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| If i could do one thing to celebrate the day, it would be to bring him
back. Teleport him to places like Boston, Philadelphia, New York City,
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Memphis, and back to Booneville (my hometown)...
I
would try to get his take on it all, this modern America. Show him
around Times Square, Independance Hall, Beale Street, the Statue of
Liberty...
Then, i'd sit down at home to a quiet supper with him
and ask him what he thought about it all- the war in Iraq, the sights,
the sounds, the places, and the people that make up this place we call
America. I'd ask him about his thoughts on government, the President,
the candidates we have running in this election...
His name was
Richard Stockton, my great (x8) grandfather, a signer of the
Declaration of Independance. He was sent late to the convention and
demanded to hear both sides of the argument before putting his name on
the document&183; This was, indeed, one of the hold-ups of getting
it signed.
The Congress later sent him to visit the troops
and report on the conditions in various camps and forts. On the way
back, he took a detour to help a friend move his family to safety..
and was captured. And recognized.
He
was offered pardon if he renounced the Revolution, and refused at
first, but after 6 weeks of torture and torment, he agreed. He was
released in January of 1777 and signed his allegiance to the United
States in December of that year.
But he had been ruined by
then, financially and physically. His library, the largest in the
colonies, had been burned; his furniture had been either all stolen or
destroyed. He would only live a few more years, withdrawn from public
life.
I think about him today and hope that I, personally,
have become someone he would be proud of. And i hope that we, as a
nation, have become a people that all of them would be proud of...
I'll
keep what i think he would say to myself for now. For today, go out and
enjoy yourself. Be free. Offend someone (it's your right, after all).
Blow something up (not buildings, cops don't like it when you do that).
Celebrate today. Celebrate history. Let freedom ring. | | |
| "Everyone has a secret that, if you knew it, would break your heart." That quote shouted at me from the page below, a solid black sheet with white letters, and it left me at a loss for words. A year ago yesterday a friend of our family was taken from us. She was a lovely lady- funny, brutally honest, to the point, loving... If she loved you, she let you know. There was no mistaking... Then, a year ago yesterday, she was violently, suddenly taken from us. I'll not go into the details here as they are sensitive, but i will say this:
If it's true that you have an agonizing secret and you feel like you must get it out- share it with someone. If that's too much for you, try writing it down. Don't let it build up inside. And if you're having strange, alarming, a/o bizarre thoughts... you really need to find an outlet for that. I can't tell you what to do or how to do it- just don't let it build up inside you... | | |
| "Joel, you just let people in so far... then you shut the door. You let them in just a little bit and then you shut them out. It's not fair, and one day, you're going to be a very bitter, sad, lonely old man. I don't say this to be cruel, just to warn you."
"Ah, but i'll have a million stories to tell!" i said.
"Yes, and the sad part is that you'll have pushed everyone away who cared enough to listen."
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| Robert Catesky, John Wright, Christopher Wright, and Guy Fawkes rented a basement building in Parliment. Their intent was liberty, their methods eccentric (to say the least).
Fawkes was put in charge of the explosives, because of his military experience and use of explosives during his service. The conspirators felt like King James and the members of Parliment had become too oppressive, and felt like they should let them know.
"Never use words when a bazooka will do."
Fawkes was caught, torch in hand, by a man named Peter Heywood after suspicions had been raised by William Parker, Lord Monteagle (a new member of Parliment at the time). For his part in the plot, Fawkes was first tortured, then hanged, drawn, and quartered on the last day of 1606.
Fawkes became popular in culture later, and a Halloween-like holiday followed, where children would go around and say "Penny for the guy?" Now, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated by tossing a dummy on a fire. Fawkes legend grew, and it is why now males are referd to as "guys." Several verses have been written about him, the most famous is as follows:
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason, and plot,
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 't was his intent
To blow up the King and Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah! A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o' cheese to
choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn
him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his
body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah!
Guy Fawkes Day party this Saturday in Ashland, Mississippi, starting at 7:11:05 on the dot. We'll most likely eat first, then go and blow stuff up, set stuff on fire. The reason the party is in Ashland is because it's the only place i know that has a big enough area for the blow-up-ables and where we can set stuff on fire (safely). In short, there ain't no laws there so we can blow %^&* up!
To those of you who may be concerned with the safety or legality of this event, i assure it will be completely safe and legal. If you have any questions, please ask.
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| Question:
At what point is a friendship really over? Seriously, at what point would you just cut your losses and walk away?
For the record, this is only hypothetical. It's only a question of opinion.
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