Washington Kept His Promise

GW Rules“Undertake not what you cannot Perform but be Careful to keep your Promise.”

I’m sure that George Washington must have thought often of this Rule he learned in his youth, when he struggled with his soldiers in the nearly 7 years of the Revolutionary War.

When he was first elected by Congress as the Commander in Chief of the newly united American armies, I don’t think he could have fully understood the troubles and distresses they would have to endure for the next several years.

The victory at Dorchester Heights, was a great beginning. But the battles of New York nearly destroyed the whole army, and except for miraculous happenings even George Washington would have been killed. read more

The Revolutionaries and Football

Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_StatesI asked my wife for suggestions regarding what I should write about tonight on my Blog. She said: “Since it’s Monday night football, why don’t you write about what football teams the original Americans would root for.”

I answered: “That would be fun, but football hadn’t been invented yet when they were still around!”

But when I thought about it, I thought “what a good idea!”

Of course, John Adams, being from Boston, and a Patriot himself, would root for the New England Patriots. And, I suppose George Washington would join him, seeing as how Washington, DC hadn’t been built yet. read more

Liberty or Dry Paint?

Ben FranklinNot long ago I heard a quote that made me stop and think a little more closely about life itself. It went something like this:

“Tell a man there are trillions of stars in the universe, and he’ll believe you. Tell him there’s wet paint on the wall, and he’ll touch it just to be sure!”

That reminded me of another quote by Benjamin Franklin, I don’t know why, maybe I just had to reach out and touch it?

“They that can give up an essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” read more

Words We Use At Christmas

ForgivenessThe other day I received a card wishing me Holiday Greetings. That caused me to think about some of the words we ordinarily use during the Christmas season. Think of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for example.

Happy is defined as pleasant, pleased, and gratified. Holiday is a day commemorated with festivities and is a day on which one is exempted from work. Does that still work?

Greetings are simply “salutations.” So Holiday greetings are salutations sent for the day you are exempted from work! read more

George Washington and America

GeorgeWashingtonOh, how I love the words of George Washington. Indeed he was the Indispensible Man in the creation of the United States of America. I so wish we would heed more of his words of caution and warning. His first inaugural address and his Farewell Address are especially full of great advice and even predictions.

It’s my opinion that these two public addresses should be studied in the public schools and heeded by Congress, not to mention the Courts. But, unfortunately that’s not likely to happen. read more

Thanks to the Founding Fathers

Founding Fathers coverHappy Thanksgiving. As I was writing my report yesterday about how thankful I am for learning about the Illegal Trial of Christ, it occurred to me that I wouldn’t have ever written that book if the distributor for my book “Founding Fathers—Uncommon Heroes” hadn’t known that I had given several presentations about that trial. The distributor knew me well.

When Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion” came out and was so successful, my distributor called me and said they wanted me to put my material about the trial of Christ into a book. And because of current interest, they wanted it NOW! read more

John Adams and the Constitution

JohnAdamsShortly after the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress, Adams was sent to France to join Benjamin Franklin as a minister to France. Congress didn’t invite him to return home, even after the Revolutionary War had ended, and he and Franklin had constructed a Peace Treat, very much in favor of the United States.

Instead they sent him to Great Britain to attempt to produce a treaty of commerce with England. Can you imagine that? To try to put together a new treaty with your most recent war enemy? Impossible. Well, at least terribly difficult. read more

Prayer of Thanksgiving

800px-Mtchoirandorchestra_ConferenceCenter_(cropped)Oh wow! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir played a rousing rendition of “Prayer of Thanksgiving” today on Music and the Spoken Word, their weekly Sunday program. I hadn’t known before that this folk Hymn was written in the late 1800’s because of the end of a long and dreary war between The Netherlands and Spain in pursuit of religious freedom.

This hymn always reminded me of our own Pilgrim heritage and our Thanksgiving Holiday. Oh well, it still fits, and we should sing it proudly. Here are the words: read more

Benjamin Franklin and Gossip

Ben Franklin thumb picture
As you know Benjamin Franklin was a great diplomat. He proved that over and over again. In the Continental Congress with the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and others. In his victories with France in obtaining the funds and cooperation of the French in the Revolutionary War. In the Constitutional Convention when the arguments were starting to take over the discussions. And just generally in his life time habits and discourses.

Here’s an example of how he achieved so much: read more

Washington and Wisdom

Give Me LIberty coverIt seems that we, as a nation, are just now learning some things that our Founding Fathers knew and tried to tell us. To warn us about.

Here’s just one small example from our first President, George Washington:

“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like a fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”

–George Washington as quoted in “Give Me Liberty,”
by Steven W. Allen, JD.