Sail Me On a Clipper

The "Cutty Sark" last of the clipper ships is being repaired in dry dock somewhere in England. She was built in 1869; her sister "The City of Adelaide" 1864, is just a hull on the shores of Scotland. I hear the the third and last clipper remaining is rotting on the beach near Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) Chile.

The clippers were tea haulers, small compaired to other ships but could sail east and fetch a moderate load and return at a clip turning a quick buck. In the day, fast horses were called clippers. The ship's name actually means something akin to short underclothing or short shirt. All this is tied somehow to the Scottish witch Nannie made famous in the Robert Burns' tale
" Tam o' Shanter"

See rock group - Dire Straits "One Handed Sailor"

Are We To Become Slaves

Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write. - - - Let them all become attentive to the grounds and principles of government, ecclesiastical and civil. Let us study the law of nature; ancient ages; contemplate the examples of Greece and Rome. - -
Let us examine into the nature of that power, and the cruelty of that oppression, which drove them from their homes - - -
Recollect the civil and religious principles - - -
Let the pulpit resound with the doctrines and sentiments of religious liberty. Let us hear the danger of thraldom to our consciences from ignorance, extreme poverty, and dependence, in short, from civil political slavery - - -
that consenting to slavery is a sacrilegious breach of trust, as offensive in the sight of God as it is derogatory from our own honor or interest or happiness - and that God Almighty has promulgated from heaven liberty, peace, and good-will to man!

John Adams - 1765 Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law

It's like this John-----we left our kid's education to the Progressive State!

Louisiana Flag

The Louisiana State Flag is one of my Favorite of the fifty, or as one man said fifty seven.
The banner displays a mother Brown Pelican on a nest with three chicks. She has three blood stains on her breast.

Plane as day

In WWI the German army not only had the U-boat (an American invention), they also had the Fokker Eindecker and Fokker Dr 1 aeroplane (the plane also an American invention). The Red Barron, Manfred von Richthoven piloted the Dr 1 and grew to fame as the Ace flyer of the war with 80 kills. These planes had a cam device that allowed the machine gun to fire between the turning blades of the plane. Pilots could more easily point their craft toward the enemy and fire.

Anthony Fokker, a Dutchman was inspired as a teenager by Wilbur Wright's exhibitions in France in 1908. His father sent him to mechanic school but he quit and built his own plane he called De Spin (the Spider) actually three, improving each time. He moved to Germany prior to WWI and built an aeroplane factory. When the war broke out the German Govt. took over his factory but left him in charge. He furnished 700 planes to the German cause.

After the war he moved to New York and started another business.
Never underestimate a young person who is truly inspired.

They Fired On Govt. Troops

235 years ago Today a rag-tag but well disciplined rebel army of 77 men stood before the greatest military power in the world. They were driven out of Lexington by hundreds of Red Coats, but ambushed the British Army on the march and killed approximately 300 of them.

The British Govt. understood what a "Well Regulated Militia" was.
Some of the rebel soldiers were literally defending their own farms.
Remember, a dog is mean in his own yard.

In case of emergency

I heard a human behavior expert say that if a horrible situation such as a total economic crash takes place, 80% of the population would be frozen in fear and therefore will wait for someone to tell them what to do. It is unfortunate that those in political power are counting on it.

The best I remember:
10% would totally freak
10% already has a plan to deal with it

What You Weren't Taught In College

James W. Gerard wrote of the Germans in 1914:
"The workingmen in the cities are hard workers and probably work longer and get less out of life than any workingmen in the world. The laws so much admired and made ostensibly for their protection, such as insurance against unemployment, sickness, injury, old age etc., are in reality skillful measures which bind them to the soil as effectively as the serfs of the Middle Ages.
I have had letters from workingmen who have worked in America begging me for a steerage fare to America, saying that their insurance payments were so large that they could not save money out of their wages."
P. 124 from the book "My Four Years In Germany"

Wisteria

I took Molly on a ride at sundown today. The wisteria vines are hanging from trees at old deserted home places. Their purple flowers look like clusters of grapes from a distance. They give off a wonderful fragrance to bike riders and good ole boys with their pickup windows rolled down. The rest of the world, with tightly sealed cars only get the visual.

Educated Beyond Your Intelligence

"I'd rather entrust the Government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.

