Today, I figured I’d put aside my dislike of Donald Trump and the choices made by U.S voters and focus instead on wishing you and your families a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. I’ll get back to Trump and hateful politics tomorrow. But, for now, I want to wish my U.S. citizen friends a happy Independence Day! However, I cannot let you all go without pointing out some poignant things about the reasons and activities that led the Thirteen Colonies to rebel from Great Britain.
It all started because of money – taxes. The colonists did not like paying taxes to a tyrannical government that imposed them without first asking the colonists for permission. The colonists let their discontent be known through terrorism. They held a party on a ship to dump private goods – tea – overboard to destroy it. They even tried to blame the natives by dressing up as local Native Americans to disguise themselves. Which brings up to the other terrorism going on at the time, the Native Americans were being decimated by the new arrivals for land and resources.
Now, back to the party, not only did the colonists destroy private property, but they also tarred and feathered the ship owner sending him into the streets naked and afraid. The ship owner likely thought that he was terrorized by a bunch of malcontents. But back to taxes.
Imagine that a government dares not ask for permission to tax its subjects. What? Really? Yup, that was the thought of the day. Now, ask yourselves this, did you give permission to be taxed for healthcare? Or, how about to build a pinche wall? Of course, the King was not too happy to have his knowledge challenged nor his business acumen for that matter, so he was furious at the colonists for questioning his bigly ideas.
Because of his anger he imposed the Intolerable Acts. You know, those government rules that attempted to repay the owners of the destroyed tea for their losses. The King attempted to impose law and order by making it clear that he was in control – not the rebel rousers. Oh, as if that wasn’t enough, the evangelists of the day, the Protestants, were also angry because the ruler believed it prudent that the Catholics be allowed to practice freely. The Protestants didn’t like the competition for access to God from the Catholics so they said, no way, not under our watch!
Of course, with rebellious subjects not willing to pay for the army that protected them in the New World, the King was forced to eminent domain some property so that he could quarter his army. The rebellious lot had no problem rationalizing a difference between private property taken by the government from that destroyed by them. Typical U.S. politics.
As a response, the colonists sent their demands to the king while at the same time amassing weapons. Hmm, what could be wrong with demanding my way or else?
Lexington was the first. The rebels had no use for honor and fairness on the battlefield. Instead they hid among the shrubbery and fired on the approaching British soldiers. The British were expecting a gentleman’s war, replete with pomp and orderly formations. But the colonists didn’t have time for the necessities of orderly combat and instead relied on guerilla tactics – you know the kind of warfare that many call terrorism today. About 300 British soldiers lost their lives that day.
Imagine what their loved ones cried out upon hearing of their deaths. Terrorists would be at the top of that list.
As you celebrate the Independence Day holiday today, keep in the back of your mind that the colonists were nothing more than the terrorists of their time. They used terrorism to do away with one form of government to replace it with another. One man’s terrorist is another man’s patriot.
Martin
Then again for all your continuous constant outrage and hand wringing all the time about the U.S. you sure do not seem to mind the freedom ,liberty and benefits you receive by living in this terrorist founded nation called the United States of America which you cannot seem to find in your own country!
Happy Fourth of July my favorite Holiday of the year.
What you expect, Martin? The British had a bad habit of transporting political radicals from Scotland and Ireland, whose citizens they had abused for years. I’m proud to say I had relatives nine generations back who participated in creating this system of government that has been admired by countries around the world for centuries. If I were to write a history of Mexico, it would be characterized by far more human rights violations, a series of corrupt government models focused on lining their pockets at the expense of the poor, continued poverty, and oh yes, lack of potable water in the 21st century. Why exactly is it that folks fleeing violence in Latin America prefer coming to my country rather than settling in yours where they would share a common language and culture? Just saying.