o'bamastapo - propagandize, organize, intimidate, silence dissent, disarm, control, o'ppression

"Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark."
-- Robert Anson Heinlein, (American novelist and science fiction writer, 1907–1988)

quotes about Guns: view/comment -- From quotes.liberty-tree.ca: more Robert A. Heinlein quotes

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A national civilian security force as well funded as the army...how can the president get away with even the suggestion?

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"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." -- Voltaire

o'bamacide health care bills and America's Holocaust

Equating abortion with genocide is well founded. Many are unaware of Planned Parenthood founder Sanger’s “Negro Project,” "the eugenic plan to limit — or exterminate — the black race and others “unfit to reproduce." [..to apply a stern and rigid policy of sterilization and segregation [in camps] to that grade of population whose progeny is tainted, or whose inheritance is such that objectionable traits may be transmitted to offspring." [..by force if necessary.] "..during 1933 in Sanger’s The Birth Control Review (immediate predecessor to the Planned Parenthood Review) an article by Ernst Rudin (1874-1952) was published entitled, "Eugenic Sterilization: An Urgent Need." Rudin was Adolph Hitler’s director of genetic sterilization and a founder of the Nazi Society for Racial Hygiene. (Various references in Grand Illusions) History documents that Sanger supported the Nazi Party philosophies." [ Planned Parenthood's Nazi roots ] ; and -eugenical race-purification by prevention of births to parents from 'inferior' blood stocks ('birth control societies'). "Before the Auschwitz death camp became a household word, these British-American-European groups called openly for the elimination of the 'unfit' by means including force and violence." ** abortion murders by Tiller estimates (at appr'x $5000 per) 60,000 of which 10,000 were late term/full term = $30,000,000.00 "... my first and foremost task will be the annihilation of the Jews." (Hitler, 1922) "The first thing I'd do, as president, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do." (Obama, 2007) "I could smell the babies burning." (Tiller's crematorium staff, 1993) [ Negroes, Jews, the unfit & unwanted...beware ] To those and their ilk who attempt to stigmatize Pro-Life advocates and like-minded others as 'anti-choice' extremists [they shun 'pro-life' and 'human-rights' choosing instead to hide behind euphemisms like 'selective termination' and ' reproductive health ' ],  it is equally appropriate to brand them as 'Pro-Death' not 'Pro-Choice' when describing their kind. "[Avoiding the "A.." Word] Linguistic Contortions (Timothy Lamer, World, 26May01) Please, Consider and Remember When You Vote in 2010 & 2012: Outside the arenas of law, medicine, religion and politics, throughout all of civilization, there are certain 'Universal Truths'. Virulent responses by abortion apologists generating controversy over sites such as the The Army of God or the ' Nuremberg Files' (alt) (mirror) & hysterical ranting against religious pro-life positions typify Pro-Death's neo-socialist propaganda rhetoric, and "quisling-like" intolerance and rabid fear of truth. [see the ACLU/PP v. ACLA anti-free speech lawsuit + a Pro-Life View of same.] It is the norm for abortion-related violence to be ignored or down-played by main stream media. All-the-while, abortion-mill$, their doctor$, nurse$ & staff, medical supplier$, hospital$ serving them, and other provider$ of selective death silently avoid publicity. Reminiscent of the secrecy surrounding Nazi Death Camps (WARNING exteme images) during the World War II era, they fear the stench of death that surrounds their barbarious acts will target and expose the true nature of their organized fleecing practice$ to public scrutiny. Historically,  killing children has been one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, behaviour more animalistic than human.   It is ironic that many ethnic, racial, & religious groups [exception] who in times recent,marked for death, suffered unspeakable terrors, harbour 'Dr. Mengeles' among themselves, support or vote for prostituted politicians, government sponsored & tax paid abortion mills, or lobby for laws that they or their forebearers fell victim to during World War II when it was called 'Crimes Against Humanity', as in that war, our Civil War, Negro Slavery, or genocide as in Armenia 1915, Communist Tyranny (test your knowledge), the Nanjing Massacre or simply Mass Genocide.   May it be said to those peoples:  Please, think before propagandizing in media, using your money (or tax funds) publicizing, joining or financing pro-death advocacy organizations, buying or promoting products from or using any services of abortion related or profiteering companies.   And, to churches and religous groups, if you truely sanctify life, cleanse yourselves, find and dis-associate from those whose activities further desensitizes us individually and as a nation.   Afraid of public advocacy?   Privately in the voting booth you have a strong weapon.  Vote for Pro-Life candidates. You may not agree that what is 'creeping and crawling' into our society in the guise of  'gun-control means crime-control', or that Orwellian like 'Big Brother' intrusions into the sanctity of our homes and family,  and 'cradle-to-grave' neo-socialism indicate that our country is in decline.  Regardless;  the growing numbers of murdered shown on http://www.773.com/ must be disturbing,  even to 'Pro-Death' activists.   You might find disconcerting or out of place, some of the music or sounds that play during the loading of this page.  During another holocaust , in the not to distant past, people entered into evil places, often greeted by music at the entrances.  Normality, selective death as routine, is what abortionists want you to accept, just as those past criminal killers did who organized daily routines which led to certain death in those Nazi camps.  Abortionists hide their true purpose behind false rhetoric and euphamisms such as "reproductive health" and "reproductive freedom."   These hollow mantras are to decieve and beguile.  To conceal and hide from examination the baby killers' real motive$. Today's purveyors of death, exchange life for money, their apologists, the profiteer$-in-death, their lobbyists and political lackey bootlicker$ show not the least pretense of having any 'cause' being devoid of any value for life having a purpose in which they consider to be a venial sin at most, greed.  All of the Democratic candidates for the Presidential election in 2007/2008 were advocates of "baby killing" as were all in 2004.  They promoted abortion to "Anglo" English speaking audiences while at the same time they omitted references to abortion in materials dessiminated among the Spanish-American community.  Yet another example of the "Big Lie" pro-death propaganda techniques used by politician$ funded by abortion mill apologists$.   Please read my commentary of July 4, 2003 in which the goals of this site are explained further.  Save a baby, Vote Life. Some of the 'forgotten' WWII millions shown or pictured among the links at http://www.773.com/ may have been of your own.  Whenever you vote, hopefully information on this page will go with you as you cast your ballots, that you will remember both the past and the present day holocausts so you will vote for candidates who will help save our children from the hidden shameful and unspeakable horrors being suffered at this very moment by so many many innocents in America's Death Camps during their terror filled, angonizingly slow, painful, cruel and tortured deaths in the hands of evil, money grubbing, ghouls wielding instruments of death even now while you are reading this. This page is not to offend rather to inform those who use misnomers such as 'Pro-Choice' or 'reproductive rights' to avoid (e.g. Senator Barbara Boxer, California: Boxer-1-2) any reference to abortion and partial-birth, or its horrific methods being linked to systematic 'murder' or 'killing'.   In the past,  many so-called fallen 'great civilizations' were tied together with a common thread of idyllic 'life,  liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' goals which somehow reversed in importance leading to failed national mores predictably spiraling them rapidly downward into nothing more than footnotes on old, musty and oft' forgotten pages of revised history. -- Robert Harrold, posted on http://www.733.com/ "America's Holocaust"

