Revising (Or Correcting!) The Declaration Of Independence

The past is not dead. It is not even past, as earnest historians (presumably progressive) attempt to revise the Declaration of Independence. From the Times:

Every Fourth of July, some Americans sit down to read the Declaration of Independence, reacquainting themselves with the nation’s founding charter exactly as it was signed by the Second Continental Congress in 1776.

Or almost exactly? A scholar is now saying that the official transcript of the document produced by theNational Archives and Records Administrationcontains a significant error — smack in the middle of the sentence beginning “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” no less.

The error, according to Danielle Allen, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., concerns a period that appears right after the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in the transcript, but almost certainly not, she maintains, on the badly faded parchment original.

That errant spot of ink, she believes, makes a difference, contributing to what she calls a “routine but serious misunderstanding” of the document.

The period creates the impression that the list of self-evident truths ends with the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she says. But as intended by Thomas Jefferson, she argues, what comes next is just as important: the essential role of governments — “instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” — in securing those rights.

“The logic of the sentence moves from the value of individual rights to the importance of government as a tool for protecting those rights,” Ms. Allen said. “You lose that connection when the period gets added.”

The story reviews her very impressive detective work and concludes with her perspective:

“We are having a national conversation about the value of government, and it does get connected to our founding documents,” she said. “We should get right what’s in them.”

Oh, brother. Progressives are about to ener their Blue Period and righties are about a week away from being labelled 'period deniers'.

I should add something about 'who controls the present controls the past and who controls the past controls the future'. But the future is now!

ERRATA: The text in question is in italics:

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

IN OTHER NEWS: A timely surprise for libs was found in a recently discovered version of Lincoln's handwritten Gettysburg Address:

...testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure without national single payer health care.

Who knew?

Comments

[narciso]

Michael Ennis, the author I was mentioning was a contributor to Texas Monthly

[daddy]

I think I just saw Bill O'Reilly and Barbara Walter's declare undying love to each other on the Factor.

Now I've got the heebee-geebee's.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

--I don't know which story is better, yours or Miss Marple's rescue of cute pup Norman, but both are wonderful to read about.--

The return of the prodigal pup is definitely better daddy.
Quail are very cute but also very tasty so there's a potentially tragic side to the story come autumn. :(
As long as he stays away from 1600 Pennsylvania, Norman is just cute.

[Captain Hate]

narc and my other musical friends, I got this in the mail today

https://trostrecords.bandcamp.com/album/schl8hof

[Captain Hate]

Mrs H got the stitches removed from her foot operation today so I took her out to a local park where we saw a Mama wood duck with more duckings than I thought was possible to look after.

[daddy]

People see what they want to see.

Captain,

I thought this Mark Twain quote I came upon today in a Watts Up story was perceptive:

Mark Twain again provides insight to why bad science so easily goes viral having written:

“In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from others.”

It's in a fascinating post about how Satellites, detecting previously undetected Penguin Poop stains on Antarctic glaciers, are able to prove that the current AGW models are dead wrong. Blinded by Beliefs: The Straight Poop on Emperor Penguins

[Dave (in MA)]

Looks like a good one, CH. I have DKV's Live in Wels & Chicago where they cover an entire Don Cherry album on CD 2.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Remember the million tons of plastic garbage floating in the oceans?
The guy who came up with the number now says it's more like 7,000-35,000 tons and it's mostly tiny little chunks of plastic, not vast whirlpools of shopping bags, Yugo bumpers and whole herds and flocks of otters and gulls with six pack rings around their necks.
I guess the science is settled; he was only off by 99.3%.

[Captain Hate]

Yeah I have that one too, Dave, where they do Complete Communion; the Trigonometry release is good too. I saw them perform a couple times when Vandermark used to make this a normal stop on his touring schedule. He still comes by, just not as frequently and mostly clubs on the west side instead of the Beachland which is ok by me.

[Strawman Cometh]

From daddy's link:
So Emperor Penguins declined due to AGW, what else could it be...The Real Poop:

Several studies have shown that tight flipper bands can increase penguin mortality because flippers can atrophy or swimming efficiency is reduced. Those observations have prompted researchers to argue for another “unlearning” writing, “our understanding of the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems based on flipper-band data should be reconsidered.” 15 However it is unlikely that atrophied flippers from tight bands can fully explain the 50% drop in the Emperor’s abundance. However, interrupting the Emperor’s pair-bonding and vital huddling behavior to attach flipper bands and count birds is a significant disruption that would encourage penguins to seek a more secluded breeding colony.

