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Part 4 in a series - by Publius II Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776. This document was written for the entire World to see and to know, stating clearly, the several States (the Colonies) were declaring their independence and terminating their Political Association with the King of England, at the same time recognizing certain rights and authorities of a Free-People. Here are several quotes for you to ponder, while you travel through this web of political intrigue and become fully knowledgeable in their meaning, as they apply to you and the fundamental formation of our system of Equality and Individual Liberties.
The
intent here is that truths are ABSOLUTE and not to be denied ("self-evident").
Meaning, it is no longer necessary for any one of us to prove these Rights
exist and are the ABSOLUTE province of the Individual (Person) and that
they are born out of the ABSOLUTE Nature of Man (the Creator).
Since these Rights came from the Creator [the Nature of Man] they are called Natural Rights, which are the very Rights our Organic Documents sought to acknowledge and protect from anyone who would be inclined to usurp them, especially the government.
Rights
are also classified in constitutional law as natural, civil, and political,
to which there is sometimes added the class of "personal rights."
It
is clear that those Rights "We the People" are so often referring to, are
those Rights, which are both Natural and Absolute.
Governments
are a function of the People, for the benefit of the People, by virtue
of the consent of the People. Their main purpose for existence is to protect
those Natural Rights of the People, not to regulate them and certainly
not to make the people subjects of the government.
Here
we see where the General Congress is made up of Representatives of the
United States of America (this is the first real use of the term and is
a description of the several States and what it was to become). It is essential
to realize that the term United States of America is the thirteen colonies
who had joined in an Allegiance to each other for the benefit of each other
and that the Congress is a separate entity in its own right as it is merely
there to represent the Union of the several States (the United States of
America) and to protect it.
It is also worthy to recognize that the term "state" is one and the same with the term "nation."
Again, one must realize and thoroughly understand
that these United Colonies (not the Congress) are Free and Independent
States (Nations). If the above is not an accurate definition of a free and
independent nation (state), then nothing is.
We can see from the very beginning, it was the intent that the States and the People within those States were to be separate and distinct, not only from other nations, but from each other as well, and "sovereign," each in their own Rights and Freedoms. That Congress was only the vehicle by which they used to notify the rest of the World of their intent to abolish British Rule over the States and to protect us from anyone who might attempt to usurp these Rights. In The Next Issue: Articles of Confederation. and
the Constitution Stand Up And Be Counted Whether one admits it or not, the United States Government has an ever increasing and influential role in our personal and financial lives. It has been this way for many, many years. Some would proclaim this as the "good news", for it relieves them of the responsibility of maintaining their existence. They are simply ambivilant, don't care or even ignorant of this intrusion as they go about their daily lives, focusing on their own personal situation, interests or ambitions, taking the nicely paved politically correct path when the fork in life's road demands a decision.. How do you feel about these statements? How much of your paycheck is "deducted" before you even see it? As you go about your daily life how often are you required to itentify your self with a "Social Security" number? How much government does it really take for us to truly be "free "? Log on to Speakout For Freedom and take our survey. Tell us what you think. We value your opinion.
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A hurricane hit the Florida Keys and 130 men were killed when 120 miles-per-hour wind struck construction sites of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad. Long Key was particularly hard hit. Captain Steve Bravo, a legendary Indian River steam boat captain who had taken a position with Flagler's company, was one of the individuals caught in the storm. He was the captain of the St. Lucie, which hauled men and supplies to work camps. Here is a description of the 1906 hurricane from Fred A. Hopwood's book, The Golden Age of Steamboating on the Indian River (Cocoa: Florida Historical Society Press, Reprint Edition, 1998) On October 17, 1906, the St. Lucie left the FEC's terminal dock on 5th Street and headed out of Biscayne Bay on an overnight trip to the Keys. Pushing a barge filled with fresh water for workers and carrying 120 passengers and crewmen, nothing appeared out of the ordinary and the trip was regarded by the St. Lucie's captain, Steve Bravo, as routine. So routine, in fact, that Bravo, having brought the steamer safely out of Biscayne Bay, turned command of the vessel over to the first mate, Robert Blair, and retired to his cabin for the night. Unknown to Bravo, Blair, or FEC officials, a hurricane was battering the Keys and heading directly for Miami. At an inquiry hearing later, Bravo reported that there had been no reason to suspect that anything was out of the ordinary, although "The barometer was showing low, but not more than it had for the past two weeks." The St. Lucie's long and wide steel hull (122' by 24') was considered stable and safe in even stormy conditions. When the steamer encountered the