Pickens: Oil Will Reach $300 a Barrel

Friday, August 28, 2009 8:04 AM
Oil legend T. Boone Pickens, now CEO of BP Capital, says oil prices will continue to rise, possibly reaching $300 per barrel.

"Look at the history," Pickens told Dan Mangru of Moneynews. It proves oil prices will go up, as OPEC revenues increased five times over the last five years, he says. Supply is stuck permanently at 85 million barrels per day, and demand will keep rising over the long term, Pickens says.  By 2019, demand will reach 90 million barrels a day, he predicts.  "The only way if you peak on supply that you can kill demand is with price," Pickens says. That's what happened when oil prices hit a high of $147 in 2007.   So, 10 years from now, "the price of oil could well be $300," he told Mangru. © 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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What if Obama is ineligible?

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Posted: August 29, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009  source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.printable&pageId=108252

I've been asked the question dozens and dozens of times recently: "What if Obama is ineligible, then what?  What would it mean for the country?  Could the nation withstand the shock and the upheaval of unseating the first black president?"

What the questioners are talking about is not the constitutional procedure for removing an ineligible president from office.  They are talking instead about the real-world ramifications.  Often, there is the suggestion that there would be race riots in major cities.

When I first encountered this question, I dismissed it as irrelevant, speculative, placing the cart before the horse. 

But the more I run into it, the more I realize this nagging thought might indeed be the root of much of the resistance to a full examination of the facts.

I don't know what would happen across America if Obama were to be found ineligible.

I don't know, and, in a sense, I don't really care. 

What I care about is truth and justice.

