the South Pacific in WWII. This wasn’t going to bring him down.
One full week of tests and waiting for surgery culminated with 5 hours of surgery. It’s been almost two full days since the surgery was completed. He had a minor bout with his blood pressure, but in general he is cruising to a renewed life of energy and life.
We go though life thinking that “things” will always be the same. Then one day, something dramatic happens and you realize that anyone of us could experience anything at anytime that could change our patterns of life forever. This was one of those experiences. The thought of losing my Dad had me terrified.
I took inventory of all the things he has meant to me. He taught me how to fix things around the house. He taught me how to work. He taught me how to have a sense of humor. He taught me how to be a husband, and how to be a father. As he ages and talks more about his WWII experiences, he has taught me about bravery, sacrifice, honor, and faith. I doubt that he realizes this because he is not a man of ego.
As I visited him in the hospital yesterday, I told him he was my hero. He just smiled through his pain and looked a little embarrassed at the possibility that he could be a hero. But as I watched him face this difficult surgery and begin his recovery, he demonstrates once again just how tough he is. No complaints, just determination to get through it and not inconvenience anyone while he does.
It’s raining today. The sky is dark and there is the ominous sound of thunder. At some moments it is so dark it seems like the Sun is gone forever. The thunder is deafening and sounds treacherous. Finding out that you or a loved one is seriously ill is kind of like that. Everything sounds scary and treacherous. The world becomes tenuous. At moments you feel like the Sun has disappeared forever. The rain comes, harder at some times than others. Then after a time, the rain stops, the thunder ends, and Sun returns. The effects on the Earth are immediately apparent. The grass has grown; the garden shows immediate signs of increased yield. The pond looks refreshed and clean. The air smells clean again, and we have all been refreshed and restored.
It’s raining today. It feels good.
It has been very hot and humid lately, only threatening to rain during the day with an occasional shower at night. Sometimes, I just feel like I need a rainy day. It relieves me of my “responsibilities” to work in the yard and be productive. It gives me a day off to relax and think.
We’ve had a lot to think about lately. My Dad discovered he had all five major arteries to his heart blocked anywhere from 90 to 100%. This caused damage to his mitral valve.
All week, I felt like it should be raining.
At 79 it could have been the end. But Dad is tough. He survived the South Pacific in WWII. This wasn’t going to bring him down.
One full week of tests and waiting for surgery culminated with 5 hours of surgery. It’s been almost two full days since the surgery was completed. He had a minor bout with his blood pressure, but in general he is cruising to a renewed life of energy and life.
We go though life thinking that “things” will always be the same. Then one day, something dramatic happens and you realize that anyone of us could experience anything at anytime that could change our patterns of life forever. This was one of those experiences. The thought of losing my Dad had me terrified.
I took inventory of all the things he has meant to me. He taught me how to fix things around the house. He taught me how to work. He taught me how to have a sense of humor. He taught me how to be a husband, and how to be a father. As he ages and talks more about his WWII experiences, he has taught me about bravery, sacrifice, honor, and faith. I doubt that he realizes this because he is not a man of ego.
As I visited him in the hospital yesterday, I told him he was my hero. He just smiled through his pain and looked a little embarrassed at the possibility that he could be a hero. But as I watched him face this difficult surgery and begin his recovery, he demonstrates once again just how tough he is. No complaints, just determination to get through it and not inconvenience anyone while he does.
It’s raining today. The sky is dark and there is the ominous sound of thunder. At some moments it is so dark it seems like the Sun is gone forever. The thunder is deafening and sounds treacherous. Finding out that you or a loved one is seriously ill is kind of like that. Everything sounds scary and treacherous. The world becomes tenuous. At moments you feel like the Sun has disappeared forever. The rain comes, harder at some times than others. Then after a time, the rain stops, the thunder ends, and Sun returns. The effects on the Earth are immediately apparent. The grass has grown; the garden shows immediate signs of increased yield. The pond looks refreshed and clean. The air smells clean again, and we have all been refreshed and restored.
It’s raining today. It feels good.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Check out my zucchini
The weather here has been perfect for the garden. Hot, humid, periods of rain. Consequently we are being overun by zucchini. In two days, we have harvested over 2 dozen. There are at least that many to be picked tomorrow and more coming up. We have already had zucchini omelets. Tonight we are frying zucchini sticks. The bread will start later this week. We are thinking zucchini parmesan... If you have any zucchini recipes send them our way before we are buried in them.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Water World
If you are wondering where I have been...
Check out my new backyard pond shown above.
This also explains my sore back.
Check out my new backyard pond shown above.
This also explains my sore back.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Where did everybody go?
