A Patriot's History of the United States -- excerpts and comments

I'm reading the book "A Patriot's History of the United States", a much researched and footnoted book written by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. Between them they have "close to sixty years" of teaching American History. I highly recommend everyone read it.

What I hope to do is post some of the things in the book that are important to me and that I think people should know.

In the introduction of the book the authors ask the questions "Is America's past a tale of racism, sexism, and bigotry? Is it the story of the conquest and rape of a continent? Is U. S. history the story of white slave owners who perverted the electoral process for their own interests? Did America start with Columbus's killing all the Indians, leap to Jim Crow laws and Rockefeller crushing the workers, then finally save itself with Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal? The answers, of course, are no, no, no, and NO."

Unfortunately it appears that that is what has been taught, and is being taught, in the classrooms of America. The authors further say in the intro that history speaks for itself, and, if told honestly "America's past is a bright and shining light. America was and is, the city on the hill, the fountain of hope, the beacon of liberty. We utterly reject 'My country right or wrong' -- what scholar wouldn't? But in the last thirty years, academics have taken an equally destructive approach: 'My country, always wrong!' We reject that too." I gotta tell ya, I'm with the authors of this book all the way with that.

It looks like the authors set out to set the record straight on America's history. What I've read so far I remember being taught throughout my school years over 45 years ago. (Yes, I am that old so shut up.) But things about America's past that I have been hearing lately on the TV and reading about don't add up to what I remembered. Now I am glad to know it ain't me.

I'm not to far along in the book yet, but as I go along and come across some things I think interesting, I'll post them here and comment.

In my next post I want to comment on some things about church and state. I have read some interesting things in this book about why this nation was born.

The Second Jewel

Today's Stuff
Gonna be watching the Preakness today. New slogan -- "Get your Preak on!" I guess that includes partaking of the popular beverage known as the "Black-eyed Susan". The recipe calls for Bourbon, vodka (or rum), sweet and sour mix, orange juice, and ice. I'm not going to use the ice, but instead will be using frozen oranges and strawberries. As I mentioned in previous post, this keeps the drink from becoming watered down. You can't have things like that bringing down your good time. We need to enjoy life as much as we can while we still can.

This is just a short post to keep in the groove. I have read "Glen Beck's Common Sense" and am now reading "A Patriots History of the United States", and will be posting some excerpts from them and commenting on them. It will be interesting to come back here a year from now and see what I posted. If not for anyone else, at least for me.

On a Sad note, I lost a very dear friend recently who was also my first cousin. He will be sadly missed, but always remembered.

How time flies

Bless me lord, my last post was a year ago. Damn, that almost sounds like what we used to say to start our confession to the priest. Anyway, I have just been having to much fun to sit down long enough to type something. Now, I am still having fun, but I have a cause. I am worried. I am worried that our future is looking more and more bleak. I would like to put it all on Obama, but this direction we are now going in started many years ago.

I just finished reading the book Glen Beck's Common Sense. I have put together some things that he says in the book that I was just not aware of. That worries me too. Why wasn't I aware of these things. I'm 62 years old. I should have seen these things happening 30 years ago.

Anyway, here is what concerns me that Beck brought out:

Excerpts from the book, Glen Beck's Common Sense:

"The Progressives view the Constitution as a living organism that evolves with time and changes depending on circumstances. Both the Progressives and the Founding Fathers view the Constitution as a set of handcuffs--but the difference is that our Founders believed that it was the power of the State that was to be cuffed, while Progressives believed it was the individuals who were cuffed to the greater good of the group."

"a few key issues that Progressives are using to drive their agenda forward: the environment, gun control, education, and religion."

"consider how our leaders have bypassed the idea of massive, overnight change in favor of reshaping our opinions slowly over time -- a concept that James Madison warned us about well before Progressivism had even been given a name:

I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation.

Further on in the next section -

"During an inauguration celebration for President Obama, Gore spoke to a group of thirteen- to seventeen-year-old honor students. He explained to them that current day anti-global warming sentiments are a lot like racist sentiments were decades ago. He told them, Look, there's a lot of things you understand instinctively but your parents don't understand those things because they're just to trapped in old thinking."

How can he say things like that? Who died and left him as God? He stereo typed every parent in America as "trapped in old thinking". Is not Gore and all the politicians trapped in the old political way of thinking.

Further on in the book-

"Like Gore, Roosevelt didn't just use words, he demanded action. He limited personal freedom and ignored states' rights by giving government more power over water and grazing rights, creating over fifty bird preserves through executive order, and, with the stroke of a pen establishing more than twenty national forest. It didn't matter to him that businesses, individuals, and states were negatively impacted by each of these decisions or that their rights to those previously public areas were taken away., Roosevelt argued that, as he put it, 'The new nationalism', he said, 'puts the national need before sectional or personal advantage.' We hear the same arguments today."

"In the 1970's, Progressives used 'global cooling' as their call for action. That call included, naturally, increased government control. In the 1980's, as science refuted claims of global cooling, Progressives argued for more government power and control to fight 'global warming' instead. Today, desperate to explain long periods of cooler temperatures, increased ice formations at the southern polar cap, and other inconvenient 'global warming' truths, Progressives now tell us that government must have the power, resources, and money to fight "climate change' -- whatever direction that change might be."

The lies are so obvious, and they are causing the loss of our liberties because to many voters are falling for them and realizing it to late.

Further down the page-

"We don't trust the political class because they no longer find shame in their own hypocrisy."

And, I must say further, we don't trust them because they tell bold face lies. We have to change the change.

One last quote. Its number 9 of the 9 Principals listed in Becks 9.12 Project:

"The government works for me. I do not answer to them; they answer to me."

Remember to vote your heart and conscious using simple common sense come November, 2010.