What I care about is the Constitution.

What I care about is what's right.

What I care about is preserving the integrity of American political institutions.

That's what I've always cared about, and that has been my motivation for standing virtually alone in the media in pressing the eligibility issue.

I don't even know that Barack Obama is ineligible. I simply believe it is imperative that we make him prove it to the American people.

What would be worse – some temporary social upheaval resulting from the political system correcting itself after an error or the fundamental breakdown of the political system for all time?

That's really the choice we're facing in deciding whether or not to uphold and enforce the Constitution without respect to whose interests might be hurt or how emotions might be affected.

America is the world's great experiment in self-government.  We can either uphold the principles that have permitted liberty to flourish, or we can sacrifice them for what seem like pragmatic, short-term goals.

Personally, I want to see America endure – not just through my lifetime, but through the lifetimes of my children and grandchildren.

I don't want to see America fundamentally changed through fraud and deceit.

So far, those who have suggested we look the other way rather than address the question of Barack Obama's eligibility for office have won the day.   How do we like the results so far?   Is America winning as a result?   Is America better off today than it was one year ago?   Are America's political and economic and cultural institutions stronger now?

Look around you.

Watch the town hall meetings.

Americans are not  happy campers.

They don't like the fact that their interests and their constitutionally guaranteed liberties are being ignored.

One U.S. senator said this week America is on the verge of revolution now.

There's definitely something in the air.

Maybe a better question might be:  Can we make it through three more years of Obama?   Will there be anything left worth saving?   Will we recognize the country by the time 2012 rolls around?

Sometimes the truth can hurt.   But I don't believe seeking the truth can ever be wrong.

That's what I'm advocating.   That's what I'm doing.   I believe it was the right thing to do to hold hearings on the constitutional eligibility of John McCain last year – even though he was well-known, a long-time U.S. senator and even a previous presidential candidate.

I think the same due diligence should have been applied to Obama, a little-known, recently elected U.S. senator who admits he was a subject of the United Kingdom the day he was born.

Let's see those papers.

Let's learn more about this man.

Let's see if he has told us the truth.

Let's determine why he has held back so much of his personal history. 

Let's finally answer the question: "Where's the birth certificate?"

Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. His book "Taking America Back: A Radical Plan to Revive Freedom, Morality and Justice" has gained newfound popularity in the wake of November's election. Farah also edits the online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, in which he utilizes his sources developed over 30 years in the news business. EMAIL JOSEPH FARAH | GO TO JOSEPH FARAH ARCHIVE

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"This ain't America no more!" -- Oblamahope and Oblamachange

From: kd Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009

     Watch the video...
 Town-hall clash! Arrest threat over Obama 'Joker' poster  source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=108307

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SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Town-hall clash!   Arrest threat over Obama 'Joker' poster
Officer to protester:  This ain't America no more!

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Posted: August 28, 2009 10:57 pm Eastern By Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily

Editor's note: Earlier reports that Officer Wesley Cheeks Jr. is a police officer were in error. Further investigation has revealed Officer Cheeks is a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools' trained School Security Officer team. To contact the school's security force, e-mail Fred Ellis, the director of safety and security for Fairfax County Public Schools, or Jim McLain, the security coordinator.

A depiction of the sign banned by Officer Cheeks

"This used to be America," argued a protester outside a health-care town hall meeting in Reston, Va., after a security officer threatened him with arrest for holding up a sign with a picture critical of Barack Obama.  The officer's response? "It ain't no more, OK?"

A video of the town hall held earlier this week by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., shows an unnamed protester standing on school grounds carrying a sign that read "Organizing for National Socialist Health Care – The Final Solution" and depicted Barack Obama in the Joker's makeup.

Officer Wesley Cheeks Jr. then told the protester that even though others were holding signs, his sign was unacceptable because of the depiction of Obama.

"But you got this with a picture," Cheeks said, explaining why the protester was being singled out from the others. "That's the difference. This has got a picture on it. That don't have a picture on it.

"Sir, leave the picture down," the officer said. "If you put the picture back up, you'll be charged with trespassing."

Video of the exchange can be seen below:

The protester continued the argument, wondering how his presence among hundreds of others at the town hall meeting could be deemed trespassing. The officer answered, "If I told you once to take it down and you put it back up, I can charge you with whatever I want to charge you with." The argument continued until the officer walked away. "This used to be America," said the protester. "It ain't no more, OK?" answered Cheeks.