Placing a band on an Emperor Penguin is no easy task. Male Emperors must conserve energy in order to survive their 4 month winter fast, and tussles with researchers consumed their precious energy. Emperors must also huddle in order to conserve vital warmth (as seen below in the picture from Robertson 2014). But huddling was disrupted whenever researchers “drove” the penguins into files of 2 or 3 individuals in order to systematically read bands or more accurately count the population. “Droving” could also cause the males to drop their eggs that are so precariously balanced on their feet.

When DuDu’s flipper banding finally ended in 1980, coincidentally the Emperors’ “survival rate” immediately rebounded. Survival rates remained high for the next four years despite extreme shifts in weather and sea-ice extent. However, survival rates suddenly plummeted once again in 1985, despite an above-normal pack-ice extent.Coincidentally, that is when the French began building an airstrip at DuDu, and to that end they dynamited and joined three small islands.

[daddy]

Iggy,

Your story said that 100 cities in California have followed San Francisco in banning plastic bags.

My question: What do they want people to use to pick up their dog poops, if not plastic bags?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

A little comedy relief anyone?
David Brooks on what it's like to be a conservative columnist at the NYT. What next? A Madonna column on chastity?
Apparently the libs are too hard on him;

New York Times columnist David Brooks gets a lot of hate mail. And he doesn't read the comments section.

"I used to read them, but it was just too psychologically damaging," Brooks said in an interview with Yahoo News' Katie Couric at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Tuesday. "So then I would ask my assistant to read them."

Brooks was shocked at the volume of "punishingly negative" comments when he joined the Times in 2003.

"It was the worst six months of my life," he said. "I had never been hated on a mass scale before." The conservative columnist received more than 290,000 emails during his first six months at the left-leaning paper. "The core message was, 'Paul Krugman is great; you suck,'" Brooks recalled.

Wish the knothead would read a few of CH's or Gus's thoughts on him here if he really wants to know abuse. :)

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

--My question: What do they want people to use to pick up their dog poops, if not plastic bags?

Posted by: daddy | July 03, 2014 at 11:57 PM --

daddy,
They only banned plastic shopping bags so, for now, presumably one can still use the old ziploc kitchen type bags.
Probably only a matter of time until hemp dog diapers are the only legal method and even then you'd have to compost it......or smoke it. Knowing SF, brownies would probably not be out of the question.

[Captain Hate]

That Aspen Ideas Festival sounds like a gathering of dimwits just begging to be ridiculed.

[Captain Hate]

Nytol good people and Happy Independence Day.

[daddy]

Probably only a matter of time until hemp dog diapers are the only legal method

There may be another option:)

Eco-Friendly Diapers Made From Jellyfish

[Gus]

Ignatz. That CREASE is PERFECT. The crease in Opies trousers, is making me TURGID.

[daddy]

Nice to see that over at Insty the link to this current JOM post has more comments than any other linked story. Congrats TM!

[Dublindave 2016]

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[Dublindave 2016]

7

[Danube on iPad]

Even if TJ fathered a child with Hemings, that would not have made him an adulterer. IIRC he had been a widower for many years before that child was born.

But really: is it honest, or even sensible, to derogate the F. ounders for alleged adultery while lionizing JFK and Clinton?

[Dublindave 2016]

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[Dublindave 2016]

h

[Dublindave 2016]

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[Dublindave 2016]

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[Dublindave 2016]

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[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

One more story for daddy before I go to bed. May have told it before.
The quail were on the same property where, years ago a male blue grouse stood athwart the dirt road challenging me to pass. He approached my pickup when I stopped and disappeared under the front end.
I started to step out to see where he went and as my boot emerged from the open door he appeared and began blasting it with his beak.
I pulled it back in and closed my door before he flew in and started a rumble.
He then got on my mirror and the windshield wipers and would smack the glass like a hammer if I put my hand up to it. He then flew up on the roof, walked down the top of the bed rail and hopped off the end.
With him out of the way I figured I better leave before he hurt himself. I looked in my rear view after I pulled up a ways and stopped. As soon as I stopped he began running up the road at me, a red mist clearly descended over his eyes again. I drove on and he stopped. I stopped again and he laced up his track shoes again. We did this two or three more times until I got the message and kept on going. I can still see him motorbating around a sharp turn in the road leaning sideways like Usain Bolt on the turn in the 200 meters.
I'll bet Mrs Grouse was pretty sore in the morning after her 2 pound hunka bird ran off a 5000 pound pickup and a 215 pound dude.
It was of course spring time.

