Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence

Let= ’s Get This Tea Party Started

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 propert= ies to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the Bri= tish 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 we= re taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, a= nd Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Th= omas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washingto= n 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. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "= For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortune= s, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America= . The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! You might be asking of yourself just what= you have sacrificed for freedom? <= /p>

Eleven score and thirteen years ago America was founded on the principals of rugged individualism and inherent freedoms= . America= began as an idea, an experiment in self determination wherein government derived = its limited authority from the people and served at their behest. This young republic assumed upon itself the mantle of the last, best hope for the worl= d. Sadly, at this time and place we mourn her passing. Historians will long de= bate the passing of the greatest country on earth but few will regale, with wit,= the Socialistic virus responsible for her demise. America was first diagnosed w= ith Socialism in the 1960’s and suffered many injustices, trials and rela= pses throughout the next two decades. In the 80’s America fought back against t= his usually fatal disease with the help and guidance of “Ronaldus Magnus”, better known as Ronald Reagan. President Reagan attacked Socialism with a fervor not seen by the American electorate since the found= ing of its great republic. Reagan believed in A= merica and America believed in him. During the 80’s Socialism in America was in remission, and= on the run. For a time, far too short, America made sense again and thrived. After Reagan America was never the same. Socialism gradually seeped back in the American lexicon= and the virulent strain again masticated democracy throughout the states and ac= ross the fruited plain. Finally, in 2009, America heaved her last gasp = and departed this world, taking with her the hopes and dreams held dear by her masses. She will be remembered for what could have been; Life, liberty and = the pursuit of happiness. Sadly; this postscript is much more than flowery prose and postulation. This could happen. Ask yourself… what have you done = to preserve freedom?

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent f= orm of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vo= te themselves money from the Public Treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the Public Treasury, “Think Barry’s BBQ ribs in every pot and home ownersh= ip for deadbeats”. “The result that a democracy always collapses o= ver loose fiscal policy is always followed by dictatorship. The average age of = the world's greatest civilizations has been two-hundred years. These nations ha= ve progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to abundance; from abundance= to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back again into bondage.”

—Alexander Fraser Tyler, 1= 700 Quotation found in SYNERGY Server [Note: The Professor wrote about the fall= of the Athenian republic over a thousand years ago, this when America= was a British colony.]

Authors Note ** We are n= ot abiding a Democracy; Our government is a representative republic gone mad.<= /span>

I begin this most prescient posit quoting Professor Tyler primarily for his profound ability to stand askance as to the execution of government when the enumera= ted powers loaned to the federal government are ignored and/or adulterated. Tho= mas Paine, “the Rush Limbaugh of his time” said, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one”. This is the s= tate of governance we are compelled to tolerate and endure.

“[T]he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” — James Madison, {general author of our constitution}

“A wise and frugal government … shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” — Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March= 4, 1801

These quotes from our founders; “whom I believe were rooted in divine inspiration” have been totally filed un= der, “I” for irrelevant and looked upon by our present day congress = and the executive branch as merely a super sized roll of Charmin® three ply= in the same men’s room formerly occupied by the toe tapping, wide stance Senator from Idaho; A.K.A Larry, “men seeking men” Craigslist. =

When James Madison said that the text of our constitution specifically states that no where in that document was there a codicil or even the intent that our federal government has purview over the distribution of charity; Or taking income from those engaged in productivity and transferring it to baby machines and winos whose preference is to suckl= e at the teat of earners.

After all; it was James Madison who actually wro= te the constitution with the help of Thomas Paine; thus answering once and for= all the intent of this sacred parchment.

“To take from one, because it is thought his = own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill,= is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 18= 16

Abraham Lincoln, “the object of Barry’s= man crush” also had thoughts about spreading the wealth, though his thoug= hts were diametrically opposed to the temporary lease holder of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Don't interfere with anything in the Constit= ution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties”.-President Abraham Lincoln.

As the ratings for the Obama sitcom dwarf those of American Idol; thanks in large part to the Presidents decisions to close cl= ub Gitmo and relocate its clients to a halfway house in Crawford Texas, while rescinding the water sports portion of their daily entertainment and limiti= ng the questioning of these misunderstood, peaceful reformers, “ who accidentally go BOOM” on occasion to, “ how can we make you more comfortable” or “ would you like President Obama to sign your Koran” ? We the people are treated to an administration most reminisc= ent of a three stooges re-run…Nyuk, Nyuk!

Meanwhile; back at the White House, “where the black guy lives”, Obama spends most of his time rating female interns from 1-10 yet, has found time to jimmy the government cash register and pil= fer $1 gazillion greenbacks to finance Ass Chaps on Rabid Nuts, or “ACORN”. Abortions for European cheerleaders, their mothers, un= wed sheep and that mother in California that just gave birth to eight children;= now possessing a football team, complete with backups.

And; as Obama plays Santa Clause for every mega-lib= eral wet dream, he intends to pay for this shopping spree by placing his picture= on the dollar bill and stenciling in twelve zeros next to the $1. That and combining his fight against obesity by taxing Americans by the pound, sendi= ng jackbooted IRS thugs out to literally make change by hoisting citizens by t= heir ankles and shaking them; dislodging the change from their pockets, appointi= ng Bernie Made-off as confiscato= r of wealth from the wealthy, changing the mission of the peace corps to picking= up aluminum cans, unionizing the homeless, taxing sex by the inch, “Democrats would be allowed to estimate” taxing children’s allowances and playing the lottery. I’m reminded of the words of very wise men and their thoughts on taxes. =

“I contend that for a nation to try to tax it= self into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himse= lf up by the handle.”
—Winston Churchill

“I cannot find any authority in the Constitut= ion for public charity. [To approve such spending] would be contrary to the let= ter and the spirit of the Constitution and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded.”
—President Franklin Pierce (1854)

“Let not him who is houseless pull down the h= ouse of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built”= .- Abraham Lincoln

So why the historical perspective, why the history = of those great men who not only conceived this document, “our constitution” a document we conservatives consider to be divinely inspired and sacrosanct; A document that these great men pledged their live= s, their fortunes and their sacred honor, under the penalty of death? Why? Bec= ause my friends it is being dismantled, one section at a time, under our very no= ses.

Sadly; we have become a politically correct, Oprah watching, spoiled, fat, sassy, entitled, lazy, sappy, microwaveable, remote control, blasphemous, fast food, Hollywood worshiping, selfish, non-voting, politically illiterate, government dependent, credit card, sub-prime, ignor= ant sheep. Quick; what is enumerated in our tenth amendment? What are the names= of all nine Supreme Court justices?

These questions were put to a cross section of coll= ege seniors with predictable results. Less than 10% could name even five justic= es, less than 1% could paraphrase our tenth amendment. None of the participants could give even a basic explanation of economics.

Perhaps it’s just my conspiracy, black helico= pter, and grassy knoll, nature that believes this is but coincidental and arbitra= ry. Though, After all; were our founding documents ingrained into our young sku= lls full of mush, along with a basic understanding of economic principals; the democrat party would be extinct and exhibits of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, <= span class=3DGramE>ET. Al., would be featured = in the Smithsonian next to the Neanderthals.

Springfield Staff Writer