Handicapping 2012

The erstwhile Beltway conservative Charles Krauthammer has turned the 2012 Republican presidential race into a racing form a la Churchill Downs.

Unfortunately, he misses the point with this observation, the third of three axioms:

No baggage and no need for flash. Having tried charisma in 2008, the electorate is not looking for a thrill up the leg in 2012. It’s looking for solid, stable, sober, and, above all, not scary.

Why does the Republican nominee have to be as dull as a five-pound bag of fertilizer? Just because 2008 turned into an American Idol election, thanks in no small part to the Republicans nominating one of their two worst candidates since Alf Landon doesn’t mean we cannot have a strong conservative who’s willing to stand up and fight for conservative principles.

Joseph Smith takes down Krauthammer here:

Krauthammer forgets, too, that John McCain was vanquished by the big-talking Obama in the 2008 debates, and that any candidate facing Obama on the national TV stage had better be able to speak clearly and convincingly over the President’s sonic hypnosis on big media’s slanted stage.

Under the Krauthammer unified theory, any candidate willing to boldly articulate a pro-growth, pro-jobs, free market agenda, to champion the Roadmap for America, drill-here-drill-now, and the repeal of ObamaCare regulatory state, is out.

In short, any candidate willing to go to the mat for limited government, conservative values and American exceptionalism doesn’t fit Krauthammer’s grand theory.

Krauthammer’s favorites on the racing form are predictable: Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty at 5-1, Mitch Daniels at 6-1, Haley Barbour at 7-1 and New Gingrich at 12-1. He does get Romney’s baggage correct in the form of RomneyCare and describes the former Massachusetts governor as being:

Secretariat at Belmont, but ridden by Minnesota Fats.

While he does mention the Beltway lobbyist baggage of Barbour and the personal baggage of Mister Newt, he fails to mention the lefty positions taken by Pawlenty while governor of Minnesota — namely his crusade to pass green legislation to deal with man-made global warming — and of Daniels in the form of his expressed support for a European-style VAT, higher fuel taxes as well as global warming.

Pawlenty has flip-flopped on the global warming, now admitting he does not believe in man-made global warming. Typical of a politician in need of votes. But Daniels is one of the candidates pushed by the inside-the-Beltway conservatives as being conservative who really isn’t conservative.

Check out Zbigniew Mazurak’s insightful look at Gov. Daniels here. Hardly Reagan 2.0. More like a typical blueblood countryclubber progressive Republican. It highlights more than just his support for the VAT and higher fuel taxes. It also reminds us that Daniels turned tail and ran away from right-to-work legislation when Indiana’s House Democrats turned into fleebaggers and ran to Illinois, a junket paid for completely by Da Unions. Daniels even praised the courage of those fleebaggers for standing up for their principles in fleeing the state.

That’s in addition to telling a major part of the voting base of the Republican Party — social conservatives — that they need to shut up and go sit in the back of the bus. That is the sneering condescension of the Bush/Rockefeller wing of the GOP, the Judge Smails Republicans, the blueblood countryclubber crowd who just despise those Christians and the great unwashed that Ronald Reagan attracted to the Republican Party.

I could handle Pawlenty much more easily than I could Daniels.

John McCain was a horrible candidate, as bad as Bob Dole was in 1996. We do not need to come up with McCain 2.0 or Dole 2.0 against the sweeping telegenic power of The Messiah. We need a candidate who can express a vision for smaller government, lower taxes, true energy independence (yes, “Drill, baby, drill!”) and the uniqueness and exceptionalism of the American ideal against the Community Organizer-in-Chief.

Krauthammer’s first axiom is correct: Republicans need to make the 2012 elections a continuation of the 2010 elections. In short, a national referendum on Barack Hussein Obama. Underwater in all national polls, with little more than his 40 percent of Kool Aid drinkers that would vote for a dead skunk if it ran as a Democrat supporting him.

Worst. President. Ever. Yes, worse than Carter. And as weak an incumbent as Carter running for re-election in1980.

Right now, all national polls showing which GOP candidates are most electable are irrelevant. Remember, in 1979 and early 1980, Ronald Reagan wasn’t considered very electable by the Beltway insiders, either. Reagan was considered intellectually deficient, too old, too extreme, with high voter ID and high negatives and with polls showing him trailing Carter by 25 points. The blueblood countryclubber GOP elites turned to one old warhorse after another in a vain attempt to keep Reagan from winning the nomination. Howard Baker. Bob Dole. Even tried talking former President Ford into running. Eventually they settled on George H.W. Bush.

How’d that turn out again? I keep forgetting. Oh yeah, that’s right. Reagan defeated Carter in a landslide in 1980 then won 49 out of 50 states four years later over a candidate that Krauthammer thought could beat Ronaldus Magnus, Walter Mondull.

