 | "There's Justice In The Universe" |
| Posted 2/25/2007 2:14 PM CST When Texas gave up its status as an independent nation to join the Union in 1845, it was guaranteed the right to divide itself into five smaller states. This makes the words “one and indivisible” contained in the pledge of allegiance to the Texas state flag seem rather ironic. I hope Texas teachers recognize this information as a possible ‘teaching moment’ when they lead their students in reciting this pledge each and every day: "Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible." Hmm?! Just think, could Texas have ten Senatorial votes instead of just two? http://www.answers.com/topic/u-s-state |
| Posted 2/21/2007 5:03 PM CST Quote (imagine that it is George Washington speaking): “A chill wind blows off the Delaware. The Durham boats, which usually ferry cargo, lay waiting at the water’s edge. I survey the soldiers before me this Christmas Day. They are a ragtag bunch with mismatched uniforms. Officers wearing remnants of old military dress. Enlisted men in work or hunting clothes. Many without a coat and some without shoes. A few with handkerchiefs for hats. What sets me apart as commander-in-chief is the light-blue ribband running across my chest, and my blue waistcoat with buff trim to complement my buff breeches. Five months of horrific fighting without a single major victory has decimated the ranks. Nearly 90 percent of the men are gone—killed, wounded or deserted. Now I have just 2,400 soldiers. The terms of the enlisted men expire at the end of the year. Their duty done, they’re sure to return to their homes. The disagreeable weather has hampered our progress; there’s no way we’ll get to the Hessian camp before sunrise. The element of surprise is gone. I step into the Durham boat. It’s 60 feet long and flat-bottomed. I take my position at the bow and order the crew to shove off. Eight men lower their long, iron-tipped setting poles into the muck and push. They keep at it, while more men paddle against the current. An eerie calm comes over the boat. The only noise is the grunting of my men and the slap, slap, slap of paddles in the water. We must make it across the river. After that it’s a nine-mile march to Trenton. And then, battle. If we’re defeated again, our great cause is all but lost. [ “I’m sure you’ve seen the famous painting of the Delaware crossing by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. But not many know the harrowing details of the events that inspired the artist. The British had soundly defeated the colonists in New York, driving them off Long Island into Brooklyn and eventually to the northernmost tip of Manhattan. From there they fled across the Hudson River to New Jersey. As they marched through Newark, a young officer, Lieutenant James Monroe (yes, that James Monroe) counted the troops. Their number had shrunk from 30,000 men to about 3,000. The British brutally exploited the situation. They imported Hessian mercenaries to solidify their grip on New Jersey, and the colonists fled once again, this time to Pennsylvania. “These are the times that try men’s souls,” Thomas Paine wrote in a pamphlet published just seven days earlier. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” “Washington made one last desperate plan: attack the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The troops assembled at McKonkey’s Ferry on Christmas. The plan was for the army and all its supplies and artillery to be on the New Jersey side of the river by midnight. But Nature itself seemed to turn against Washington. A fierce nor’easter swept into the Delaware Valley. Rain, sleet and snow made it impossible to see more than a few feet. The river was clogged with ice. Yet when Washington ordered them to shove off, they did. “On a calm day, crossing the Delaware at that point by Durham boat takes perhaps five minutes. That night it took more than seven hours to get the boats across. Finally reaching the opposite shore, Washington sat on an old wooden box and gathered his cloak around himself. His plan was in ruins. They really had no chance of reaching Trenton before daylight. Yet Washington couldn’t turn back. There was nowhere left to run. So they had to march on to Trenton. “Contrary to legend, the Hessian forces were not drunk from celebrating. These were crack troops who slept with their rifles and were constantly alert. It was the weather that Christmas night, not drink, that made them drop their guard. It was a rout: Washington’s men took more than 900 prisoners—about half the Hessian force—and lost not a single man. News of the colonists stunning victory spread like