Patterico's Pontifications

7/4/2015

The More Things Change. . .

Filed under: General — JVW @ 9:47 am



[guest post by JVW]

Among the many grievances that the colonists laid out against against King George III of Great Britain 239 years ago in the Declaration of Independence were the following:

– 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 erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
– 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.
– He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.

What do you suppose Messrs. Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Livingstone, and Sherman would think of our present-day situation?

– JVW

11 Responses to “The More Things Change. . .”

  1. Nevertheless, happy Independence Day, friends.

    JVW (8278a3)

  2. The Old Issue

    October 9, 1899

    (Outbreak of the Boer War)

    “HERE is nothing new nor aught unproven,” say the Trumpets,
    “Many feet have worn it and the road is old indeed.
    “It is the King—the King we schooled aforetime !”
    (Trumpets in the marshes—in the eyot at Runnymede!)

    “Here is neither haste, nor hate, nor anger,” peal the Trumpets,
    “Pardon for his penitence or pity for his fall.
    “It is the King!”—inexorable Trumpets—
    (Trumpets round the scaffold at the dawning by Whitehall!)

    “He hath veiled the Crown and hid the Sceptre,” warn the Trumpets,
    “He hath changed the fashion of the lies that cloak his will.
    “Hard die the Kings—ah hard—dooms hard!” declare the Trumpets,
    Trumpets at the gang-plank where the brawling troop-decks fill!

    Ancient and Unteachable, abide—abide the Trumpets!
    Once again the Trumpets, for the shuddering ground-swell brings
    Clamour over ocean of the harsh, pursuing Trumpets—
    Trumpets of the Vanguard that have sworn no truce with Kings!

    All we have of freedom, all we use or know—
    This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.

    Ancient Right unnoticed as the breath we draw—
    Leave to live by no man’s leave, underneath the Law.

    Lance and torch and tumult, steel and grey-goose wing
    Wrenched it, inch and ell and all, slowly from the King.

    Till our fathers ’stablished, after bloody years,
    How our King is one with us, first among his peers.

    So they bought us freedom—not at little cost
    Wherefore must we watch the King, lest our gain be lost,

    Over all things certain, this is sure indeed,
    Suffer not the old King: for we know the breed.

    Give no ear to bondsmen bidding us endure.
    Whining “He is weak and far”; crying “Time shall cure.”,

    (Time himself is witness, till the battle joins,
    Deeper strikes the rottenness in the people’s loins.)

    Give no heed to bondsmen masking war with peace.
    Suffer not the old King here or overseas.

    They that beg us barter—wait his yielding mood—
    Pledge the years we hold in trust—pawn our brother’s blood—

    Howso’ great their clamour, whatsoe’er their claim,
    Suffer not the old King under any name!

    Here is naught unproven—here is naught to learn.
    It is written what shall fall if the King return.

    He shall mark our goings, question whence we came,
    Set his guards about us, as in Freedom’s name.

    He shall take a tribute, toll of all our ware;
    He shall change our gold for arms—arms we may not bear.

    He shall break his judges if they cross his word;
    He shall rule above the Law calling on the Lord.

    He shall peep and mutter; and the night shall bring
    Watchers ’neath our window, lest we mock the King—

    Hate and all division; hosts of hurrying spies;
    Money poured in secret, carrion breeding flies.

    Strangers of his counsel, hirelings of his pay,
    These shall deal our Justice: sell—deny—delay.

    We shall drink dishonour, we shall eat abuse
    For the Land we look to—for the Tongue we use.

    We shall take our station, dirt beneath his feet,
    While his hired captains jeer us in the street.

    Cruel in the shadow, crafty in the sun,
    Far beyond his borders shall his teachings run.

    Sloven, sullen, savage, secret, uncontrolled,
    Laying on a new land evil of the old—

    Long-forgotten bondage, dwarfing heart and brain—
    All our fathers died to loose he shall bind again.

    Here is naught at venture, random nor untrue—
    Swings the wheel full-circle, brims the cup anew.

    Here is naught unproven, here is nothing hid:
    Step for step and word for word—so the old Kings did!

    Step by step, and word by word: who is ruled may read.
    Suffer not the old Kings: for we know the breed—

    All the right they promise—all the wrong they bring.
    Stewards of the Judgment, suffer not this King!

    C. S. P. Schofield (a196fd)

  3. Good question. I think we all know the answer.

    DRJ (1dff03)

  4. JVW – they would vomit.

    JD (3b5483)

  5. As for what the Founders would think:

    That would depend if they were just suddenly reawakened, such that they were comparing then to now, or whether instead they somehow had a sense of all that’s happened in between.

    If the former, they’d probably be gratified that there still is such a thing as the United States of America, and they’d count themselves successful beyond their hopes and dreams.

    If they latter, they’d still probably be pleased, but they would surely note some very disturbing trend lines. At least, that’s what I would guess, from my own study of American history.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  6. As Solomon wisely said,

    What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

    Man, if anything, is predictable. Although we live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth – a gift of Providence for which I am eternally thankful – we are still ruled by men subject to all the human foibles and frailties of our fallen nature.

    As we are called to “occupy” in this current life (while placing our hope in the Eternal), I take great heart in knowing that we still have the opportunity and privilege to fight back and push against the Leviathan. Our voices are not yet stifled. No matter who it is that seeks to diminish this nation in the eyes of the world, America still remains the one nation that people from every walk of life and from every place in the world risk life and limb to reach. America has always been and continues to be the beckoning light that is freedom. We are still the “shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.”

    I, for one, refuse to lose sight of that.

    Dana (86e864)

  7. They would start shooting the M-Fers.

    If they are watching, they must be very frustrated as our land is no longer free, and there are so few brave to be found. When will King Hussein and his minions finally take so much from capitalist, Christian white Americans that we have nothing left to lose but our lives for the cause of restoring the nation and removing the marxist scourge?

    Smarty (ed72bb)

  8. Mumble under their breath about how we never should have allowed a Senate to be elected by the people. Jefferson and Franklin would be delighted with modern science and technology. Adams would scream “We told you so!”

    htom (4ca1fa)

  9. Be sure to watch (or re-watch) the “John Adams” HBO series and learn about the Founders before they are declared Enemies of the State, in absentia…

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  10. http://t.co/kij2YTvZRB

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  11. I think they would sit down in a sweltering room in Philadelphia and write a document that begins, “In Congress. July 4, 2015….”

    grumpy the grump (944707)


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