Independence, Liberty, Freedom and the Fourth

[XLFD]

 Several of the holidays we celebrate have mythical figures and weird backgrounds that have been obscured through the years.  We are told when we are young that Santa Claus brings us presents at Christmas, a holiday that borrowed decorated pine trees and other customs from pagan winter solstice celebrations, while celebrating the birth of Christ.  We hear that the Easter Bunny brings us eggs and baskets of goodies, during a celebration with customs that originated from fertility festivals before representing the resurrection of Christ.

The Fourth of July (Independence Day) is no exception.  For a holiday that has its date as its name, it is very misleading.  Most people will tell you that on July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies legally declared their separation from England, by signing the Declaration of Independence.  That is incorrect, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress was on July 2, 1776.  John Adams famously said: 

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more." 

He got the celebrations correct, but the date wrong, at least as far as the people would celebrate their independence.  And even though the much ballyhooed declaration written by Thomas Jefferson has the July 4th date on it, the actual signatures are likely to have been applied on August 2 of that year, one month after approval of the resolution of independence.

Independence Day should be the best time to celebrate and utilize our liberties, legal rights, and freedoms.  But often lost in the yearly festivities of parades, pomp, and fireworks is that our traditions of liberty are continually eroding due to the very tyrannical governments that our founding fathers went up against and warned us about. 

Before you go out and watch the flag-festooned majorettes and bands march down the road and see the rockets multicolored glare this evening, consider recent events that have happened which show us how far we have fallen from the ideals that Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and others established a long time ago.  They may as well be Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if we don't allow their legacy to continue, and we continue to allow our officials and their policies to be more tyrannical than what they could imagine. 

From: http://www.roanoke.com/news/columns_and_blogs/columns/dan_casey/cas...

ROANOKE, VA — A wheelchair-bound man was taken to the ground face-first and handcuffed because he rode his motorized scooter on the shoulder of a road against traffic, the way pedestrians are legally supposed to. Police impounded his scooter and took him to jail.

Paralyzed from the chest down, 52-year-old Larry Wayne Dodson has limited transportation options. He said that he has used his scooter hundreds of times to take himself the short distance to the local grocery store without incident.

The law says that pedestrians are to travel on the shoulder, against traffic. This allows both the pedestrian and the oncoming vehicles to have their eyes on each other. Mr. Dodson rides this way, considering himself the same as a pedestrian.

On April 25, 2014, he was rudely informed by a local law enforcer that he is no pedestrian. Roanoke County Police Officer C.A. Jacobs stopped Mr. Dodson and told him that by the letter of the law, his scooter is considered a vehicle.

Mr. Dodson became understandably upset. After some heated dispute, Officer Jacobs called for backup.

A male officer ordered him to stand up, Dodson recalled. “I said, ‘I can’t stand up. That’s why I’m in this wheelchair.’”

A second officer literally slammed the paralyzed man face-first on the ground and handcuffed him behind his back.

Mr. Dodson was charged with driving the wrong way, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. He was taken to jail on a stretcher and his scooter was impounded. His bond was set at $1,000.

Police have disputed Dodson’s side of the story, but have yet to release the dashcam video as he requested, over 8 weeks later.

Same theme.  The powerful assaulting the weak, blaming it on the weak, misguided authorities keep their job, obstruct release of evidence to the public :  http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/nicholas-kincade/

LAFAYETTE, IN — An officer has been allowed to keep his job and face no legal consequences after accosting a paralyzed and dumping him out of his wheelchair into the street.

The incident occurred on October 1, 2013.  Some Lafayette police officers had just finished issuing a warning to 25-year-old Nicholas Kincade, who requires a motorized scooter for mobility.

Kincade had been dismissed, and began slowly rolling down the sidewalk.  His wheel inadvertently grazed Lt. Tom Davidson’s foot.

Davidson’s fury erupted in an instant.  With both hands he plowed into the paralyzed man, sending him sprawling helplessly onto the pavement.

“You did not drive over me, f*****!!” Davidson barked.  “Now you’re going to jail. Now you’re going to jail.”

Officers swarmed the man as he lie awkwardly in the street.   Mr. Kincade attempted to explain it was all an accident.

The incident was captured on dash-cam video, which has finally been released after 9 months.

Unlike so many hot-headed, abusive officers, Tom Davidson did not receive the backing of his superiors.  Police Chief Patrick Flannelly and six members of the command staff unanimously agreed that Davidson used excessive force and conduct unbecoming a police officer — and should be fired.  However, the department was unable to terminate Davidson when a civilian review board blocked the decision and opted to keep him on staff following a 30-day suspension and a demotion.

The assault, which was clearly depicted on video, was also not pursued criminally.  Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer declined to press charges against Davidson.

As a result, Officer Tom Davidson will remain on Lafayette’s streets, entrusted with the power to uphold the laws that even his own team believes he broke.  Such hotheadedness presents a financial liability for the city and a safety risk for those rolling around town.

Property rights, the backbone of liberty, lost while city fights one man's quest for sustainable energy:  http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3490304.shtml

Orono Man Faces Possible Jail Time for Wind Turbine

An Orono man and his wife could end up in the Hennepin County jail if they do not remove a 29-foot wind turbine in their yard by Wednesday morning.

The city of Orono told Jay Nygard his wind turbine was illegal and was a public safety threat. Nygard sued and lost at the lower court and then won on appeal, but it was sent back to the lower court for further consideration where he ultimately lost again.

Now, the final court order says Nygard and his wife must appear in court Wednesday to start a six-month jail sentence, unless the turbine is removed by then.

Nygard says he and his wife are willing to go to jail to fight for their individual property rights and free enterprise.

Nygard sells the wind turbines in other cities and would like the opportunity to do the same in Orono. The Orono City Manager did not answer our request for an on-camera interview and asked us to call an attorney who is representing the city in this three-year legal battle.

This is just a small pastiche of local community anecdotes showing local community tyranny by officials, showing that it can happen anywhere in these United States and it happens with little accountability or limitation.  Your money is being forced out of your pockets in order for others to assault handicapped people and prosecute them.  While some more of your money is used to subsidize major companies to put up wind turbines, while yet more of your money is used in restricting reasonable small-scale wind turbines to individuals.   

Enjoy the parades and firework shows, while your independence and liberty becomes less believable than Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

[Willy]

Well said X. It's amazing how abusive people can be when placed in a position of authority. So the Declaration was signed on July 2 and approved on July 4, right?

[XLFD]

Well, it's complicated.  On July 2, the Lee Resolution of independence was approved and the news of it was spread throughout Pennsylvania as a written declaration of independence from Britain, but it was the slightly edited, amended, and improved Declaration of Independence by Jefferson that was officially approved on July 4th that more formally and effectively announced the Lee Resolution to everyone including King George, who doesn't look quite so bad nowadays with our governments lusting for power almost everywhere.

[Willy]

Thanks for the explanation.