By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
-Concord Hymn, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sung at the dedication of the Battle Monument, commemorating the Battle of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1836.
And, as Ry put it, up in the H&I Fires:
Today is another dark anniversary. 12 years ago another group of self important and deranged individuals decided to make their statement with a body count.
Make this small change:
Today is another dark anniversary. 232 years ago another group of self important and deranged individuals decided to make their statement with a body count.
And it becomes an opinion that can be heard now and again among many of the elites of world, especially cosmopolitan transnational Euro-elites.
Heh. Things haven't changed much. If they had any Red Coats, they'd come to disarm us again, given the chance. Oft times, our own elites have felt the same way about we plebs.
Interestingly, as we sit in the aftermath (and in some cases unseemly media frenzy regarding the shooter) of the murders at Virginia Tech, there has been some indications, however slight, that some of the elites *do* pay attention to us. We, of course, must keep on them, lest they forget.
But the knee-jerk reaction, except from those heavily invested in the issue, like the NRA or Brady Campaign, has some interesting nuance in it. I was bemused this morning to find a link to my Gun Control Policy Debate post from Unpartisan.Com. Not surprised at the link - but at the excerpt.
Lawmakers resist gun control revision WASHINGTON | After the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cautioned Tuesday against a “rush to judgment” on stricter gun control. (11 hours ago)
The link to their links is above the quote.
Secondly - there is an indication that Representative Nancy Boyda (D, KS), who wrested her seat from a clueless Jim Ryun (R, ex-Ks) does have some understanding of her constituency, at least until she's firmly established enough to allow the full perks of incumbency to protect her. In a "Congressional Briefing" (itself quoting an AP article) from the Lawrence Journal-World, Ms Boyda is on the record as saying:
“As tragic as this incident was … I don’t think we need additional federal gun laws,” Boyda said Tuesday. “We need to enforce the laws we have.”
What she said.
I'm cautiously optimistic regarding Ms. Boyda - on this issue, as well as some others, such as Veteran's Affairs, though we disagree on the GWOT. I admit it - I like divided government, it keeps either side from running roughshod over the other. Not that I'm going to let my guard down.
In keeping with the spirit of Kim du Toit's Nation of Riflemen, I'm going to order up some ammunition from the Internet (all legal, of course), and I'm going to order one of these - a hand mortar. SWWBO has already approved (lotsa brass, not hard to win her over with lotsa brass).
It will look something like this when completed (though the stock will not have the ivory inlay, and the butt-shape will be more consistent with 18th century stocks, rather than the 17th Century stock in this example from a museum in Germany. [Oops. Too many pictures, not enough captions. That pic was stuck in with a bunch of pics I have from a museum in Nuremburg - but as reader Randy Knight points out - it's probably from a set he sent me of the Imperial War Museum or the British Museum. More of Randy's work can be seen here. Never hesitate to call me out if I'm stealing your credit! -the Armorer]
It's a kit. I'll probably run a series on building it and shooting it.
And yes, I know the flag is displayed incorrectly in the top photo. While it's been long fixed in the Arsenal, I've not taken a new picture. And yes, grognards, that Ross is US Ordnance marked, so it hangs there appropriately.
Update: For those who just can't get past the flag - here, it's hanging correctly. Just don't ask me where I got all those left-handed antique weapons. Let's just say they are very rare and not often found in the wild.
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