wildfire, reinvigorating the cause. That night turned the tide of the war. There was nothing inevitable about what had happened. Everything that could have gone wrong, did. It only came to pass because of the determination and leadership of George Washington. Following him, a small group of men changed the course of the nation and the world…..” ] by James Gibson MY COMMENT: Going through school, I'd always had the impression that the boats used to cross the Delaware were just rowboats. This article makes it clear exactly what the boats were / that they were a lot more sensible than I'd been led to believe. Also, it's nice to know that the Hessians weren't just a drunken bunch of hungover louts as I'd been taught in American History. Real History is always a lot more interesting than what's being taught in many classrooms. Fewer coaches and more historians need to be hired to teach Social Studies. |
| Posted 2/19/2007 4:20 PM CST QUOTE: “He first left home at the age of 16, after his father died. By 1602, the future hero of Jamestown was a soldier of fortune in Romania hired by Austria to fight the Ottoman Turks. As the Austrians besieged an Ottoman stronghold, the Muslim commander, Lord Turbashaw, issued a challenge. He would come out and meet any Christian foe in a horseman-vs.-horseman duel, one life against another. With trumpets sounding and ladies cheering, Smith, 22, donned a knight's armor and accepted the challenge. On the first thrust of his lance, he pierced the Turk's armor at its weakest spot, the facemask visor that allowed the rider to see. For a gift to his general, Smith severed the Ottoman's head—a deed that enraged Turbashaw's friend Grualgo. The next day, Smith did battle with Grualgo. The Englishman won again, this time with a well-placed pistol ball that unhorsed the Turk. Smith collected Grualgo's head, too. Smith then challenged any other foe. Hence, a duel with a Turk named Mulgro, using battle-axes. Mulgro's ax hit so hard that Smith was left with only a small sword. But "beyond all mens expectation, by Gods assistance," he dodged the next blow and stabbed the Turk in the back. The Ottoman fell and, in Smith's words, "lost his head, as the rest had done." As a reward, the young captain received an insignia bearing three Turk heads. He was wearing it when a "dismall battell" a few months later left him wounded and prostrate amid thousands of corpses. Pillagers noticed the insignia, judged Smith a man of esteem thus worth money, and sold him into slavery. He ended up on a Turkish farm where his head was shaved and an iron ring put around his neck. One day as he threshed grain, his master rode by to "beat, spurne, and revile" him. Smith clubbed his oppressor to death with a thresher, donned the man's clothes, and—with iron ring still around his neck—rode his horse to friendly Russia.” This is no more surprising than other information given in the U.S.News& World Report January 29th issue…. which is online at: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29smith.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29jamestown.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29jamestown.b.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29pocahontas.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29african.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29archaeology.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29globe.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29travel.htm |
| Posted 2/16/2007 5:09 PM CST ……whereas only 8 anti-Amnesty lobbyists are working on Capitol Hill. If you think that just maybe corporate interests are pushing for population increase in order to keep the labor supply plentiful and minimize wages, then you’re correct. Our economy is based upon “cheap” petroleum & those days are coming to an end. When our economic situation tightens, it’ll be too late to prevent to tell those illegal immigrants already here to go home….this will be their home. We need to enforce our immigration laws now --- not later. The time for ‘sitting on our thumbs’ is over. The choice is yours. WWW.NUMBERSUSA.COM WWW.NUMBERSUSA.ORG www.preview.tinyurl.com/2rnte9 www.numbersusa.com/donation.html |
