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neadodsThings I Have Learned Today From the News and Comments Thereon:
1) Paul Revere rang bells and rode through Boston firing a musket to warn the British that we would meet the invasion with armed resistance and they could not take our Second Amendment rights away.
2) It is totally an unfair gotcha question to ask someone who just visited the Old North Church in Boston about Paul Revere.
I shall let Musical!icon!John Adams say it all.
What really happened: The British were coming to steal the contents of colonial armories, what with the threat of revolution and all. Lanterns were hung in the Old North Church to notify Paul Revere *and William Dawes* how the invading force was moving -- if you've ever heard "one if by land, two if by sea," that's where it comes from -- and these men rode out QUIETLY so as to NOT LET THE LOYAL BRITISH SUBJECTS ALL AROUND THEM KNOW to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock. Revere's the most famous of what ended up being more than two riders, but Longfellow's poem managed to not mention that the British arrested his ass before he got the message through.
At the time there wasn't an official fighting revolution yet, which means there wasn't a Constitution yet, which means that there certainly wasn't a Second Amendment to that Constitution (the one with the right to bear arms.)
Until this afternoon, I would have said it is impossible to read a guidebook entry about or miss the plaques at the Old North Church which explain all this.
1) Paul Revere rang bells and rode through Boston firing a musket to warn the British that we would meet the invasion with armed resistance and they could not take our Second Amendment rights away.
2) It is totally an unfair gotcha question to ask someone who just visited the Old North Church in Boston about Paul Revere.
I shall let Musical!icon!John Adams say it all.
What really happened: The British were coming to steal the contents of colonial armories, what with the threat of revolution and all. Lanterns were hung in the Old North Church to notify Paul Revere *and William Dawes* how the invading force was moving -- if you've ever heard "one if by land, two if by sea," that's where it comes from -- and these men rode out QUIETLY so as to NOT LET THE LOYAL BRITISH SUBJECTS ALL AROUND THEM KNOW to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock. Revere's the most famous of what ended up being more than two riders, but Longfellow's poem managed to not mention that the British arrested his ass before he got the message through.
At the time there wasn't an official fighting revolution yet, which means there wasn't a Constitution yet, which means that there certainly wasn't a Second Amendment to that Constitution (the one with the right to bear arms.)
Until this afternoon, I would have said it is impossible to read a guidebook entry about or miss the plaques at the Old North Church which explain all this.
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no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 12:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 01:19 am (UTC)Listen my children and shut your jaws
While I tell of the ride of William Dawes
no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 12:59 am (UTC)srsly
also a friend who watched the interview wondered if she was drunk
no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 01:17 am (UTC)OTOH... seriously, I'm trying to figure out how ringing bells and firing warning shots got into it at all.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 10:52 pm (UTC)It's that someone called it a "gotcha" question. O.O
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Date: 2011-06-04 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-04 05:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-06 07:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-06 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-07 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-07 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-07 11:22 pm (UTC)