About a week ago, a name from my youth popped into my head, and I wondered "whatever happened to Russ?" I went online and put his name into the smartpages search and nothing came up. I got busy with something else and didn't do any further research. Then two nights ago my wife and I walked into a local ice cream shop. As we moved away from the counter, Russ was standing there with his family. It's probably been more than 20 years since we last saw each other. I live in Ohio, he lives in Florida. He just happened to be visiting the area, and there we were...Buddies from high school both amazed at the chance meeting, and both looking "exactly the same" as we did back in '73.
Time is a strange science. Our memories stand still for us so that we can call upon them anytime. But time marches on. We leave high school graduation vowing to stay in touch. Then a lifetime later we run into each other by chance and wonder...where did it go? Why didn't we stay in touch.
The strangest part of this occurance with Russ, is that it is second time this has happened. Back in 1984 I found myself wondering what he was up to, then ran into him working in a retail store in New Philidelphia, Ohio a few days later.
I really think we are supposed to stay in touch, so through the miracle of email, I will do my best. If however for some reason we don't, Russ will live on in my memory banks to visit anytime, just like Steve, Kathy, Marty, Lee, Janet, Jeff, Dean, Mona, Loretta, Jill, Dan, Glen, Bill, Mark,Laurice, Bob, Alex, Lucy,Denise........
Do something cool for yourself... Make contact with an old friend that you haven't seen in a long time. It will refresh your soul.
Time is a strange science. Our memories stand still for us so that we can call upon them anytime. But time marches on. We leave high school graduation vowing to stay in touch. Then a lifetime later we run into each other by chance and wonder...where did it go? Why didn't we stay in touch.
The strangest part of this occurance with Russ, is that it is second time this has happened. Back in 1984 I found myself wondering what he was up to, then ran into him working in a retail store in New Philidelphia, Ohio a few days later.
I really think we are supposed to stay in touch, so through the miracle of email, I will do my best. If however for some reason we don't, Russ will live on in my memory banks to visit anytime, just like Steve, Kathy, Marty, Lee, Janet, Jeff, Dean, Mona, Loretta, Jill, Dan, Glen, Bill, Mark,Laurice, Bob, Alex, Lucy,Denise........
Do something cool for yourself... Make contact with an old friend that you haven't seen in a long time. It will refresh your soul.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Lives, Fortunes, and Honor
I am posting the Declaration of Independence. You might think I am trite and uncreative. Go ahead. The document gives you the right. You might think I am opinionated and overzelous in my patriotism. It's ok. The document gives you the right. As you read my previous posts, you might think I am over critical of the media. That's ok, the document gives me the right. I could go on but I think you get the point.
The Declaration of Independence gives us the right to be humans. Free to be who we are and who we were meant to be. It gives us the right to write, to speak, to have voice in the government of our country. It gives us the right to work, to be educated, to marry who we choose, to live where we want, to create wealth, to keep our wealth, to bear arms, to worship our God, and to be happy. It gives us these rights as long as we don't trample on the rights of others.
The Declaration of Independence is a remarkable document the we don't read often enough. The men who crafted it and had the courage to sign it, risked everything they had to do so. Many suffered great loss because of their defense of this document.
It's way too easy for us to forget why we celebrate various holidays. In the hustle and bustle of each we get focused on the celebration and not the cause of the celebration.
It is fourth of July weekend. Before you eat your hot dogs and drink too much beer, take a moment and read the Declaration. Be sure to read the names of each man who signed it. Reflect upon their gift to you. Give thanks for those who died to preserve it, and pray for those who are still fighting to defend it.
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When 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 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 to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; 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. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
The Declaration of Independence gives us the right to be humans. Free to be who we are and who we were meant to be. It gives us the right to write, to speak, to have voice in the government of our country. It gives us the right to work, to be educated, to marry who we choose, to live where we want, to create wealth, to keep our wealth, to bear arms, to worship our God, and to be happy. It gives us these rights as long as we don't trample on the rights of others.
The Declaration of Independence is a remarkable document the we don't read often enough. The men who crafted it and had the courage to sign it, risked everything they had to do so. Many suffered great loss because of their defense of this document.
It's way too easy for us to forget why we celebrate various holidays. In the hustle and bustle of each we get focused on the celebration and not the cause of the celebration.
It is fourth of July weekend. Before you eat your hot dogs and drink too much beer, take a moment and read the Declaration. Be sure to read the names of each man who signed it. Reflect upon their gift to you. Give thanks for those who died to preserve it, and pray for those who are still fighting to defend it.
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When 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 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 to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; 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. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
Pomp and Circumstance
It's graduation season. We know alot of people who are graduating from high school and college. In their honor, I am posting these words from Bill Gates...I couldn't have said it better myself;
11 rules for living:
Rule 1: life is not fair – get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be vice-president with a car until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait ‘till you meet your boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for flipping burgers – they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault. So don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way by paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: TV is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.
11 rules for living:
Rule 1: life is not fair – get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be vice-president with a car until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait ‘till you meet your boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for flipping burgers – they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault. So don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way by paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: TV is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
