The Shot Heard 'round the World

As April 19th approaches, I think back to that spring day in Massachusetts when Americans were chafing under the bridle of the British Empire. When the British army marched to take weapons away from honest citizens; farmers, bankers, tradesmen, and merchants. And the honest citizens used those arms to resist tyranny. In 1775, the British army was the most professional and well equipped in the world. The British navy ruled the high seas. And a handful number of free men, honestly armed, stood up to tyranny at Lexington and Concord, sending the British army in full retreat to the safety of Boston. American blood was spilled along with British from that day and for eight long, bitter, desperate years until the birth of an infant, free nation. Thomas Jefferson said: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." The article reprinted in the companion www.gadsden2006.wordpress.com is a powerful statement of what our founders would think of us today, and what their actions would be. July 4, 1776 was the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, but April 19, 1775 was the day free men stood up to tyranny and began the war for independence, without a national government telling them to do it. They did it because it was the right thing to do.

Oakland's Murderer Supporters

In typical Californian fashion, four police officers are murdered by a criminal, who is subsequently killed by police, and the people protest in support of the criminal. That is so typical of the Socialist Republic of California. Lovelle Mixon is a convicted felon, guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm. After being released from prison, he is apprehended as a suspect in a murder. Charges are dropped due to lack of evidence. Mixon, who is on parole, is being visited by his parole officer in Feb. 2009 when his parole officer cannot locate him. Following three more attempts to locate Mixon over the next three weeks, to no avail, Mixon is listed as Parollee-at-large. When Mixon is pulled over for a traffic violation, he begins shooting at the officers. As a convicted felon, Mixon should not be in possession of a firearm, but he is a criminal and does not obey laws. Mixon then runs to his sister's apartment to hide, very much like the Muslim terrorists hiding behind women and children, and he kills two more police officers. Mixon is then killed by other police officers, and the people of Oakland celebrate the deaths of four police officers and mourn a murderer. What a mess the country is in.