Officer Cheeks is a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools'  trained School Security Officer team. The school's security force, however, refused to comment on the story until its communications offices reopen on Monday.

As WND has reported, Americans have been flocking to lawmakers' health-care town hall meetings, typically voicing loud displeasure with the ever-expanding size of the federal government and what many see as yet another intrusive expansion.

All across the country, legislators coming to their home districts in attempt to sell the health-care plan to constituents are being met with fierce opposition and huge crowds:

• 
  Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was confronted by self-described Democrats who accused their representative of lying about health reform and protested, "Why would you try to stuff a health-care plan down our throats in a couple days when the president took six months to pick a dog for his kids?"
  
  
• Also in Maryland, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., admitted to receiving nearly 1,600 RSVP's for a town hall meeting at a concert hall that only seated only 500. When an estimated 1,500 showed up for the meeting, protesters lined the streets outside with signs and shouts.
  
• In Mehlville, Mo., protesters lined up around the block of the Bernard Middle School gym where Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., had planned a public forum. When hundreds were left standing on the street, they remained outside into the evening. Eventually, a union representative reportedly assaulted one of the protesters, Kenneth Gladney, which lead to six arrests, including a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. Gladney later appeared in an interview on the Fox News Channel explaining the attack, which drew national attention.
  
• A video posted on YouTube, one of many from around the country, reportedly shows several hundreds standing outside in a stunningly long line, waiting to get into a packed town hall meeting on health care with Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga.
  
• Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., has called off further events after a June 22 event he held in Setauket, N.Y., in which protesters dominated the meeting by shouting criticisms at the congressman for his positions on energy policy, health care and the bailout of the auto industry.
  
• Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., got an earful, too – especially on the health-care issue.
  
• Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., heard from a very well-informed veteran – to the enthusiastic applause of those gathered.
  
• Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., also heard from the crowd when he made a gaffe by saying the work needs to be done "fast."
  
• The Pittsburgh Tribune review captured video of a town hall with Specter in Kittanning, Pa., reporting that 1,500 showed up to voice their concerns over health care. "I've never seen anything like this," Specter told reporters afterward.
  
• U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., tried to explain at a town hall that people "don't know" how much they're already paying to cover the uninsured, but his reasoning was drowned out by protesters.
  
• WND reported the story of Mike Sola, a Michigan father who confronted Dingell in a separate meeting over what he feared Obamacare would do to his handicapped adult son. Sola later reported he was threatened at his home, at night, by supporters of the government health-care plan.
  
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited a Denver, Colo., clinic for the homeless to raise support for Obama's health-care plan, only to be met by streets lined with protesters opposed to the measure.
  
• Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX, went out to meet constituents, only to be met with protesters shouting in opposition to the health-care bill, "Just say no!"
  
• At a health-care town hall event in Syracuse, N.Y., in July, police were called in to restore order, and at least one heckler was taken away by local police.
  
• Close to 100 sign-carrying protesters greeted Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., at a late June community college small-business development forum in Panama City, Fla.
  
• Danville, Va., anti-tax tea party activists claimed they were "refused an opportunity" to ask Rep. Thomas Perriello, D-Va., a question at a town hall event and instructed by a plainclothes police officer to leave the property after they attempted to hold up protest signs.
  
• Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., was chased by a crowd saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
  
• In the wake of vocal town hall protests covered by the press, Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., attempted to ban news cameras from his public forum on health care reform, but eventually relented and allowed the coverage.
  
• A handful of New York's congressmen, including Democrats Brian Higgins and Louise Slaughter and Republican Chris Lee, have shunned the town hall meetings altogether, opting instead for telephone meetings or no meetings at all.
  
• Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Mich., also sought to dodge boisterous health-care reform critics by holding a teleconference forum, rather than a public town hall meeting. The decision didn't stop protesters on both sides of the debate rallying outside the lawmaker's office.
  
• The constituents of Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn., unable to access their representative through a town hall meeting, created a video charging that Tanner has met with Michael Moore and Fidel Castro, "But he won't meet his constituents in the 8th District to talk about health care."
  
• Meanwhile, as WND reported, pre-written questions from participants with track records of campaigning and organizing for Obama have led some to believe the president has been stacking his own town halls with "plants." The practice, some allege, may also be in use at other, purportedly open public forums.

The biggest source of protests are the health-care bill, the $787 billion economic stimulus package and the cap-and-trade legislation. They're also angry about Barack Obama's refusal to release his birth certificate to prove he is a "natural born citizen" and constitutionally eligible to serve in the White House.

