Wednesday, September 22, 2010

‎The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

I dream that music would be put to exalted words by or about beau ideals to regenerate interest in their principles. I conceptualized The Pursuit of Happiness Album. This is the 2nd song:

‎The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

“Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year….

So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,—
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.”

On April 19, 1775
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard ‘round the world.”

The American Revolution began,
The fight for the right to bear arms.

Listen to the wisdom of George Washington:
“The very atmosphere of firearms
Anywhere and everywhere
Restrains evil interference –
They deserve a place of honor
With all that's good.”

“A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined,
But they should have sufficient arms and ammunition
To maintain a status of independence from any
Who might attempt to abuse them
Which would include their own government."

Hear wise Benjamin Franklin:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb
Voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb
Contesting the vote!"

Do you remember these words?

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...
Disarm only those who are neither inclined
Nor determined to commit crimes...
Such laws make things worse for the assaulted
And better for the assailants;
They serve rather to encourage
Than to prevent homicides,
For an unarmed man may be attacked
With greater confidence than an armed man."

“A strong body makes the mind strong.
As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun.
While this gives moderate exercise to the body,
It gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind.

Games played with the ball and others of that nature,
Are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind.
Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks.”

These gems are from Thomas Jefferson.

On April 19, 1775
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard ‘round the world.”


*
References:

Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson

15 comments:

Ilyn Ross said...

http://enemiesforeignanddomestic.com/

"To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
"What is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials."
~George Mason, 1788

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." ~Thomas Jefferson, 1776

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed."~Noah Webster, 1787

"The said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." ~Samuel Adams, 1788

"The militia is our ultimate safety. We can have no security without it. The great object is that every man be armed."
~Patrick Henry

"Necessity is the plea of every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants, it is the creed of slaves."
~William Pitt, 1783

***

"Americans may own guns for the purpose of hunting and target shooting"
"There is an individual right to bear arms but it's subject to common sense regulation."
~Sen. Barack Obama, 2008

"I would also work to reinstate the assault weapons ban." ~Sen. Hillary Clinton, 2008

"Assault weapons in the hands of civilians exist for no reason but to inspire fear and wreak deadly havoc on our streets" ~President Bill Clinton, 1997

"You want an assault rifle? Join the Army!"
~Rep. Carolyn McCarthy

"Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of all Americans to feel safe."
~Senator Dianne Feinstein, 1993

"We're going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We're going to beat guns into submission!"
~Senator Charles Schumer, 1993

"If someone is so fearful that they are going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, it makes me very nervous that these people have weapons at all."
~Rep. Henry Waxman

Ilyn Ross said...

‎"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --
Thomas Jefferson

Ilyn Ross said...

"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security." -- Thomas Jefferson

Ilyn Ross said...

"To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of perserving peace.

A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require, that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others for essential, particularly for military supplies."

-- First Annual Message to Congress

George Washington
January 8, 1790

http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=324

Ilyn Ross said...

“It is also in the interests of a tyrant to keep his people poor, so that they may not be able to afford the cost of protecting themselves by arms and be so occupied with their daily tasks that they have no time for rebellion.” — Aristotle

http://www.quotesoflife.org/quotes-on-firearms.html

Ilyn Ross said...

Google Books -

http://books.google.com/books?id=xaDQ0OoxfHIC&pg=PA106&dq=%22The+very+atmosphere+of+firearms+everywhere,+restrains+evil+interference%22&hl=en&ei=7ScqTZSnHYX7lwe50djnAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQuwUwAA#v=onepage&q=%22The%20very%20atmosphere%20of%20firearms%20everywhere%2C%20restrains%20evil%20interference%22&f=false

Ilyn Ross said...

Google Books

http://books.google.com/books?id=aaBKyuLRjR0C&pg=PA120&dq=%22The+very+atmosphere+of+firearms+everywhere,+restrains+evil+interference%22&hl=en&ei=7ScqTZSnHYX7lwe50djnAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22The%20very%20atmosphere%20of%20firearms%20everywhere%2C%20restrains%20evil%20interference%22&f=false

Ilyn Ross said...

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms. . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

-- Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774-1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764

http://freedomkeys.com/r2kba.htm

Ilyn Ross said...

A collection of quotations on the right to keep and bear arms - http://freedomkeys.com/r2kba.htm

Ilyn Ross said...

"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them." - Thomas Paine

Ilyn Ross said...

Bogus quotes:

http://www.guncite.com/gc2ndbog.html

The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. - Falsely attributed to Thomas Jefferson.

Ilyn Ross said...

“Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.” ― Thomas Paine

Ilyn Ross said...

Concord Hymn
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sung at the Completion of the Battle Monument, July 4, 1837

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175140

Ilyn Ross said...

John Parker (July 13, 1729 – September 17, 1775) was an American farmer, mechani...c and soldier who commanded the Lexington militia at the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Parker_(Captain)

Ilyn Ross said...

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

http://www.nationalcenter.org/ConcordHymn.html