I agree with Dr. K on Newt Gingrich. Yesterday’s news. Lots of personal and political baggage. His commercial with Bela Pelosi on the couch will haunt him forever, as will his support for the RINO Dede Scozzafava in NY-23 in 2009. Gingrich has lots of ideas but tends to let his mouth run without making sure his brain is in gear and the baggage from his personal life may be too much to overcome.

Krauthammer mentions two prominent potential candidates and insists neither is running. Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Interesting. Anyone who’s read my thoughts on Huckabee knows I cannot stand the man. He’d be the one GOP candidate that certainly would make me vote third party, although Daniels likely would as well. Mike Huckabee is a big-government progressive, as Glenn Beck has correctly stated. Huckabee just happens to be pro-life, which has allowed the state-run media to paint an inaccurate picture of him as being conservative. Hardly. His positions are virtually indistinguishable from those of Obama. Plus, Huckabee is a Nanny State advocated, openly supporting the First Yeti Moochelle’s Nanny State campaign against childhood obesity.

As for Palin, I am still not buying that she’s not running. She sits in virtually the same position as Ronald Reagan did in 1979 and early 1980. Remember, too, what Rush Limbaugh says: The Left will tell us who they fear. And the Left in this case includes the progressive me-too GOP Establishment Elites. They hate and fear Sarah Palin, who’s shown the ability to redefine issues with her Facebook page. Yes, she needs to expand beyond Facebook and Fox News and move into less friendly territory. I’ve said before it’s too bad that Tim Russert is no longer with us; he’d be the perfect person for Palin to sit down with on Meet The Depressed. Next best thing might be a one-on-one with Jake Tapper, who’s quickly developed a similar reputation for fairness as Russert had.

Others that Krauthammer dismisses far too easily as longshots are Michelle Bachmann, who he lists at 20-1 with no chance to win the nomination, and Herman Cain, whom Krauthammer fails to even mention.

This commenter at National Review Online nails it:

Liberal or moderate Republicans always describe conservatives like Palin and Bachman as populists.

You don’t get more populist than McCain, he would get the common folk all worked up over how Wall Street was screwing us over, and that’s who Charles K and all the other moderate Republicans supportered. I get tired of hearing this “electable” talking point used for weak moderate candidates like Mitch Daniels. Dull isn’t going to get it done in 2012, and neither is Democrat-lite.

Once again, Krauthammer, like his fellow Beltway insider George Will, is pushing dull Democrat-lites.

Hallelujah!

In celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, as performed by the Johann Strauss Orchestra and the Harlem Gospel Choir:

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!

From the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 20:

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.

3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.

21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

He is risen. He is risen indeed. WIthout the resurrection, our faith is worthless. As St. Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:14:

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Christ’s death and resurrection conquers death. Because He lives, those who believe in Him shall also live. My favorite Easter hymn is I Know My Redeemer Lives.

1. I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever-living Head.

2. He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all-glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.

3. He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.

4. He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

5. He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.

6. He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

7. He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He Iives to bring me safely there.

8. He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

The Resurrection Scene from The Passion of the Christ:

Here are a couple of images of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, believed by many to be the actual tomb of Jesus:

President Ryan?

Writing at the Washington Compost’s Right Turn, Matthew Continetti offers a plausible explanation as to just how Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) might become the nation’s 45th President in January 2013:

In January 2013, when (Mark) Halperin and (John) Heilemann set down to write this hypothetical book, they will focus on a few key events. The first is Obama’s singling out Ryan during the House Republican retreat in January 2010. That’s when the president elevated Ryan to the level of presidential foil.

Next is the White House health-care summit in February 2010, when Ryan rose to the challenge and eviscerated Obamacare in a few minutes, leaving the president more or less dumbfounded. After that, the narrative will move to the August 2010 Weekly Standard cruise, where Paul Ryan won the informal straw poll.

Halperin and Heilemann will touch on the 2010 election, when the Democrats’ demagogic attacks on Ryan’s Roadmap failed to sway seniors. They’ll write about Ryan’s 2012 budget and how it forced Obama to throw out his original proposal and counterattack. The dueling budgets, they’ll recall, became the poles of the 2012 debate.

Right now, from this perspective, it’s anybody but Huckabee. And yes, or Donald Trump. Huckabee is a progressive who just happens to be pro-life. His positions are indistinguishable from those of Our Lord and Savior Barack Hussein Obama.

Also, as of this time, polls taken showing hypothetical match-ups are useless and irrelevant. Why? Because they are being used by the state-run media and the Beltway GOP to shape the race. Once again, the Republican Ruling Class is not content to allow GOP voters to actually choose a candidate. Hellbent on narrowing the race down to some Beltway favorites, once of which is Huckabee.