According to an Associated Press report, Obama's top political adviser, David Axelrod, showed senators in D.C. video of some of the boisterous town-hall meetings and discussed how to respond to disruptions.

"It's a challenge, no question about it, and you've got to get out there and make the case," Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said afterward. "This is not the time for the faint-hearted."

Previous stories:
GOP's Bachmann zings heckler at health-care town hall
Town halls burst with Obama 'plants'
See the latest voter revolts
Home front getting ugly for recessed Congress
Democrats: 'Angry mobs' out to 'destroy Obama'
Ex-Reagan official: Congress should expect criticism
Dissing constituents called strategic plan
See rebellion at grass roots
New poll shows 'birthers' growing
Confidence in American liberty plunging
Unemployment still 20% higher in Dem strongholds
You'll never guess which states have most jobless
Americans throw more than 40 tea parties
Senator echoes Tea Party rally cry
Obama hits back at 'tea party' rant
See 'tea party' call by CNBC analyst

Drew Zahn is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.

It ain't working out too good...KD

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LA Congresswoman Praises Cuban Revolution & Castro’s Health Care System

"You can think whatever you want to about Fidel Castro, but he was one of the brightest leaders I have ever met." Representative Watson (D-CA) KABC’s Michael Linder was the only broadcast reporter at Thursday night’s town hall health care debate at Wade AME Church when Rep. Diane Watson [D] made some astonishing comments including claims that those opposed to health care reform are attempting to destroy a president “who looks like me.” Later, Watson praised heath care in Fidel Castro’s Cuba — and, it seemed, the Cuban revolution itself.

• The B-Cast: Rush Responds to LA Congresswoman Rant on Race & Castro

• KABC-AM: Rep. Diane Watson Raises Race, Praises Fidel Castro in Obamacare Debate

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Guy bet that he could endure 15 seconds of the interrogation technique used by the Bush administration on al Qaeda chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah.

For those of you who have never really seen how waterboarding is done, this is an incredible video. A Playboy journalist bet $1.00/sec that he could withstand waterboarding for 15 seconds. Watch and see if he won his bet.

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humor - 'toon: Tech Support Cheat Sheet

From: Shell86 Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009

source:  http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tech_support_cheat_sheet.png

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NumbersUSA - Federal Court Rules in Favor of E-Verify

From: NumbersUSA  Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009

Border Expert Explains Consequences of Illegal Immigration on the Environment By Anne Manetas, Friday, August 28, 2009 Securing our southern border raises interesting environmental issues. But there is no denying the environmental devastation along the border resulting from illegal immigration and our chronic failure to secure the borders. Janice Kephart uses exclusive hidden camera video to tell the story of the negative effects of not stopping illegal immigration across the Mexican border in the following guest blog. . . Read More » H-1B Audits Won't Solve the Issue of Lower Wages By Norm Matloff, Thursday, August 27, 2009 Immigration officials have begun auditing firms that hire H-1B and L-1 visa holders to ensure that the person holding the visa and the company that applied for the visa match (among other things). But the audits won't solve the bigger issue of paying those H-1B visa holders lower-than-market wages. Read More » U.S. Population On Track for 1.182 Billion By Charles Breiterman, Wednesday, August 26, 2009 According to U.S. Census Bureau projections issued in the year 2000, the United States is precisely on track to have a population of 1.182 billion in the year 2100. Read More » Immigration and Health Care: Legislation on the Table WILL Extend Health Care to Illegal Aliens By James Edwards, Monday, August 24, 2009 Just about the time the Center for Immigration Studies was holding a press briefing at the National Press Club about the immigration and health reform connection, proponents from President Obama on down were denying that illegal aliens would receive taxpayer-funded health care under pending legislation. Read More » Recent News Federal Court Rules in Favor of Mandatory E-Verify for Federal Contractors Congressional Research Service: Illegal Aliens Could Receive Benefits Under Health Care Bill Immigration Concerns Growing in Health Care Debate Sen. Jon Kyl says Concerns over Health Care to Illegal Aliens are Valid District Court Rules in Favor of E-Verify Executive Order On Wednesday, a federal court in Maryland ruled in favor of the E-Verify mandate for federal contractors, first issued by the Bush Administration. The order requires all contractors to verify the workplace eligibility of new hires, but it's been delayed four times - once by the Bush Administration and three times by the Obama Administration - pending the court's ruling. The rule is now set to become effective on Sept. 8. There's a fax on your Action Buffet urging Pres. Obama to prevent any further delays from the rule taking effect. Also, be sure to read the blog from Dr. James Edwards who co-authored the book "The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform" and represents NumbersUSA on Capitol Hill. In his blog, Dr. Edwards details how the House's proposed health care bill would benefit illegal aliens. If you visit a Town Hall Meeting, be sure you know the loopholes detailed by Dr. Edwards and a report from the Congressional Research Service that would allow illegal aliens to gain coverage under the bill. Finally, check your Action Buffet for actions that urge your Reps to cosponsor one of the immigration bills in Congress, ask them to protect American workers and urge them to prevent illegal aliens from receiving health care benefits under the Congressional proposals. Thanks, Chris Chmielenski, Website Content Manager  Numbers USA, 1601 N. Kent Street, Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 22209