| Posted 2/14/2007 5:27 PM CST A new vaccine can prevent millions of cases of cervical cancer ---- but only if it reaches those most at risk……for contracting “human papillomavirus”. Some argue that removing the threat of genital warts and cancer would encourage teens to engage in premarital sex. Other anti-vaccination groups want more testing on the vaccine, even though 11,000 girls and women worldwide have been vaccinated with no serious side effects. Some resist because of the vaccine’s high cost ---- $360 for a 3-shot regime. If this vaccine becomes an option only to those able to pay for it, then it’s the daughters of lower-income families (who are at the highest risk) will suffer the most because they often don’t get the pap smears that allow early detection. If the state doesn’t “mandate” the HPV vaccine, then the $360 price tag will put it out of the reach of those who would benefit the most. My opinion: Mandate it / but allow an easy “opt out” for those who don’t want it. http://preview.tinyurl.com/28mrtg |
| Posted 2/12/2007 3:47 PM CST If you have an open spot in your yard or elsewhere where a native tree/bush would thrive…. and if, perhaps, you have a youngster who’d like to partake in a meaningful Spring initiated ritual…. then consider that sprouting a sapling (for planting) might “fill the bill”. If so, then consider taking that acorn/seed(s) you’ve collected and planting it in a large juice can filled with potting soil [Just make sure you’ve ‘can-openered out both ends of the can….and then put the bottom one back into place]. Set it into a shallow container (e.g., pan, pie plate, bottom of a milk jug) to collect any seepage. Place it in a location where the ‘plantmeister’ will see it daily and thus be reminded to check it for moistness. When the plant is fully sprouted, move it outside to a spot where it’ll be properly tended to until you decide to put it in the ground. When you plant it, leave the can on / simply take the false bottom off. The roots will grow out the bottom. The sides of the can will help channel the water you pour downwards and minimize evaporation (the metal will rust away far before it’d ever cause the plant any problems). Keep the soil moist (in the summer, this’ll require daily watering). Note: It’d be best to avoid planting it during the heat of summer. If your youngster lets the plant die, consider it a “life lesson”….and that the grieving period for a plant is short. The project can be repeated. Failure is criteria for postponing any commitments to animals as pets. After success, you and the kiddos can possibly consider their working their way up to harder-to-tend plants, goldfish, hamsters, etcetera. Remember: Cats and dogs are very long term commitments and should require an impressive ‘track record’ of success before even considering. |
| Posted 2/9/2007 7:30 PM CST If you're not a bigot but are still concerned with escalating USA population growth due to ever increasing immigration numbers, then I suggest looking here: www.preview.tinyurl.com/2q42y5 http://www.numbersusa.com/index http://www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet |
| Posted 1/31/2007 4:50 PM CST An inexpensive and simple art project for youngsters to begin with is for them to take sheets of colored paper (choose colors that complement one another / example- red, yellow, orange, purple) and cut them into 2" strips. Then use hand held single large hole punchers to punch out scads of colored chads…. thoroughly mix them before using. Buy picture frames with glass inserts at the Dollar Store. Take out the card board insert from behind the glass and coat heavily with Elmer's Glue & then sprinkle your dots on it. Place the glass on top of it so the glue will set and put a moderately heavy book on top. When dry, reinsert the glass into the frame along with the glass. Your kiddo now have a 'hangable' colored dot collage work of art. For kids a little older, they can individually dab a spot of glue on each dot of a selected color(s) and slowly create lines, patterns, etcetera [Pointillism]…. can even fill in coloring book pages this way. If they use colored markers, they can create the same effects … let them get creative. www.preview.tinyurl.com/2ubv7v |
| Posted 1/28/2007 5:38 PM CST Each time you find yourself wishing there was something you could do about a particular problem in the world, consider what organization would best serve your beliefs…. then, once each month, mail a $30 check to the group that best represents your interests. That’s a dollar a day to support what you say you believe in. For me, it’s organizations such as: nelconline.org sierraclub.org nature.org cleanwateraction.org sosalliance.org environmenttexas.org environmentaldefense.org aquiferalliance.org numbersusa.org populationinstitute.org wildlifewarriors.org uspirg.org texastollparty.com Overall, I personally believe that too many people in the world cheapens life & by the same token heightens the value of wildlife and wilderness areas. |
Posted 1/25/2007 5:10 PM CST
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3c6g74
