Category: Current Events

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday. We’ll be busy moving and re-arranging. My office is complete, and more importantly, I have a desk:

I’ve been waiting for this to be finished for some time, and now it is finally done. But moving back in is going to be arduous. This room was packed to the gills before.

Sorry for getting a late start today, but I wanted to take a few minutes to at least skim the DOMA decision released by the Supreme Court today. While I agree with the result, I also agree with Scalia’s dissent that if the Plaintiff and Government agreed with the result of the lower court, thus ended the controversy, and the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court would then have no jurisdiction to hear an appeal.

I’m also fine with invalidating DOMA on the grounds that the federal government has no power to define marriage; something that has long been the realm of the states. Though, I wonder how this would work if a state chose to recognize polygamous marriages, and federal law simply wasn’t equipped to deal with marriages involving multiple parties. But this was not a federalism ruling, it was an equal-protection ruling, which seems to be a setup for a future case that challenges states that refuse to recognize or sanctify same-sex marriages on equal protection grounds. Again, while I would agree with the result, I’m not sure how one could distinguish why same-sex couples would have equal-protection to enjoy the benefits of marriage, but first cousins or even siblings would not. The states must have some power to define marriage (though agreeably within the confines of the constitutional guarantees barring discrimination on the basis of race which are already placed on the states through the 14th Amendment).

I support all 50 states recognizing same-sex marriage, but I’m concerned about process. I think the proper realm for that issue to be decided is by state legislatures and state courts, and not through the federal court system. I say that even though I believe conservative opposition to same-sex marriage is handing a whole generation of younger voters to the left. Process is important, and I’m generally very concerned about the left’s, and much of the general population’s disregard for it.

A local TV station got video of the takedown in Concord, New Hampshire, of the protestor who confronted one of the MAIG speakers at the podium. From what it looks like to me is he was trying to physically turn the officer around so he would look at the camera. All I could think about watching this was “This guy is Peter Griffith from Family Guy.” Except I think Peter Griffith probably respects the personal space of others better than this guy does. I’m not sure an arrest and tasering is an appropriate response to what’s pretty clearly non-assaultive personal contact, but at this point I think most people know with today’s “officer safety” culture that even touching a cop is going to land you in the hoosegow.

This is essentially my sentiment:

So, let’s see here, carrying a gun in Cali is illegal. Carrying onto a school, also illegal. And carrying in a library, illegal. But one more law should do it!

They’ll never admit it just doesn’t work. We just haven’t tried it hard enough, you see. Hard enough means you can defend yourself with soda straws. Well, until you do, then we’ll take those away from you too.

I know I’m late posting this news, but I was surprised to learn the ricin mailer was an estranged spouse trying to frame her husband. The politics of the gun issue likely had nothing to do with anything, and the targets were selected because they’ve been in the news a lot lately. Miguel is waiting for an apology from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, who off the bat noted “more thuggery by a pro-gun activist.” Looking at some of the comments, it would seem CSGV doesn’t seem to mind allying themselves with some really hateful people.

I thought I’d do something a little different this year as a memorial day post. I happen to live in an area that’s pretty rich in history. Bucks County was one of the original three counties founded by William Penn in 1682. The others were Chester and Philadelphia counties. Going back that far, we have a lot of old cemeteries around here, a number of which hold war dead. We’ll start in the borough of Langhorne, a mile or so from my house:

Langhorne was not the name of the borough until 1876, when it was renamed after Jeremiah Langhorne. Prior to that it was called Attleborough, and at the time of the Revolution it was known as Four Lanes End. Nearby houses and churches served as field hospitals for the Battles of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton. Many did not make it. Buried here are 166 soldiers of the Continental Army. Burial in mass graves seems to have been the norm, rather than the exception, for Revolutionary War dead.

We headed up the road a piece to the Borough of Newtown. Newtown was founded by William Penn himself in 1684, only two years after the establishment of the county. The Newtown Presbyterian Church was founded in 1754, with the old church having been built in 1769. This historic church played a role during the American Revolution as a field hospital:

In December of 1776, because it was one of the largest buildings in town, General Washington commandeered it and used it as a hospital, a jail and a P.O.W. “camp.”  After the Battle of Trenton, several hundred Hessians were held there before they began their long march to Philadelphia where they would be exchanged for American soldiers.

Behind the old church is a grave site. I was surprised to find this.

Buried here are dead from the French and Indian War, or the Seven Years War as it is known in Europe. These soldiers died for Crown and Country, rather than for the United States, so their graves have been marked with the Union Jack.

Unfortunately, most of the grave markers are faded to the degree that they are unreadable without the use of a rubbing. Many of the men buried here are veterans who died years later. Some markers are more legible.

This is the grave marker of Colonel Anthony Torbert. Here’s some information I’ve been able to find about Colonel Torbert’s service.

