St. Patrick' Day of Freedom

[XLFD]

St. Patrick's Day is typically thought of as a day where you wear green, you act Irish, and gives you a one day opportunity to drink off-colored beer and pinch girls.  But St. Patrick was one of Christendom's most venerable Saints, and he did have a streak of freedom-loving which got him onto the hit list of a pagan king.

This is recorded in the Confession of St. Patrick, a letter that historians generally agree was penned by the saint himself.

Apparently, this pagan king of Ireland had decreed that no fire could be lit in celebration of a certain pagan holiday until the king's fire was lit. The holiday happened to coincide with the Christian church's  Easter, so in defiance of the tyrant's ridiculous law that violated all of the Christians' freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and private property rights, Patrick lit his fire (an ancient Christian tradition on Easter) at the appointed time, which was before when the king's fire was lit. Though the king tried to find and kill St. Patrick and his followers for this lawbreaking, the vain despot was never able to.

Here's to Saint Patrick for his courage and steadfast devotion to his principles in the face of a violent and oppressive tyranny. If only there were more like him today.