Off topic, but worth the read....

[TechWulf]

I very rarely post this kinda stuff, but I do think thisis something deserving of it.Someone posted this on a newsgroup
I was reading last night,it touched me deeply, and I thought I would share this with you:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that
the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without
pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.
He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning
home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution.
These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the
divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War.
We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July
holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by please sending this to as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and
baseball games.

-Author Unknown


------------------
<->TechWulf<->

-El Blanco Diablo

[CompuDocs]

Bravo

[TheLow1]

Freedom is not "Free"

Just ask any military wife. Mine will tell you what is was like. Ask my buddy's wife who had to cash his life insurance check after he died "training"

My hat is off to ALL the military.

Woods Pepperman
SGT USMC

[ransomedson]

It's good to know some people out there still care!

------------------
Three things are certain: Death, taxes, and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.

[shawnMt]

With all the politically correct bull in our society today, it's still the greatest country in the world.


dammit



------------------
Cannot find REALITY.SYS. Universe halted.
www.auwebdesign.com/shawnpages/laptop.html

[TechWulf]

My only regret in life so far, is that I was not able to serve my country. The Navy, and Air Force both rejected me because of my flat feet. Nothing against Marines, or Army but I wanted a career with jets and preferably on an aircraft carrier. I still hold this holiday very close to my heart and knowing my Father who served in Nam, my Grandfather who served in WWII, And latest my brother who is currently serving in the Marines I will always remember that freedom has never been, nor ever will be "free".



------------------
<->TechWulf<->

-El Blanco Diablo

[weck]

TheLow1
i hear ya about training. half of the people i was in ait with are no longer with us because of this training. or there is one of my good friends that has a nasty rash that no one deserves after he got back from the gulf. I have done numerous search and rescue missions and although i have about 8 certificates saying that i did a good job in saving a life you gotta wonder about the other people that were never found. and with that i will end my lil rant.

weck


[This message has been edited by weck (edited June 30, 2000).]

[physjcirl]

I..... um think that is a statement of history above, today we have none and agree with acknowledging that they knew they had a lot to lose...what? what? have a nice day.
Um..now read matthew 23 I have a far different opinion and it is based on all of this ^...above..and these modern times shawn mentioned..bye <---
please try to look it up I am not a fanatic, I am simply a scholar of 'high' repute..jd

[This message has been edited by physjcirl (edited July 02, 2000).]

[pcshark]

I was watching the traffic reports and the weather on our local news station this morning, and suddenly a thought struck me. If you gathered up our forefathers (US) and brought them to this moment, right here right now, and let them see what goes on in our great nation today...well, after the initial shock wears off, I think they would be generally happy with the way things are today and how much freedom we have.

As a former military man myself I'd like to formally salute all the men and women in our armed forces who work every day to keep our nation free.

And to all citizens of all nations everywhere, let's all be grateful for the life we've been given, and remember always that we are all members of one race, the Human race, and that borders and boundaries belong on maps, not on the Internet! (-:

------------------
R. Bret Walker, CNE

Wondering what videos to rent this weekend? Check out The People's Reviews, movie reviews written for the people and by the people.