But what of those signatories who pledged … “our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor…”?

Fortunately, Rush Limbaugh has a piece up with the text of the speech his father used to give each July 4th.

It chronicles what many of the signatories went through as a result of their decision to stand up to King George.

Here are a few excerpts;

What kind of men were the 56 signers who adopted the Declaration of Independence and who, by their signing, committed an act of treason against the crown? To each of you, the names Franklin, Adams, Hancock and Jefferson are almost as familiar as household words. Most of us, however, know nothing of the other signers. Who were they? What happened to them?

I imagine that many of you are somewhat surprised at the names not there: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry. All were elsewhere.

Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen were under 40; three were in their 20s. Of the 56 almost half - 24 - were judges and lawyers. Eleven were merchants, nine were landowners and farmers, and the remaining 12 were doctors, ministers, and politicians.

What happened to them as a result of their signing the Declaration Of Independence?

Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.

Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered — and his estates in what is now Harlem — completely destroyed by British Soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark.He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship Jersey, where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons’ lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man’s heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: “No.”

Please remember what the 4th of July means to all of us. It is much more than baseball games, backyard barbeque and beer. It is immortal in the annals of Man.

-Thai

Here it is…

The culprit??

Global Climate Change !!!

That’s right. Jupiter is in the throes of climate change in which it is apparently warming up by anywhere between 15 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

We’ve been told by the “green lobby” for years , that humans are the cause of the warming of the Earth. Now, Jupiter is warming too.

Which naturally begs the question…

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You cannot embrace an Obama-like use of words which signify nothing and expect the public to buy what you’re shoveling!

Her most recent comments regarding Iran, our troops and our policy in Iraq have shown her to be completely out-of-touch with reality.

She was speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle and said the following;

Well, the purpose of the surge was to provide a secure space. A time for political change to accomplish the reconciliation. That didn’t happen. Whatever the military and the progress that may have been made, the surge didn’t accomplish its goal.  And some of the success of the surge is that the goodwill of the Iranians. They decided in Basra when the fighting would end. They negotiated the cessation of hostilities…the Iranians 

Excuse me Madame Speaker…but you’re lying!!

Iraq’s Prime Minister has shown great courage in going after the Sadrists and clearing out Basra. The Sadrists had to sue for a cease fire, which was not offered nor given, and have been routed from many of the areas where they used to operate. This show of force allowed the Sunni blocs to re-enter the government and reunify with their Iraqi brethren.

Iraq has in short order;

• Gone after the Sadr militias
• Enacted oil legislation with equitable distribution of oil revenues
• Passed a budget
• Cleared the way for provincial elections this Fall

Want to know how I know this??

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Japan is recognizing that with oil prices as high as $135 a barrel that suddenly, alternative forms of energy are now becoming more attractive options.

But after decades of seemingly terminal decline, Japan’s coal country is stirring again. With energy prices reaching record highs — oil settled above $135 a barrel on Thursday — Japan’s high-cost mines are suddenly competitive again, and demand for their coal is booming. Production has jumped to its highest in nearly four decades, creating a sensation rarely felt in these mining communities: hope.

“We are seeing a flicker of light after long darkness,” said Michio Sakurai, the mayor of Bibai, on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. “We never imagined coal would actually make a comeback.”

Soaring commodity prices have had distorting effects across the global economy, driving up food prices and prompting fears of future energy shortages. But they have been an unanticipated boon to the coal producing regions of countries like Japan that had written off coal mining as a relic of the Industrial Revolution.

This is basic economics. As a commodity goes up in price, seemingly expensive options suddenly become cost-effective to use.

Remember, we’ve also had the technological ability to turn coal into a synthetic oil so that it can be refined to use in our automobiles. When did we have this technology?  The 1920’s - when German scientists developed it!

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Last Saturday was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby which was won by Big Brown.

Eight Belles, a filly, was running in the race and finished second behind Big Brown.

Immediately after the race finished, disaster struck.

Eight Belles was galloping for another quarter mile past the finish when she broke both of her front ankles.

She was euthanized on the spot.

Now PETA has issued their familiar calls to ban the jockey, riding crops and to prevent the racing of horses under the age of 3. I don’t think any of the above (except increasing the age of the horses who are able to race) is the proper way to go. The jockey did everything right and his use of the crop avoided an in-race disaster that could’ve incorporated other riders and horses. Waiting to race horses until they are a bit stronger is the best solution PETA has proposed so-far.

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As you are no doubt aware the challenge was between 15 overweight guys to see who could lose the biggest % of their weight between January and April 19th.

Just a few weeks ago I was roughly in 3rd place (top 4 finishers finish “in the money”).

As of April 1, I had lost 29 pounds, down to 216lbs (for a total of 11.8% lost).

The final weigh-in was a few weekends ago and here’s how I did…

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Barack was in San Francisco, speaking to donors, and was trying to tell them what he is trying to overcome and “fix” in order to win the election.

The result was a particularly odious, condescending, monologue exposing Barack as just another limousine liberal who looks down his nose at “Middle America”.

Barack said;

Obama Is Wrong

Lets review his statements; (more…)