"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
How did politically active rec.boats get all the way through the day
without
somebody commenting on the 229th anniversary of our initial, armed
resistance
to
oppressive, dictatorial government?

It's a day for all of us, regardless of political preference, to take
pride in
the courage it must have taken for these simple farmers, shopkeepers, and
craftsmen
to stand up to King George, Parliament, and the Board of Colonies and
Plantations to demand the same rights that were afforded Englishmen
elsewhere.

Proud to say that one of these patriots was a g,g,g,g,......grandfather.
:-)

*****************
From the web:

To learn about this barn is to step back into American history. It was
built
about 1710 and originally stood at 129 Washington Street, about a mile
from its
present site. It was built by the Goulds, one of the founding familes of
Topsfield. Zaccheus Gould came from England about 1639 and took an active
role
in creating the town, then known as New Meadows, and was one of its
leading
citizens. The barn's owner during the Revolutionary War was Joseph Gould,
Zaccheus's great-grandson. Joseph was a farmer who, on December 5, 1774
was
elected Captain by the citizens of Topsfield of one of the two Militia
Companies. It is recorded that Captain Gould was one of those who, on
April 19,
1775, left his plow in midfurrow and galloped off to Lexington and Concord
to
help drive the Redcoats back to Boston.

***********

Good job, Gramps! :-)

Yes, you have every right to be proud. Americans ; with very little help
chose their own destiny!

Would it be the same for Iraq? I believe freedom is something to be earned,
not a gift to be grudgingly accepted. You must fight and sacrifice for self
determination. Yes it might take some time of suffering to accomplish this,
but in the end the freedom is appreciated.

Would Americans appreciate their freedom as much if it were handed to us by
the French, or Spanish? Yes the french helped, but most of the fighting was
done by men like your grandfather several times removed. I'd like to think
we would do it again if necessary.

This is why I believe "Operation Iraqi Freedom is doomed to fail. The
common Iraqi has no part in the fight. Were things bad enough he would have
risen up long ago. Yes Saddam was a brute -- King George was a nutcase.
They Both persecuted their subjects. Americans finally said "NO MORE".
Iraq won't truly be free until they do the same,

Yes, you have every right to be proud. Americans ; with very little help
chose their own destiny!