The Americans Who Risked Everything

As we celebrate our Independence today, let us remember that freedom is not free, and that those 56  brave signers of the Declaration of Independence understood this and pledged their "Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor" so that future generations might live in freedom.

Rush Limbaugh's father delivered an often requested speech about those brave men.  A portion is reposted below but click the above link to read it in its entirety:

Lives, Fortunes, Honor
Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact. 

And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark.

He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship Jersey, where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: "No."

The 56 signers of the Declaration Of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Happy Independence Day from the Virginia Shooting Sports Association!

If Only We Had Leaders Today Like Those Who Won Our Independence

On this 237th anniversary of our nation's birth, we reflect on the freedom that we won over two centuries ago.  It took special individuals, many of whom lost everything they had, so that future generations would not have to live under the yoke of tyranny.

On the Rush Limbaugh show yesterday, a caller shared how he always celebrates Independence Day by re-reading a speech that Limbaugh's father gave often on the subject.  Here is a sample of what those brave men who gathered in Philadelphia gave up:

Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered -- and his estates in what is now Harlem -- completely destroyed by British Soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

William Floyd, another New York delegate, was able to escape with his wife and children across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, where they lived as refugees without income for seven years. When they came home they found a devastated ruin.

Philips Livingstone had all his great holdings in New York confiscated and his family driven out of their home. Livingstone died in 1778 still working in Congress for the cause.Louis Morris, the fourth New York delegate, saw all his timber, crops, and livestock taken. For seven years he was barred from his home and family.

John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family. 

Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson's palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, "Why do you spare my home?" 

They replied, "Sir, out of respect to you." Nelson cried, "Give me the cannon!" and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson's sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson's property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.Lives, Fortunes, Honor

You can read the entire speech here.

Happy Independence Day from the Virginia Shooting Sports Association.

Rothenberg Raises Specter of Akin to Show Why Jackson is Bad for GOP Ticlet

It was expected that the professional pundit class and the left would start to paint Rev. E.W. Jackson, the GOP Lt. Governor Nominee, as too socially conservative and trouble for the GOP.  Yesterday, Stuart Rothenberg applied the "Todd Akin" label to Jackson. This from Rothenberg's Roll Call blog:

Until Saturday night, I had never heard of E.W. Jackson, a Harvard Law School graduate and minister who served three years in the Marine Corps and attended Harvard Divinity School.

I’ve never met the man, but I already know that Republicans in the Commonwealth of Virginia have a problem with their new nominee for lieutenant governor.

The combination of material on Jackson’s own website and the videos of Jackson speaking for himself suggest that Republicans have nominated a no-holds-barred social conservative who seems destined to utter the sort of controversial comments reminiscent of former Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin.

Rothenberg goes on to say that Jackson is the kind of candidate many Republicans want, to show a no compromise conservative is all that is needed for the party to win at the ballot box.  He goes on to claim that Jackson's website says he has been endorsed by Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. 

As I have noted in recent columns and posts, many Republicans believe their party has been too compromising and needs nominees who are more conservative. Jackson would appear to fill that bill. He is an admirer of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck (both of whom have endorsed him, according to his website), and religious themes are an important part of his agenda.

That raised my eyebrows because Limbaugh makes a point of not endorsing candidates.  So I went to Jackson's web site and finally found this:

He is the Founder of Exodus Faith Ministries, a nondenominational Christian church in Chesapeake, Virginia with a satellite in Boston, Massachusetts. On July 4, 2009, he launched S.T.A.N.D. – Staying True to America’s National Destiny (www.standamerica.us), a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s founding values which were informed by the principles found within the Jewish and Christian faiths.

STAND, with Jackson as president, aided the 2012 election effort both in Virginia and nationally. Most recently, he launched “Exodus Now”. The Exodus project is a national effort to encourage Christians and other people of moral values within the black community to leave the current Democratic Party because its current leadership has abandoned the founding principles of this Nation.

Jackson’s Youtube videos in support of that effort were played on Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham and to date have over 1.5 million views online. This is a part of his ongoing project to educate citizens on how the current leadership of the Democratic Party is not representing their values and to break the cycle of electoral dependency on the Democratic Party within the Black community.

That is the only reference on the candidate's web site that I can find to Beck and Limbaugh. Playing someone's You Tube videos may be an endorsement of the views in the video(s) but it is hardly an endorsement of one's candidacy.  In fact, no where does the Jackson web site claim such an endorsement.  So, it would appear that Rothenberg not only is trying to taint Jackson with the name of Todd Akin, but is piling on with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

Gun owners need to stand with Jackson now.  The media and the left are going to work hard to define Jackson before he can raise enough money to define himself.  The only way to keep that from happening is to rally to him now.  His is a message of Liberty.

Their Lives, Their Fortunes, and Their Sacred Honor

Today is Independence Day, America's Birthday.  At a time with the elites of the day think it fashionable to dismiss our founders as "Dead White Men,"  VSSA would like to share what those brave individuals put on the line so that their generation, and future generations, might live in freedom.  This is taken from a speech that was often delivered by the father of radio personality, Rush Limbaugh.

Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.

And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark.

He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship Jersey, where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: "No."

The 56 signers of the Declaration Of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

As we celebrate today at the pool, at family and neighborhood cookouts, and firework shows, let us remember those who came before us, and those who still fight today, so that we may live in freedom.
 
Happy Independence Day!  Happy Birthday America!