He starts off okay I guess with some jumbled background on the Revolution. It quickly goes sideways when he tells us the Continental Army took over the airports and they stormed the ramparts of Ft. McHenry and under the rockets red glare, were victorious over the British.
Never mind the "airport" remark. After all, electricity had been recently discovered. Could airplanes be far behind? I am sure the speech writers thought is was not only possible but probable. Who needs to fact check when you are part of the greatest Administration in history? Right?
Airports aside, the big sticking point I have is this wrong war thing. Fort McHenry was not built until the late 1790's, and the rocket's red glare Francis Scott Key wrote about as he lounged deckside on the HMS Minden and watched Fort McHenery take a shellacking all happened on September 3, 1814.
Ft. McHenry was the war of 1812, not the Revolution. It was also a war we did not win. The British handed us our asses in a hand basket. Matter of fact, Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombarding from the deck of a British ship that was sailing under a flag of truce to meet with the British for an exchange of prisoners. The British had already sacked and burned Washington and were enjoying crumpets and tea I assume while laughing at this upstart country who decided they could take on the Wanker Bullies. At least they went back to England knowing they had been in a fight.
What bothers me the most about our leaders showing such disrespect for our history is that they are supposed to be the smartest of our populace. The tip of the ice berg so to speak. Pitiful, just pitiful.
Later .....................................................
__________________________________________
An afterword
Blog Fodder has pointed out that the US did indeed win the War of 1812. I disagree. But I will agree that it may be considered a wash. Life returned basically to where it was before the war. The successful invasion and then withdrawal of British soldiers is my barometer for deciding this war was lost by the US. Though I do agree, our ability to stand up again to the British instilled some pride and carried us forward for many years.
5 comments:
Trump's ignorance makes me sad. That the great unwashed support him makes me sadder.
Actually, the Americans did win the war of 1812, in spite of British victories. The Indigenous people lost big time. The Brits had been preventing expansion from the 13 colonies into Native lands and after the war, that was no longer an issue. We did manage to keep you out of Canada but only because some state militias refused to fight on foreign soil, for which we are truly thankful. America also learned that it needed a standing army centrally controlled.
The Blog Fodder - I guess it depends on who is writing the history.
From - https://www.thoughtco.com/war-of-1812-an-overview-2361373?utm_term=summary+of+war+of+1812&utm_content=p1-main-4-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=msn_s&utm_campaign=adid-4c9544c5-184e-48e3-a41d-1ad5a000a29d-0-ab_msb_ocode-29658&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=broad&q=summary+of+war+of+1812&o=29658&qsrc=999&l=sem&askid=4c9544c5-184e-48e3-a41d-1ad5a000a29d-0-ab_msb
"The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain and lasted from 1812 to 1815. Resulting from American anger over trade issues, impressment of sailors, and British support of Indian attacks on the frontier, the conflict saw the US Army attempt to invade Canada while British forces attacked south. Over the course of the war, neither side gained a decisive advantage and the war resulted in a return to status quo ante bellum. Despite this lack of conclusiveness on the battlefield, several late American victories led to a newfound sense of national identity and a feeling of victory."
I would say at best I guess, the war was a wash. The main complaints, or should I say the main talking points were not resolved. When an opposing army lands on your shore and marches to your capital and burns it, that is not what I call victorious behavior. Securing open access to the west was not going to be stopped, no matter who was trying.
And, of course, to add a little knowledge that we all would have learned from our 8th grade Civics class had we not been so busy making fart noises with our hands stuck under our armpits...In August 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces captured and burned Washington, DC. As the sun set on August 26, James Madison and other members of the government rode into the Town of Brookeville, Maryland (where I have resided for many years or I would never have known this small factoid either). The President of the United States had been on the move for nearly three days since he left Washington ahead of the British troops marching to capture the city. In Brookeville, the President found a small town overflowing with other refugees from Washington. After a night spent at the home of leading residents Caleb and Henrietta Bentley, Madison returned to Washington the next morning. His stay made the Town “U.S. Capital for a Day”, a title the Town still proudly claims today.
Bobalooski - Brookeville indeed. It seems every town has some claim to fame or infamy in its past. I lived as a young teen in Bethesda, Md and often spent time in and around Brookeville at a friend's house.
he's such a fucking idiot
Post a Comment