[Dublindave 2016]

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[Dublindave 2016]

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[Dublindave 2016]

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[Danube on iPad]

Founders.

Nytol,

[Gus]

Danube, they are LEFTISTS. Truth, morality and facts are of no use to them. Winning is of use. Once the LEFT went the FULL COMMIE, just prior to Dimbulb O'Blahblah being emaculated, they stopped even pretending to be rational. They are fascists. Their lies are only useful to LIV's and Idiots now.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Aren't you usually unconscious or in Otis's cell at this hour, DaveyBoy?

[Threadkiller]

Do not use a broken ladder.

My salvaged 7 footer gave way as I descend from my rooftop to the second "not a step" from the top.

My cat like reflexes only accomplished an undeciferable scream.

Back, tailbone, right rotator cuff, right shin, palms, and left elbow took the brunt of it. Saved my thinking cap!

Baby TK heard the calamity, rushed to the scene and asked if she could watch TV.

While sitting in my makeshift household bear-trap all I could think to say was, "after you bring me an icepack."

I should have asked for a cooler.

On the plus side, I found my shoe that self-ejected from pure fear.

I might change my handle to "Painkillers" for a couple of days...

[Gus]

TK, not funny my friend. A guy who works for me, went up on a ladder to fix woodpecker holes on his soffit,this past fall. He is 65, then 64. He put two large rocks at the base of the ladder to hold it in place. He woke up in the hospital. Large gash vertically across his forehead to near his eyes. Broken wrist, shoulder and 2 torn up knees. A mess. Missed 3 months of work. I am very careful, my house is nearly 18 feet tall on the east side at my deck. I don't want to die, nor do I like wheel chairs. I am very careful.

[Threadkiller]

Gus, it only hurts when I laugh.

[Gus]

Daddy, I think you meant that O'Reilly and Walters agreed that they had undying love for THEMSELVES. O'Reilly makes love to himself. And Walters has actually had sex with Geraldo Rivera!!!!
O'Reilly is circling the drain. No one should love themself that much. O'Reilly is the perfect example of what power and fame can do to a person. He thinks his scat is perfume.

[Gus]

TK, if this happened today. You won't be laughing tomorrow.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Jeez, TK. Bad but consider yourself lucky.
An acquaintance and a friend had considerably worse outcomes when they tangled with ladders

Hope you didn't do more than you seem to think you did.

Someday I'll have to tell you of the time I stepped through the old shake roof I was removing and landed one floor later on the only place that could have saved me; my occiput.
I can still hear and feel that crack on contact with the concrete [the slab I landed on not my skull] right before the lights went out.

[Threadkiller]

My supernurse wife guarantees me that the Fourth will be a day that lives in agony.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Since Gus is getting all graphic; one guy who fell timber for me years ago, I just learned last week, fell off his roof level ladder and when his teenage daughter went outside a little later found him laid out and at the ambient temperature. Super nice guy.
A good friend has some kind of white blood cell disorder and he fell about 6 or 7 feet; just far enough to break his leg. The disorder kept it from healing and he ended up having it amputated below the knee.
I am more scared of ladders than bulldozers and falling trees.

[Gus]

Ignatz on Good Friday, when I was dating Mrs Gus, I was on the dock supervising a crew that was unloading a moving truck to our warehouse. Beautiful warm day. I walk out onto the dock and a steel decking bar, a steel 2x4 that was used to support decking on a moving van/semi-trailer, fell. HEADS UP!!! HEADS UP!!!!. Smacked me square in the middle of my forehead at the hair line (hair line in those days).
I got slammed. I went down to one knee, and my boss appeared at that moment. I said...."Kenny, am I bleeding". He laughed and just said. "Yes Gus." I took it like a man, and actually went to lunch with my Gal. I still have the scar, it looks exactly like a PONTIAC logo. On my forehead!!!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

--Baby TK heard the calamity, rushed to the scene and asked if she could watch TV.--

I missed that line first time around TK. LOL.
Supernurse doesn't recommend precautionary X Rays?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

--I still have the scar, it looks exactly like a PONTIAC logo. On my forehead!!!-

Could have been worse; could have looked like a Packard's. :)

[Gus]

Yes Ignatz, but a Mercedes logo attracts CHIX.
Or so I am told. PONTIAC????