William F. Buckley Jr.

MKT

I was looking at Brian's photo blog. One was a RR crossing. I thought of the old blues song,
"She caught the Katy, leff me a mule to ride"

The Katy was short for "Missouri Kansas and Texas Railroad" or MKT

Who Developed Higher Learning

I find it to be true that where ever Christians go, education follows. Calvin believed that lay people should be able to read the Holy Scriptures for themselves.

Settlers who traveled the Oregon trail and settled in the Northwest built three Christian universities in Oregon before it became a state in 1859 and another school in 1867.

Willamette University - Methodist - 1842
Pacific University - Congregational - 1849
Linfield College - Baptist - 1849
Lewis & Clark College - Presbyterian - 1867

Come to think of it, most states, maybe all built religious colleges before state universities appeared. We could name many back east.

Where There's Smoke

Neath the billows of tyrannical smoke, looms an all consuming fire.

Try Men's Souls

The words written to the retreating rebel soldiers and other patriots from the pen of Thomas Paine 19 December, 1776 is applicable today.

"It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you all. The far and the near, the home countries and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now, is dead: the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy."

Mid 80's Already

Dandies by the door.

Sassafras tree in bloom; some of their leaves look like mittens;

Tea from the roots - purdy tasty.

The white stars? We haven't been properly introduced.

Monroe Doctrine - Not A Medical Term

Around the time of WWI, the U.S. was concerned about Huerta the dictator of Mexico. It seems that Germany had proposed to Britain that they jointly put down the dictator. As in most invasions the Europeans would have set up military garrisons in Mexico and Central America and would have eventually colonized. This would have destroyed the Monroe Doctrine. In 1912, it wouldn't have gone over well in the U.S.
We all know about and many of us witnessed the Cuban Crisis in the early 1960's.

This last week our leaders paid little attention when Vladimir Putin visited Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. It appears he may sell the strong man $5 Billion in arms.
The West doesn't have to be taken by force. We'll give it away.
In the last few months we've grown fond of dictators.

Jews in Germany

When we think of German cruelty to the Jews of that country we often think of Hitler. Before WWI Jews weren't permitted in the German Court. They were allowed to put the prestigious name "von" in front of their last names if they submitted to a Christian baptism.

These folks couldn't buy a break, but struggle and hardship has always been their legacy.

Sunday Drive

There's nothing like a Sunday ride on your Harley to blow away those Monday dreading blues.

Yankee Banks Yankee Trains

Jessie and Frank James ran with Bob and Cole Younger for some time, pulling robberies from Kentucky to Texas.
The Youngers got the idea to rob the Northfield First National Bank in Northfield Minnesota, not because it was stuffed with cash but because they believed that Adelhert Ames, Reconstruction Governor of Mississippi had interests there. Their belief was also that Ame's father-in-law, former Union General Benj. Butler had interests there. Both were hated by southerners. Butler had occupied New Orleans during the war and acted with such cruelty that he was transferred only to loose two battles and be replaced. Of course he wound up in Congress where many losers have found themselves.
As most of you know, the Minnesota raid was a failure. Two bankers were killed and two of the James Gang with others wounded. Butler had no investment in the bank. (Sandra Bullock was not a suspect)
Hatred had boiled over years before when Kansas became a free state. Raids, killings, and burning of homes were so frequent on both sides of the border between Kansas and Missouri that it finally came to a head when Wm. Quantrill rode into Lawrence Kansas with what he considered payback for what the Jayhawkers and Red Legs had done to Missouri.
Days later, Order # 11 was issued by Union General Ewing and approved by Ole Abe himself removing most of the disloyal citizens from the four boarder counties of Missouri, (Jackson, Cass, Bates, and part of Vernon) Though Missouri never left the union, hundreds of Irish joined the Confederacy while the Germans remained with the Union.

College Grad No Education

I found a hot new book by Jason Mattera called:
Oboma Zombies: How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation

This young man is very entertaining and very bright. He says most Republicans like McCain don't have a clue how to communicate with University students while Obama's crowd was putting on rock concerts and signing up kids to vote for him. Their patriotism was a concert ticket.
He says too many are spoiled and concern themselves with the most trivial things. Oboma has now made bigger babies out of them by letting them stay on their parent's insurance until they ate 26.
They have a real surprise coming at age 27.