One key word to watch for is “electability.” The elites want GOP voters to choose a candidate that the elites have decided is “electable.” Translated: a candidate that is not conservative and will be easier for Obama to defeat. One guaranteed to depress the GOP base and hold down turn out.

These pinheads — and yes, Charles Krauthammer and George Will are among those pinheads — would be OK with a second Obama terms (which may result in a third, a fourth, a fifth, well, you get the drift term) rather than see a true conservative win. Remember 1979 and 1980, when the blueblood countryclubbers tried every candidate available to stop Ronald Reagan. They tried Howard Baker. FAIL. They tried Bob Dole. Epic FAIL. They even approached former President Ford about running. That dog didn’t hunt. Eventually they settled on George H.W. Bush, and fell short.

What did they say about Reagan? He was … unelectable. He wasn’t intellectual enough (translated: he didn’t have an Ivy League ejookayshun). He was a dumb movie actor. He was dangerous. The Soviets would never take him seriously. He might start World War III. And, he trailed Jimmy Carter by as much as 25 points in hypothetical match-ups in 1979 and early 1980. How’d that turn out again?

Be it Paul Ryan. Be it Herman Cain. Be it Sarah Palin. The GOP elites have to allow the GOP voters to choose the candidate, rather than manipulate the process from inside the Beltway. We do not need John McCain 2.0. We need Ronald Reagan 2.0, or as close as we can to that.

Good Friday

After the Sanhedrin convicted Jesus of blasphemy, they took him to the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, since the Jewish authorities had no authority to put Him to death. In addition, they needed to convince Pilate that Jesus posed a threat to the authority of Rome and had broken Roman law in order to see that He would be crucified.

Upon questioning Jesus, Pilate found no fault in Him and brought Him back out. Noting that He was a Galilean, Pilate then sent Him to Herod Antipas for judgment. Herod questioned Jesus and likewise found no fault and sent Him back to Pilate. Since there was a custom of releasing a prisoner for the Passover, Pilate then offered the Jews a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, a violent criminal arrested for murder. The Jewish leaders whipped the people up into a frenzy to demand the release of Barabbas. Asked by Pilate what he should do with Jesus, the people responded: “Crucify Him!”

Pilate then ordered Jesus to be scourged then released. The soldiers beat Him mercilessly, covering Him in a red robe and pressing a crown of thorns on his head.  Pilate once again presented Jesus to the people: “Ecce homo (Behold the man).”

The people yelled all the louder: “Crucify Him!” Pilate relented to the mob and, after washing his hands, sentenced Jesus to the cross.

After the long trip from the Praetorium to Calvary, Jesus was stripped of His garments, nailed to the cross and lifted up.

From John 19:

16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. 21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

40Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

Maundy Thursday

On this day we remember the Last Supper which Christ initiated with His disciples:

The Words of Institution, from Luther’s Small Catechism:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when Hhe had given thanks, he brake it and gave it to his disciples and said, Take; eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner He also took the cup after He had supped, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it. This cup is the New Testament in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.

Christ revealed much to His disciples that night, including the forthcoming betrayal of Him into the hands of the chief priests by one of them, Judas Iscariot. Many theories have arisen as to how Judas could have become disillusioned enough with the Lord to betray Him to His enemies. Most common is that Judas was looking for political revolution against the Romans and Christ was intent on bringing salvation and the Kingdom of God to man, rather than political revolution. When he saw that Jesus would not call down the forces of God against the Romans, Judas may have felt that by placing His own well-being in jeopardy might force Him to do so. Little did Judas understand that Jesus knew what lie ahead for Him and He chose it willingly. For the salvation of mankind.

It’s why when today’s political groups try to claim Jesus as one of their own, they show how little they understand about Him. Jesus was not a political figure of His day and most likely would not be one today. Jesus certainly would not have been a socialist or communist, since both ideologies have the state as the deity to be worshiped. Nowhere in any of the Gospels does Christ express any support for the notion of the state taking by force property from one person to be redistributed to another. He does call on us to be compassionate, but compassion is something that comes from within; it cannot be mandated by the state.

If He were performing His earthly ministry today, Jesus would most likely be among those who need it the most, the sinners, downtrodden and outcast, much like He did 2,000 years ago. He asks us, His followers, to do the same. As He told the Pharisees: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

After the celebration of the Passover, Jesus and His disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He asked them to watch and pray with him.

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Jesus asked His Father if there were any way that the goal of salvation for mankind were possible without Him having to go through what lie ahead for Him to make that possible, but He also understood that this was the only way and He submitted to the Father’s will.

The Evolution Of Teaching Math

An oldie but a goodie:

The evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

TEACHING MATH IN 1950:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

TEACHING MATH IN 1960:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

TEACHING MATH IN 1970:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

TEACHING MATH IN 1980:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

TEACHING MATH IN 1990:
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20.