The War of 1812, with Great Britain, stimulated the military ardor of the citizens of Bucks county, while the near approach of the enemy to Philadelphia gave their patriotism definite shape. The first effort to raise troops in the county was made at Newtown, where a meeting was held at Charles Hinkle’s tavern, Saturday, August 7, 1813, to form a volunteer company whose services were to be offered to the President. The 14th of July, 1814, the President called for ninety-three thousand five hundred militia, of which Pennsylvania was to furnish fourteen thousand. On the 16th, a number of the citizens of Bristol, Bensalem and Middletown met at Newportville and pledged themselves to march at a moment’s warning in the case the “forth district be invaded.” and, at an adjourned meeting on the 23rd, the citizens were recommended to meet together for drill. The citizens of Doylestown and vicinity agreed to associate for the purpose of acquiring some knowledge of the “art of war,” and met to drill in front of the court-thouse three times a week. Harman Vansant, then brigade-inspector, notified the enrolled inhabitants of the county to form themselves into three regiments, and select field officers. The upper regiment was composed of the enrolled inhabitants of Milford, Richland, Rockhill, Hilltown, Springfield, Durham, Nockamixon, Haycock and Bedminster; middle regiment–Tinicum, Plumstead, Solebury, Buckingham, New Britain, Warwick, Warminster, Warrington and Wrightstown; and the lower regiment, North and Southampton, Middletown, Newtown, Upper Makefield, Falls, Lower Makefield, Bensalem and Bristol township and borough. These regiments elected the following field-officers: Upper regiment–Colonel, Jacob Kinter, Lieutenant-Colonel, Christian Bloom, Majors, John Buck and John Stoneback. Centre–Colonel, William Long, Leiutenant-Colonel Samuel Abernathy, Majors, Samuel D. Ingham and Edward Yerkes. Lower–Colonel, Louis Bache, Lieutenant-Colonel, John S. Benezet, Majors Orren C. Starr and Anthony Torbert. The militia of this county were known as the First Brigade, Second Division, of which Samuel Smith was appointed Brigadier-General, William C. Rogers, Aid-de-camp, and Elisha Wilkinson, Quartermaster. Josiah Y. Shaw, of Doylestown, was appointed Aid-de-camp to Major-General Scheetz, division-commander. The quota from this county, consisting of eighty-eight artillery and eight hundred and fourteen infantry and riflemen, to be taken from the first and second classes of enrolled militia, was called for the 12th of August. They were taken from the four old militia regiments and consolidated into a battalion, of which Andrew Gikeson was appointed Leiutenant-Colonel and John S. Benezet and Isaac Griffith Majors. The drafted militia assembled at Thomas Bean’s tavern, Warminster, Sunday, the 18th of September, to march to Marcus Hook. General Smith and his staff were there. A large concourse of people came toether to see them off. The troops were formed in hollow square, when the Reverend Thomas B. Montanye delivered an appropriate address. They marched to Philadelphia, and thence to their destination in steamboats. The drafted militia were encamped in the court-hosue yard at Doylestown a day or two.

As best I can find, the militia units from Pennsylvania that were federalized for the War of 1812 were used to augment the defenses of Baltimore and Philadelphia, but did not see any action. Here are some other grave markers in the Cemetery of the Newtown Presbyterian Church.

UPDATE: BTW, if you want to go throw back a few pints at the Thomas Bean’s Tavern, it’s called Mike’s Bar and Grill now, but the building is still there and still operating as a tavern. Their website mentions nothing of the history, which is a shame.

From Richard Fernandez:

This incident illustrates, if nothing else, the endpoint of the social engineering of the West.  It has been remarkably effective. From a certain point of view the British crowd behaved perfectly and this is the way “they” all want us to behave. The populace sheltered in place, didn’t do anything rash, talked to the perpetrators as people. They waited for the police to come and the hospital helicopter to take the corpse away. Some will doubtless get counseling to overcome their shattering experience.

The response? British soldiers should not wear uniforms. Keep Calm and Carry.

Off topic, but summer is coming, and try as I might, I couldn’t help but read a story Instapundit links to about how gross pool water can be, especially at publicly run pools. I used to spend a good deal of time at the swim club as a kid. It gave us something to do while my mother, who was a stay at home mom, gossiped with all the other stay at home moms. I’m glad to hear private swim clubs tested the best, at only 50% of pools being contaminated with fecal material. Maybe as a kid I got lucky. It’s one of those things you probably don’t want to know, but probably should. And if that’s not bad enough, there’s brain eating amoebas to worry about too.

All it takes is one ill-considered moment to ruin everything. (The picture itself is worth 1000 words) The woman who is being shouted at we’re pretty sure is an activist we’ve seen before at the Doylestown counter-rally, who was moving among the pro-gun people attempting to antagonize them. One guy on the pro-gun side got tired enough by it to call the cops over, who promptly told the woman to chill, and please return to her side of the rally.

But here the bait was taken, and they got what they wanted. Objectively, it is an excellent photo. As soon as I saw it online late last night, I figured that was front page worthy, and would be there the next morning. Both the Courier Times and the Intelligencer did as predicted. Our side has to be supremely careful, especially in hostile media environments, which this area undeniably is.