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Better than a Merc for anyone's forehead. Might make wearing a ball cap problematic;

[Gus]

Ignatz, I was in the bathroom next to my den/office, just now, and I checked out my PONTIAC logo. Seems that the logo is moving. Or my hairline is. Hahahhahahahahaha. The scar is not heinous, but then there isn't much flesh to scar there, the indentation is right into the skull!!!! Priceless.

[Threadkiller]

No xrays yet, Ig. I am "big boneded."* The only skeletal issues I have suffered come in the form of boxers fractures and fused vertebrae.

It took an airborne Chevy and a large tree to screw with my spine.

*my service writer shared that coloquism from his African-American culture.**

**He called it a "black thing" before we found out that race relations were beyond our control.***

*** He hated "PC" bullshit.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Really gotta hit the sack now, but I did just hear WC Fields let loose with a string of euphonious appellations for our Native American brothers which would make Daniel Snyder blanch like Bob Hope in Son of Pale Face.

I hope the Feds revoke WC's trademark and compel some nicely dubbed, modern and respectful terms to his movies to protect our sensitive ears.
His discourses on pygmies alone would certainly land him in some courthouse if not the hoosegow these days.

[daddy]

Just hustled down to Steak and Shake for a quick burger before work, and here I come back to find out everybody's leaping off ladders. Cut it out!!!

Sorry for your aching TK and sure hope it's nothing worse come the morning.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Glad you're still in one piece TK.
Night guys.

[Gus]

Yes Ignatz, the Executive branch of the government is now CONFISCATING the PROPERTY RIGHTS and SPECIFICALLY "Intellectual Property Rights and INCOME" from those it deems UNWORTHY or NOT SUFFICIENTLY politically correct thinking.
How about music. "Indian Giver" etc etc.
The use of NIGGER is ok, based upon the INTENT of the errrrrrr "artist".
The GOVERNMENT HAS ZERO BUSINESS, in squelching ........FREE SPEECH.

[Gus]

WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP.

Is that disrespect toward MILLLLLLIONS of White men, who can or cannot jump....LEGAL NOW????

[Threadkiller]

Goodnight all.

Thanks for the well wishes.

[Gus]

TK. I will pray for you tonight. I really hope you are able to DRINK tomorrow!!!

Hahhahahahahaha.

All the best my friend.

[peter]

great thread, everybody. We are up at this ridiculous hour because we are driving up to the Cape and want to beat the traffic.... and the hurricane. Happy 4th!. Great quail story, Igy

[Jane on Ipad]

Peter,

The Cape is having a hurricane tonight. Be careful.

[Jane on Ipad]

Oops, I see you know. Stay safe.

[Miss Marple]

Good morning!

daddy, I see you are off to work so won't be hanging around Indy for the fireworks downtown, for which you would have had an excellent view.

I am up early as I got COLD because my daughter's terrier-chihuahua mix got cold too, got in bed, and made a nest of the covers, taking them from me. It is 56 this morning, almost Montana weather! Feels great, so I will get good weather for my preferred chore today: weeding. While I was gone the yard was taken over by thistles and bindweed, so I am starting int he front yard and clearing that out.

The two worst things about returning from vacation are laundry and weeds!

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

For Our Country - from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Miss Marple]

I appreciate the prayer this morning, Janet.

I think we are in "the time of trouble" right now.

[Miss Marple]

http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2014/07/stars-stripes-freedom-responsibility.html

Nice essay on freedom and responsibility.

[Jack is Back! (In the USA)]

Good morning and Happy Independence Day from our Nation's Capital and most important swamp.

Had dinner last night at Old Ebbits Grill which a number of JOM tribe members will remember from numerous essays and reports by Clarice. The place was jammed with mostly tourists, families and a few young hill types on the make. Prior to that Frederick and I walked around a few blocks from our hotel so I could show hin my old office at 15th and K and at one time at 16th and I behind the Hay Adams.