What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers).

TEACHING MATH IN 2000:
Un hachero vende una carretada de Madera pare $100. ¡El costo de la producción es $80….

If Moses Had The Internet …

The Exodus with 21st Century technology:

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

On this date in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn of the arrival of British troops. The story of Revere’s ride was told in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, albeit with some historical inaccuracies. Courtesy of The Paul Revere House, here the first two verses of Longfellow’s poem:

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.

He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower, as a signal light, –
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country-folk to be up and to arm.”

Longfellow failed to mention the other two men who rode that night, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott. In fact, Revere didn’t make it to Concord; he was captured by British troops. Here’s a map showing the routes of the three men:

The Maine Historical Society has more on Longfellow’s poem here.

From The History Channel’s website:

In the spring of 1775, General Thomas Gage, the British governor of Massachusetts, received instructions from Great Britain to seize all stores of weapons and gunpowder accessible to the American insurgents. On April 18, he ordered British troops to march against Concord and Lexington.

The Boston Patriots had been preparing for such a British military action for some time, and, upon learning of the British plan, Revere and Dawes set off across the Massachusetts countryside. They took separate routes in case one of them was captured: Dawes left the city via the Boston Neck peninsula and Revere crossed the Charles River to Charlestown by boat. As the two couriers made their way, Patriots in Charlestown waited for a signal from Boston informing them of the British troop movement. As previously agreed, one lantern would be hung in the steeple of Boston’s Old North Church, the highest point in the city, if the British were marching out of the city by Boston Neck, and two lanterns would be hung if they were crossing the Charles River to Cambridge. Two lanterns were hung, and the armed Patriots set out for Lexington and Concord accordingly. Along the way, Revere and Dawes roused hundreds of Minutemen, who armed themselves and set out to oppose the British.

Revere arrived in Lexington shortly before Dawes, but together they warned Adams and Hancock and then set out for Concord. Along the way, they were joined by Samuel Prescott, a young Patriot who had been riding home after visiting a lady friend. Early on the morning of April 19, a British patrol captured Revere, and Dawes lost his horse, forcing him to walk back to Lexington on foot. However, Prescott escaped and rode on to Concord to warn the Patriots there. After being roughly questioned for an hour or two, Revere was released when the patrol heard Minutemen alarm guns being fired on their approach to Lexington.

The Paul Revere House stands today, preserved by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. You can check out the website, which features the graphic and map used in this post, here.

The Lincoln Assassination

On this date in 1865, just five days after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Va., President Lincoln was assassinated while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth.

Lincoln and his wife Mary had taken a ride earlier that fateful afternoon in which the President seemed relieved that the war was finally over, and the Lincolns talked about what they might do after his term was over.

Later that night, the Lincolns attended the play along with another couple, Maj. Henry Rathbone and his fiancee Clara Harris. Booth arrived at the theater, having learned of the President’s plans earlier in the day while picking up his mail. Shortly after 10:15 p.m., he entered the unguarded presidential booth, waited for the biggest laugh line of the play and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. The bullet entered the left side of the back of his head and traveled through the brain and lodged behind Lincoln’s right eye.After a struggle with Rathbone, Booth jumped over the railing, landed in the stage and shouted “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” Latin for “Thus always for tyrants.”

An attending physician knew the wound was mortal, and Lincoln was moved across the street to the Peterson House. Lincoln died the following day at 7:22 a.m. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton uttered the famous line: “Now he belongs to the ages.”

The assassination of Lincoln was just part of a conspiracy to decapitate the entire federal government. Assassins struck at Secretary of State William Seward, while another assassin was supposed to take out Vice President Andrew Johnson but backed out at the last minute.

Ford’s Theater is a popular tourist destination in Washington, D.C. Here’s how the theater looked five years after the assassination:

Here’s a current image of the theater:

The presidential booth has been preserved, right down to the chair Lincoln sat in that night:

The story to this day stirs interest. Four conspirators were eventually hanged, including the first woman ever executed in the United States, Marry Surratt, whose tavern and boarding house was the location of the plotting. Other conspirators were sentenced to prison terms, one of which was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set the broken leg of Booth on his escape route. Mudd was never proven to have been an actual conspirator and likely did not know Booth had killed Lincoln when the assassin and accomplice David Herrold visited his farm.

John Wilkes Booth

Booth supposedly was shot and killed in a barn on a Virginia farm. However, there have been numerous claims of a lookalike being killed and Booth escaping, even living into the 20th century.

After lying in state in the East Room of the White House, Lincoln’s body traveled by train from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Ill., for burial. Millions of Americans viewed the Lincoln Funeral Train on its journey.