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One News Now Sa.29Aug09

Group questions Catholic funeral for Kennedy A Catholic pro-life leader has some scathing words concerning Senator Ted Kennedy's Catholic funeral. Healthcare reform bill = loss of privacy A free market think tank is warning that the House healthcare bill could potentially give thousands of federal employees access to citizens' financial records. Lesbian custody trial continues A court custody battle continues between a born-again Christian mother in Virginia and her former lesbian partner in Vermont. Obama 'stimulus' plays favorites with earmarks A tax policy expert says President Obama has reneged on his promise to keep his economic "stimulus" plan transparent and free of earmarks. Malaysia's image takes a beating in caning case After a series of flip-flops, authorities in Malaysia have decided that a 32-year-old Muslim woman caught drinking beer in violation of Islamic law won't be caned after all.

Hope fades for compromise on health bill WASHINGTON Signaling a fading chance for compromise, a leading Republican negotiator on U.S. health care legislation on Saturday criticized Democratic legislative proposals as budget busters that would

ObamaCare will put Planned Parenthood inside your child?s school by Bryan Fischer According to my good friend David Ripley, Executive Director of Idaho Chooses Life, the Pelosi Obama health care plan will establish school based ?health clinics? in or near schools all across the nation.These clinics would Congressman demands to see constituent's ID at townhall Elijah Friedeman| Democratic Congressman Jim Moran demanded to see a constituent's ID before answering his question at a townhall. 90,000 swine flu deaths? Not so much. Elijah Friedeman| The White House released a report stating that 90,000 people could likely die from the swine flu. The Centers for Disease Control begs to differ. Sen. Orrin Hatch writes song in tribute to Kennedy Elijah Friedeman| Republican Senator Orrin Hatch has written a song in tribue to the late Ted Kennedy. Watch the video here. Obama Bearing False Witness Regarding Illegals and Health Care by Bryan Fischer Gary Bauer points out that, despite repeated assurances from Democrats, illegal aliens will in fact be able to get taxpayer funded health care under the government takeover.When the president held his conference with leftwing clergy U.N. Recommends Mandatory Sex Education for Kindergarteners According to a report at FOX News, the United Nations is recommending that children as young as five receive mandatory sexual education which would teach them about topics such as gender violence and masturbation. The U.N.'s Economic, Social and Home-Schooled Child Ordered Into Government-Run School The Alliance Defense Fund is reporting a t0 year old home schooled girl in New Hampshire has been ordered into a government run school in Meredith. Although the marital master making recommendations to the court agreed the child is ?well

Environmentalists and their Double Standards Talks about Environmentalists who say one thing and do another School based Healthcare Healthcare for teens in public school Illegal Aliens and the Healthcare bill Illegal aliens and healthcare benefits White House Budget Review Talks about what was in the Budget Review Rules For Radicals #2 Taking a look at five of the czars. New Climate Supercomputer in Britain Turns Out To Be Biggest Polluter? Bryan Fischer talks about the new supercomputer that predicts climate change U.S. Now on the Path Toward Fiscal Discipline? Bryan Fischer talks about the economic report released Tuesday

An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design One of the most stereotypes of intelligent design (ID) is that it is an evangelical Christian movement intent upon forcing religion into the classroom. seanmcdowell.org Encounter with a Happy Muslim Saturday Afternoon Minneapolis AirportI am writing this note from a tiny cubicle that doubles as a pay phone station next to gate C22.