A lot has changed and I am glad I am no longer part of the scene. Jane mentioned last night about how Scott Brown seemed to change once he got here. Unless you have a comfy, safe seat (which there are less and less of these days) your time away from the floor or committee is spent on fundraising. Its not just for the money but the supprt and ideas and information and help come 2 years hence.

In the Senate, you need more money to run a state wide campaign and you also need to build up a power base. More money you raise the more you can give to other candidates. All the squishes like McCain have huge PACs that feed other less fortunate candidates or members. That part hasn't changed since I have been here.

But today, Constitution Avenue will fill with red, white and blue as the annual parade passes through. The museums were filled with high school kids from around the country wearing tee shirts proclaimming what band they were with. We'll go down and watch. It starts at 11:45. But once a few groups have come through its back to the room for the remainder of the Germany v. France game.

Frieworks later from the roof of the hotel. Hat-tip to Clarice for the recommendation.

[Jack is Back! (In the USA)]

BTW, from Dubya's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/georgewbush?fref=nf

Note his title: Public Figure:)

[Captain Hate]

And Walters has actually had sex with Geraldo Rivera!!!!

This is not the mental image I needed to start the day.

I was great sleeping weather in NE Ahia last night also. Summer cold fronts FTW! Gus are you going to the Eastern Shore this summer?

[MaryD]

Good morning, and A safe and Happy Fourth to all! (Note that I am capitalizing like a Founder.) :-)

Heavy rain here in northern NH, but great sleeping weather.

[Jane]

Mary did you have the lightening and thunder? It was pretty amazing.

Now I'm wondering how much wind to expect as Arthur makes his way here.

I hope OL and Caro are hunkered down - especially Caro because she is on a boat.

[MaryD]

Had great pyrotechnics last night Jane. My husband was ecstatic because he loves a good thunderstorm. Cats were surprisingly mellow with it.

Now it's just heavy rain showers. I'm sure Caro is smart enough to shelter if the situation calls for it. Same with OL.

[Jack is Back! (In the USA)]

I wonder if TM will note that today is the 75th anniversary of the "Luckiest Man" speech by Lou Gehrig?

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

Wonderful link @ 7:14, MM. Thanks.

[pagar]

Glad to hear Norman is back safely.

"and here I come back to find out everybody's leaping off ladders."

I urge everyone to use ladders safely. Had a childhood friend the same age as I am, we rode the school bus and went thru school, joined the AF the same day I did and retired from the AF as I did, who was buried a few months ago. He fell and died from using a ladder.

[Extraneus]

I had two shoulder surgeries, and during physical therapy for both I got to meet numerous seriously messed up people who fell from ladders.

[Jack is Back! (In the USA)]

The Following is a JOM Public Service Announcement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6j1JONkFLU

How to Use an Extension Ladder Safely.

[cathyf]

Someone linked Ace earlier about the Faceplant Data Mining scam. Loved this comment:

If you're not paying for something, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold.

And that applies to "free" contraception the same as "free" Facebook, obviously.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwaski]

Somebody quoted that comment earlier, cathy.
I'm wondering if it ought to be tattooed on the inner eyelids of everyone under thirty.....well everyone period.

[Marlene]

Happy July 4th! I drove down from the cabin this morning. We stayed last night and wow,we had one heck of a lightening storm.It is rainy and muggy,the sky is dark and the clouds are low. MaryD,I'm driving to NH in the morning,bringing Mom to spend next week at the cabin.I was interested in your comments about Scott Brown.Shaheen is a carpetbagger also.
Jack,you are right about DC. When the Congress is in session,the daughter is on the constant go,running from this function to that event. Breakfast,lunch and dinner. It is really quite eye-opening. The PACS host events,Congressman X shows up,glad hands and goes to the next fundraiser. Have fun at the fireworks,daughter said it looks like the weather will clear up by tonight.

[Rennie Elliott]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DOv4KPkUDY Jefefrson's mindset, or you can watch HBO's excellent "John Adams". The whole defeat of freedom is always connected with the love of wealth, of property, it has NEVER brought greater freedom to mankind, merely enslaved it, Jefferson understood this, and so did Scotland in 1320 when it drafted the Declaration of Arbroath, the first time London was sent a resolution telling them to bugger off.