The meaning of “Liberty”

July 19, 2006

Ed Brayton and Mark Olson have been discussing the meaning of the word “liberty” especially with regard to the Declaration of Independence and what the Americans may have thought they were fighting for in the American Revolution. The whole discussion is linked at Positive Liberty, and Jason Kuznicki carries the analysis deeper — a good addition to the discussion, since Kuznicki is actually a historian.

Kuznicki’s post is here: http://positiveliberty.com/2006/07/olson-and-brayton-on-the-meanings-of-liberty.html

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Posted by Ed Darrell

Fisking a Flag-Fold Flogging

July 19, 2006

Update, March 24, 2007: Be sure to see the updated flag ceremony, which you can find through this post on the news of the its release.

Yes, the flag amendment is dead, again. Yes, the Fourth of July is past. False history continues to plague the U.S. flag, however. When my wife forwarded to me the post below, it was the fourth time I had gotten it, recently. Bad history travels fast and far. Let’s see if we can steer people in a better direction with real facts.

A flag folding at a funeral for a military person carries great weight, without any script at all. Wikimedia image from DOD release: Members of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard fold the American flag over the casket bearing the remains of sailors killed in the Vietnam War during a graveside interment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on May 2, 2013. Lt. Dennis Peterson, from Huntington Park, Calif.; Ensign Donald Frye, from Los Angeles; and Petty Officers 2nd Class William Jackson, from Stockdale, Texas, and Donald McGrane, from Waverly, Iowa, were killed when their SH-3A Sea King helicopter was shot down on July 19, 1967, over Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam. All four crewmembers were assigned to Helicopter Squadron 2.

A flag folding at a funeral for a military person carries great weight, without any script at all. Wikimedia image from DOD release: Members of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard fold the American flag over the casket bearing the remains of sailors killed in the Vietnam War during a graveside interment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on May 2, 2013. Lt. Dennis Peterson, from Huntington Park, Calif.; Ensign Donald Frye, from Los Angeles; and Petty Officers 2nd Class William Jackson, from Stockdale, Texas, and Donald McGrane, from Waverly, Iowa, were killed when their SH-3A Sea King helicopter was shot down on July 19, 1967, over Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam. All four crewmembers were assigned to Helicopter Squadron 2.

Here is the post as it came to me each time — I’ve stripped it of the sappy photos that are occasionally added; note that this is mostly whole cloth invention:

Did You Know This About Our Flag

Meaning of Flag Draped Coffin.

All Americans should be given this lesson. Those who think that America is an arrogant nation should really reconsider that thought. Our founding fathers used God’s word and teachings to establish our Great Nation and I think it’s high time Americans get re-educated about this Nation’s history. Pass it along and be proud of the country we live in and even more proud of those who serve to protect our “GOD GIVEN” rights and freedoms.

To understand what the flag draped coffin really means……

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28 Comments | 1776, 4th of July, Accuracy, Bogus history, Boy Scouts of America, Flag ceremony, Flag etiquette, Freedom - Political, History, Patriotism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Rote History in Australia?

July 19, 2006

Controversy over what is taught as history is a worldwide issue.  A couple of days ago I noted the controversy over a new law in Florida.  Now we have news of a similar controversy nationwide in Australia, from the Adelaide Advertiser.

When history is reduced to “dates and facts,” kids tune out.  Worse, they tend to miss any the meaning of any narrative they may get, especially the emotional impact of the narrative.  But that’s exactly why some policy makers urge rote learning of the dates and facts:  Policy makers do not like the narrative.

History teaches us others’ mistakes, or our own, if we live long enough.  That’s where the value comes, in figuring out how to avoid those mistakes when they present themselves to us as choices, tomorrow, or today.  I do not have the facts to tell which side is right in the Australia history issue, but we can learn from the debate, and from what they do.  This also a reminder that educating our kids into our culture is an issue everywhere.

The entire article from the Adelaide paper is produced below the fold.

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Posted by Ed Darrell