first winds and rain of the hurricane's outer bands, no one was unduly alarmed. At about three o'clock in the morning, Blair had Captain Bravo roused from his sleep. When the captain reached the upper deck, it was apparent that the steamer was caught in a gale, blowing out of the east. Little did Blair or Bravo realize that these winds were part of the counter-clockwise winds of a larger storm. As the barometer continued dropping, Captain Bravo decided to seek safe anchorage at Elliott's Key and to ride out the storm. Dropping anchor in seven feet of water on the leeward side of the island, Bravo felt that his boat was safe from the storm. By daylight, however, hurricane strength winds were blowing, and Elliott's Key was under several feet of water. Waves were washing over the lower deck of the St. Lucie, and parts of the boat's superstructure were beginning to give way. Passengers and crewmen were ordered to don life jackets. Suddenly, about seven o'clock in the morning, the winds died out and the waves receded. Captain Bravo ordered the chief engineer to "get up a full head of steam so that the St. Lucie could make a run for it, if necessary." Despite the lull in the storm, the barometer, which had dropped to a low 28.8 inches of mercury, indicated that there was more bad weather to come. Second Officer J. W. Grant ordered two lifeboats lowered. Ten men climbed aboard to go to the aid of a schooner that tossed at anchor between the St. Lucie and the shore. Before the men could reach the ship, the lull ended and the storm resumed. The temporary reprieve had been the eye of the hurricane, which had passed directly over Elliott's Key. Suddenly 120 m.p.h. winds struck from the west. The men in the two lifeboats were swept ashore by the renewed winds. Caught in the thicket of mangrove trees along the shore, the men clung tenaciously to the roots and managed to ride out the fury of the storm safely. On board the St. Lucie, matters quickly turned worse. Bravo ordered a lifeboat to be lowered into the tossing waves. He placed the steamer's only woman passenger, a Mrs. Pierce, and her six-year-old son aboard the board and then ordered six crewmen to serve as oarsmen. Once released, the lifeboat was grabbed by the waves and hurled ashore, where it came to rest against a building wrecked by the hurricane. Mrs. Pierce, her son, and the six crewmen quickly grabbed hold of the building's structure, an act that saved their lives. Within an hour, all hope for the St. Lucie was gone. The great steamer was being torn to pieces by the unrelenting winds and waves. Bravo reported to the inquiry board that, "We were fighting for our lives." Large pieces of the superstructure were hurled about like tiny matchsticks, and desperate crewmen struggled to find something to hang on to. It was a hopeless cause. When the storm passed, nothing remained of the once-proud St. Lucie but debris floating on the surface of the placid water. In Miami questions were immediately raised about the fate of the St. Lucie and its crew. The Miami Evening Record carried the banner headline, "Where is the St. Lucie?" The paper reported that, "Rumors have persisted that the St. Lucie had been overtaken by the storm and that she had gone down with all on board." The Miami Metropolis headlined its day-after edition, "Steamer St. Lucie is Reported Lost." J. C. Meredith, Flagler's chief engineer, gave credence to the story when he reported that he had traveled from the Keys to Miami on his boat, the Lotus, and had seen no sign of the St. Lucie. The barge the steamer had been pushing, however, was found by Meredith. The question of the fate of the St. Lucie was answered when, on the following Saturday, the steamer Peerless arrived in Miami with fifty-eight badly battered and exhausted survivors. An additional twenty-five survivors had been ordered off the Peerless prior to its arrival in the city to assist the steamer Virginia collect the bodies of the less fortunate. When these weary survivors protested their impressment into service by the captain of the Virginia, he secured their cooperation only after threatening them with violence. The Metropolis reported that "25 or more are dead, their bodies littering the shores and land of Elliott's Key." Several additional bodies were discovered in the vicinity of Soldier's Key. The actual number of persons from the St. Lucie who died in the storm will never be known. Apparently no passenger manifest was kept, and within a few weeks, the public lost interest in the disaster. Miami newspapers, ever willing to cater to public interests, pursued the matter no further. Although some individuals insist that Captain Bravo knew about the hurricane and recklessly proceeded into the storm, an investigation by federal maritime authorities cleared him of any wrongdoing. With no telegraph or telephone communications between Miami and Key West, there simply was no way for any skipper to know about the hurricane in advance. How's your knowledge of United States
history?
The date is February 21, 1871 and the Forty-First Congress is in session. Refer to the "Acts of the Forty-First Congress," Section 34, Session III, chapters 61 and 62. On this date in the history of our nation, Congress passed an Act known simply as the 'Act of 1871". What was the official title of this act? This act caused a drastic change in the direction of the
United States
Email your answer to NEFLOS@net-host.net
The first correct answer will win a free
Florida State Flag, suitable for outdoor display of your patriotism
Many good answers were received but no one had the correct one. We welcome your input. If there is a subject you are particularly interested in, please let us know. Email us at Letters From Our Readers. We will feature your concerns in a future issue. For information on how you can help restore
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