Parenting by Prayer by Mary Friedeman There are many resources available to the homeschool parent, but our most powerful (and often most neglected) is prayer. In the college post I alluded to yesterday, a primary thrust of the writer?s observations was that, when Thinking Ahead to College by Mary Friedeman I would imagine that the majority of those who read this blog have most, if not all, their children still at home. If you?re in the diapers and toddlers stage, college may seem infinitely distant. Radical Family Life By Mary Friedeman I had an interesting conversation recently with a longtime friend. She expressed surprise that we hadn?t encountered ADHD in our family, since the incidence of diagnosis is higher among males than females (five of our six)

source: OneNewsNow.com - P. O. Drawer 2440 - Tupelo, MS 38803 - (662) 821-2007

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From Whence We Came & May Again Go [..depth of history lacking in D.C.]

The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320

"Like the American Declaration of Independence (image) and full text , which is partially based on it, it is seen by many as the founding document of the Scottish nation.  It was drafted on the 6th April 1320..."  (quote source: BBC, History, Scottish History: The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)  [ references: http://harrold.org/quotes ]

( images souce: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/media_museum/media_museum_index2_sections_4to6.shtml#independence )

Bannockburn

Values:   "Scots Wha Hae"  1] poem lyrics..text of "Bruce before Bannockburn" also known as "Scots wha hae", written by Robert Burns • Robert Burns b.1759-d.1796, 8May1794, The Morning Chronicle)  1] "Supposed to be addressed by Bruce to his soldiers before the Battle of Bannockburn against Edward II." 

• Listen  to the poem "Scots Wha Hae " read by Doug Robertson [3m55s],  Music by Steve McDonald from  "Bannockburn [Stone of Destiny]" (.mp3, 3.7MB)alternate  ScotWha2.ram  (rm, 3m55s) re [ Robert Bruce's March to Bannockburn, Robert I, the Bruce (1274-1329) also know as Robert the Bruce, "The Hammer of the Scots" ] plus  "Scots, wha hae Wi' Wallace Bled," (midi, Scottish Songs) & .midi sequenced with lyrics [src] ^***
and  Scots Wha Hae (bagpipes) by the 48th Highlanders of Canada (7MB, .mp3, 3m14s)
and  Scots Wha Hae, bagpipes solo (1.3MB, .mp3, 1m22s)
and  Scots Wha Hae (2.7MB, .mp3, 3m4s; 'The Corries' ["Battle songs of Scotland", sung by Ronnie Browne solo] &  Scots Wha Hae with pipes (4.3MB, .mp3, 4m29s)
· The Declaration of Abroath   from Wars of Independence (BBC, Scottish History) and Scran News: Declaration of Arbroath, 6 April 1320 [read/print in plain text]


Sir William Wallace (Scottish Gaelic: Uilleam Uallas; 1272 – 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight and landowner who is known for leading a resistance during the Wars of Scottish Independence and is today remembered as a patriot and national hero.^[1]

Along with Andrew Moray, he defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, and became Guardian of Scotland, serving until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk. A few years later Wallace was captured in Robroyston near Glasgow and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him executed for treason.

Wallace was the inspiration for the poem, The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie, by the 15th-century minstrel, Blind Harry and this poem was to some extent the basis of Randall Wallace's screenplay for the 1995 film Braveheart.  ( source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wallace )

The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320 

'It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.'  -- Extract from the Declaration of Arbroath, 1320.

The Declaration of Arbroath is without doubt the most famous document in Scottish history. Like the American Declaration of Independence, which is partially based on it, it is seen by many as the founding document of the Scottish nation. It was drafted on the 6th April 1320 - a day the United States of America has declared to be Tartan Day.

The Declaration is a Latin letter which was sent to Pope John XXII in April/May 1320. It was most likely drafted in the scriptorium of Arbroath Abbey by Abbot Bernard on behalf of the nobles and barons of Scotland. It was one of three letters sent to the Pope in Avignon, the other two being from King Robert Bruce himself and from four Scottish bishops, attempting to abate papal hostility. The document received the seals of several Scottish barons and it then was taken to the papal court at Avignon in France by Sir Adam Gordon.

Cunning Diplomatic Letter or Constitutional Document?
There is considerable debate over the Declaration's significance. For some it is simply a diplomatic document; while others see it as a radical movement in western constitutional thought.

