Saturday Morning News & Notes

Big college games today. I like Alabama today but would love to see a close game. I'd also like to see Texas get waxed by Nebraska setting up a fight to see which non-big conference team gets the nod. I hate the BCS and have said a thousand times we need a damn playoff system.

Anyway, here's what's new:

-Democratic Senator Max Baucus nominated his mistress for US attorney in Montana--the state he represents. Now that's audacity. DC needs an enema in 2010; I wonder if it's covered under Obamacare.

-Our first black president brought hope for the African-American community. That hope was short-lived. Could Obama actually suffer because blacks feel betrayed and don't get out and vote in large numbers as they did in 2008? Short answer: no. Like every other Democrat in history he'll start paying attention to that particular bloc around election time telling them how much better they have it and then forget about them again after the election is over.

-A letter written by Thomas Jefferson is found at the U of Delaware.

-Proof that "ism's" that get too big and start spewing lies eventually fail.

-Playing fast and loose with TARP money. Imagine what they'll do with the money for socialized medicine that will accrue for several years before implementation.

-Over at RCP, Obama's aggregate job approval is below 50%. An epic free fall. That would be lower but CBS had him at a ridiculous 53%, which is well above everyone else.

-Update: Yes, San Francisco is actually considering public sex tents because of the growing instances of, well, public sex. I'm against them on the off chance I ever find myself there and Nancy Pelosi feels like getting down with her husband. I would probably be forced to burn my eyes out after seeing that.

Celebrating Independence Day

Tomorrow we celebrate that most American of holidays. It was 233-years ago that forward-thinking men threw off the shackles of tyranny and declared themselves and our new nation free. A few more years of war would settle the deal but this was a shot in the arm for the colonial army at a time it needed it. The Declaration of Independence solidified our reasoning and put us on a path of no return.

It was great men who fought for our freedom; George Washington being the most famous. But other men deserve recognition and I wish to provide that this morning.

Daniel Morgan:
Born in New Jersey and raised in Virginia, Morgan was a frontiersman and lifelong warrior. He gained some measure of renown in the French & Indian War before showing how good of a commander he was during the revolutionary war. He saved "Granny" Gates at the 2nd Battle of Saratoga and forced a surrender by British leader Burgoyne.

He showed his true ability to lead an army at the battle at Cowpens. He implemented a battle strategy so brilliant he beat the hated British Lt. Col. Tarleton. The battle was won and the course of the war was changed forever.

Nathaneal Greene:
Greene was a self-taught military man and effective leader. He knew who to promote, who to trust and how to keep British General Cornwallis chasing shadows throughout the South.

It was a bold move for Washington to promote and give Greene the responsibilities he did. He was repaid with a good General and an even better confidante.

Henry Knox:
Knox, from Boston scored the single-greatest coup in my opinion of the war. He led a group of men to Fort Ticonderoga and slogged through rough weather and tough paths to Boston with an arsenal of British weapons that the continentals had captured. This move forced the Brits to quit Boston and gave the city back to the Americans--a significant victory and one that bolstered early hopes.

I recommend several books if you want to read more about these great men and others who fought for the cause.

-Jeff Shaara's The Glorious Cause is my favorite and well worth your time this summer.


-David McCullough's 1776 id another good read although I was more intrigued by Shaara's character development.

-A Short History of the American Revolution by James Stokebury is an excellent book that covers the important events in a terse yet surprisingly entertaining manner.

Text of the Declaration of Independence can be found here along with names and states of those who had the guts to sign it.


Enjoy the holiday.

History Will Show the Real Bush

a must read by a Brit.

Why is it always the Brits who make better sense of historical significance than Americans?

Uh, stupid question.

A High C on Civics Quiz

Better than the average of a dismal 49%:

You answered 26 out of 33 correctly — 78.79 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 78.1%
Average score: 78.1%

You can take the quiz as often as you like, however, your score will only count once toward the monthly average.

If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email americancivicliteracy@isi.org.

You can consult the following table to see how citizens and elected officials scored on each question.

Where to from here?

Answers to Your Missed Questions:


Question #7 - D. Gettysburg Address
Question #8 - C. appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views
Question #26 - C. revenue minus expenses
Question #27 - A. the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends
Question #29 - B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it
Question #30 - C. decreasing taxes and increasing spending
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

I missed one easy one and the rest were not so easy.