‘A Spark Of Patriotic Fire’
Over at Protein Wisdom, Friend In The Ether Sdferr Pablo remarked recently:
The conservative movement is far smaller than I thought it was. I’ve lost all respect for some people I never imagined I’d be saying that about.
It seems that we make up a decent bit less than the ‘thirty-percent of Americans are conservative’ meme that is repeated all the time. If I’m correct, we have, perhaps, a harder road ahead then did The Founding Fathers.
However – I’m still looking into this, so please bear with me – I’m getting the impression, in reading the writings of some of The Founders and in legitimate biographies of them, that the long-touted ‘thirty-percent of American Colonists supported the struggle for Independence’ meme may be too high a figure.
From late 1770 through late 1772, Samuel Adams was reduced in the number of supporters in his fight to defend our rights as Englishmen: John Hancock had abandoned the Cause, John Adams had retired to Braintree, and a good number of others conceded key points to Royal Governor Hutchinson and the British Government [all in the name of Pragmatism and Moderation, by the way]. This period has been labeled by Historians as ‘The Quiet Period’ –and the Servile Silence that resonated throughout Massachusetts was deafening.
In his correspondence with fellow ‘die-hards’ [such as James Warren, James Hawley, and Dr. Joseph Warren], Samuel Adams counseled Patience in waiting for the right issues to come along that could be used to re-rouse enough people to reignite the ‘Flame Of Liberty’ [he was prophetic in his belief that the Royal Government would continue to misunderstand The American Mind and keep on committing misstep after misstep]. That is, of course, what happened in 1773 – and the rest is Glorious History.
So, as Mr. Adams wrote to James Warren on 09 December 1772: ‘Nil desperandum. That is a Motto for you and me. All are not dead; and where there is a Spark of patriotic fire, we will enkindle it.’
We just need to be properly ‘armed’ with the right rhetorical weapons when the Despots misfire. As Samuel Adams often advised: When the other side makes a move to further their ends, we must ‘put our Enemies in the wrong’.
And…we must:
OUTLAW.
Pablo remarked that, yes, but not me — though I fully endorse Pablo’s observations there. Just guessing: more coffee?
You know me so well…thanks.
There’s a school of thought that suggests there were never more than 3% of the Colonialists actively fighting the Crown and that there were less than 10% who supported them, another 20% who supported the cause, but never really acted to forward it. But then the Colonialists weren’t so thoughtfully debauched and fixated on reality TV stars. It’s a very different population today.
What about cockfighting?!?
You mean that actor in Game of Thrones checking his junk for warts? More puppetry of the penis than cock fighting.
Every American should read the Declaration of Independence and ask themselves: Are the grievances the colonists complained of the sames ones we have today?
Why, yes.