Lessons from History...

[rcbusmc24]

I'm currently sitting at the OOD desk, on duty and reading the book "American Revolutions" by Alan Taylor. It covers continental history from 1750 to 1804. I was struck be the following passage from one of the early chapters, to the point that I sat the book down and starting comparing then to now, as I am apt to do on a regular basis, it seems. Only thing a history degree is good for really. So.... with apologies to the author for copying a small section of the chapter here, I felt that this could be good catalyst for a conversation about how while history doesn't always repeat it sure does seem to rhyme a lot.....

" The Stamp Act Crisis taught the colonists how to frustrate British measures by combining protest resolution by elite writers with violent intimidation by common mobs and economic boycotts by everyone. The three forms of resistance worked together. Boycotts required a common front, which the intimidation and ostracism helped to produce. In turn, published arguments by leading Patriots vindicated the boycotters and bully boys as defending colonial liberty against a plot by British tyrants.

By seizing the initiative, rallying popular support, and wielding intimidating power, Patriots discredited conservatives, including Hutchinson and Oliver. John Adams exulted, "So universal has been the resentment of the people, that every man who has dared to speak in favor of the stamps,...how great so ever his abilities and virtues had been esteemed before, or whatever his fortune, connections and influence had been, has been seen to sink into universal contempt and ignominy."

But Boston's leading Patriots did not want to wrest power from Hutchinson only to lose it to Ebenezer Mackintosh, who had attacked wealthy men with an alarming glee. Samuel and John Adams sought to marginalize Parliament's supporters and nullify the stamp tax without unleashing class warfare. Rich Patriots needed reassurance that the resistance did not threaten them. Working behind the scenes in ways that remain obscure, Patriot leaders discredited Mackintosh, who lost his clout with the mob. By 1770 he was languishing in jail for debt, which none of his former, genteel friends would help him pay."

Interesting to me, at least, how similar this playbook was to the ones we are seeing today....

As an aside Ebenezer Mackintosh is the 28 year old man who brokered the deal between the rival North and South End Factions of Boston and created a united mob for the Sons to use as needed. He was a shoemaker and veteran of colonial wars and the annual Pope's Day rumbles.

[blues]

What's old is new again.

Yep...the clothing has changed but the tactics remain pretty much the same, Saul Alinsky notwithstanding.

The message, for me, (and thanks brother for bringing it up today, of all days), is take these people and events lightly at your peril.

The truth is being distorted and manipulated for political ends...and if allowed to continue in this fashion, will steamroll us under.

There is certainly a lot of appeal for those who consider themselves to be on the outside looking in, to get on board.

[Suvorov]

Nothing new under the sun as the Good Book says. I suspect that the formula for revolution has followed a similar recipe for 10,000 years or more. As I’ve mentioned the Russian revolution was supported eagerly by the intelligencia while the less educated masses provided the grunt work. Like asymmetrical warfare - these tactics are good or bad depending on who is conducting them.

I firmly believe that we are seeing the beginning of a legit revolutionary movement (and one that won’t give us anything reflecting our Bill of Rights). I suppose the question is now - how do we stop it?

[rcbusmc24]

It continues.... this one is for the law enforcement officers, compare this to what you are dealing with today, similar eh...?

" In October of 1768, the British government sent Gage and two regiments of redcoats to Boston to " protect and support the civil magistrates, and the officers of the Crown, in the execution of their duty." To frustrate that mission, Patriots insulted and harassed the troops. Boys and men pelted the patrolling soldiers with snowballs, mud, stones, and spittle or persuaded them to desert. The Boston Gazette agitated readers with horrifying reports of abusive troops. One fabricated story insisted that a soldier had raped a woman so brutally that she died beneath the town's Liberty Tree. The harassment and agitation neutralized the troops, for neither Bernard nor Hutchinson, his successor as governor, dared to deploy them against civilians. Boston mobs continued to menace redcoats, bully importers of British goods, and tar and feather customs informers.

On the night of March 5 1770, about fifty men and boys gathered to harass seven soldiers guarding the custom house on Boston's main street by hurling snowballs, chunks of ice, sticks and rocks while yelling "Kill Them." The Captain in charge tried to restrain his men, but they feared for their lives. One fired and the rest followed suit, hitting eleven colonists, five of whom died. Flocking to the scene, hundreds of angry colonists threatened to kill the captain and his men, so Hutchinson ordered them away to Castle William.

Patriot propagandists turned the tragedy into " the Boston Massacre"...

Scary how similar this is to how many of our law enforcement officers are being treated today... not that I am saying law enforcement officers are shooting civilians, just that the harassment they are under is strikingly similar.

I know that some of this might seem as if I am against the Patriot / American cause at times..... I am not, though the book I am reading takes a very middle of the road view of the actions of both sides. This is a interesting viewpoint to me as I, like I would guess many of us, grew up on the romanticized version of our revolution, when in reality it was men, smart men yes, but men, who were acting in their own (and ours's, thankfully) best interests. It is fortuitous, I believe, that they so distrusted each other to have control of a government that they specifically spelled out limitations to that same government, separated the powers so that no one could become too powerful and then debated and eventually spelled out a bill of rights. Can you imagine where we would be today without these two documents, The British constitution was never written down.... It means whatever they want it to mean.... Benjamin Franklin stated that his guess was that we would have to have another constitutional convention in 10 to 15 years if we were lucky, we've made it how long so far....

[BehindBlueI's]

This is a interesting viewpoint to me as I, like I would guess many of us, grew up on the romanticized version of our revolution, when in reality it was men, smart men yes, but men, who were acting in their own (and ours's, thankfully) best interests.

Some folks never get past that view. It's almost religious in nature and the founding fathers are saints. I recall being in my early 20s and reading biographies that exposed some of the deep hatreds and rivalries between individuals and groups among them. It was a curious feeling. One, they were just human and had the same foibles as all men. Two, men with those foibles started us down the path to the greatest social experiment in a capitalist republic the world has ever seen. Sort of sad and hopeful at the same time.

[Caballoflaco]

Not to be flippant but I feel like our national options as a response to the current Marxism “situation” can be summed up well with this.