Re: Bad Ruling
Maybe this isn't the place for this post, BUT it is the right day for it!
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Independence Day
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who
signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two
lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were
merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation
owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed
the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that
the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay
his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he
was forced to move his family almost constantly. He
served in the Congress without pay, and his family was
kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery,
Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge,
and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas
Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis
had taken over the Nelson home for his adquarters. He
quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.
The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few
months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside
as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their
lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to
waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and
his children vanished.
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted,
but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while
enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank
these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price
they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! I hope
you will show your support by sending this to as many
people as you can, please. It's time we get the word
out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of
July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball
games.
These are people who believed in much more then just themselves. Maybe our current Politicians and Judges should read this and remember what is REALLY important in life!!!
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