It could be viewed as a cunning diplomatic ploy by the Scottish barons to explain and justify why they were still fighting their neighbours when all Christian princes were supposed to be united in crusade against the Muslims. All this, just at the point when they were about to retake Berwick: Scotland's most prosperous medieval town. As an explanation, it failed to convince the pope to lift his sentence of excommunication on Scotland.  Others analyse what the Declaration of Arbroath actually says. The Scots clergy had produced not only one of the most eloquent expressions of nationhood, but the first expression of the idea of a contractual monarchy. Here is the critical passage in question:

'Yet if he (Bruce) should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.'

Extract from the Declaration of Arbroath
The threat to drive Bruce out if he ever sold Scotland to English rule was a fantastic bluff.  There was nobody else to take his place.  The point is that the nobles and clergy are not basing their argument to the pope on the traditional notion of the Divine Rights of Kings.  Bruce is King first and foremost because the nation chose him, not God, and the nation would just as easily choose another if they were betrayed by the King.  The explanation also neatly covers the fact that Bruce had usurped John Balliol's rightful kingship in the first place.


In spite of all possible motivations for its creation, the Declaration of Arbroath, under the extraordinary circumstances of the Wars of Independence, was a prototype of contractual kingship in Europe. 
(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/independence/features_independence_arbroath.shtml )

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Declaration of Arbroath

"...as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."

Declaration of Arbroath

Video giving an explanation of the Declaration of Arbroath.  If the audio/video doesn't play, you may need to download the free RealPlayer plug-in.RealOne (for Windows 98/2000/XP and Mac OS X users) or RealPlayer 8 Basic (for Windows 95 and Mac OS 9 users). BBC WebWise has a step-by-step guide to help you.  Video presented by Professor G.W.S. Barrow with a narration of part of the Declaration.

Like the American Declaration of Independence - which is partly based on it - the Declaration of Arbroath on 6 April 1320, by 38 Scottish Lords, is seen as a founding document of nationhood.


Background - John Balliol had been adopted by the English king, Edward I, as his favoured candidate for the Scottish throne. He was chosen above twelve other claimants which included Robert Bruce. Balliol was inaugurated at Scone in 1292. His short reign was dominated by Edward's attempts to control the governance of Scotland, as he claimed, in the role of feudal suzerain.

Balliol Surrenders Crown - Edward stripped King John Balliol of this English estates and the kingship in 1296.  This action earned Balliol the nickname "Toom Tabard' (empty tunic) which referred to his loss of knightly trappings.  Initially, Edward kept him prisoner but eventually he was exiled to his feudal lands in France where he died, later than Edward, in 1313.

The throne went to his rivals, the Bruces, but his support in Scotland remained strong and he was allied through marriage to the very powerful family of Comyn, who were Lords of Badenoch and Earls of Buchan. The Red Comyn was his nephew.


Although the English armies under Edward II had been defeated at Bannockburn in 1314, they continued to mount attacks into Robert the Bruce's Scotland over the succeeding years. They claimed Scotland was not independent and, in fact, a previous claimant to the Scottish throne had made a deal with Edward.


Pope John XXII of Avignon, France, had not accepted Scottish independence, perhaps because Robert the Bruce had been excommunicated for killing John Comyn in a church in Dumfries in 1306. It was the Red Comyn who had formed an alliance with Edward, and perhaps had more of a right to be King than Bruce.

Murder of Red Comyn  1306 - Murder Of The 'Red Comyn'

In 1304, John Comyn II, known as the Red Comyn after his grandfather, moved his allegiance over to England’s Edward I and sat on his ‘Scottish Council’.

When Robert the Bruce set his plans to resume the War of Independence in 1306, he and Comyn met together in southerly Dumfries at the isolated Franciscan priory Church of the Minorite Friars. Either because he would not back Robert, or because he threatened to expose his intentions, Bruce stabbed Comyn to death at the altar rails.

As well as the military benefits, Comyn’s death that 10th of February also favoured Bruce by removing another competitor to the throne of Scotland.

The Pope is Petitioned - Thus the Declaration of Arbroath was prepared. It was drawn up in Arbroath Abbey on the 6th April 1320, on behalf of the nobles and barons of Scotland. Its most likely author was the Abbot, Bernard de Linton, who was also the Chancellor of Scotland.

It was one of three letters sent to the Pope. The others were from King Robert Bruce and from four Scottish bishops. Sir Adam Gordon took the Declaration to the papal court  in France.

The Declaration urged the Pope to see things from a Scottish perspective and not to take the English claim on Scotland seriously. It used strong words, indicating that without acceptance of the Scottish case that the wars would continue and the resultant deaths would be the responsibility of the Pope.

Signing Tableau

Do we Know the True Purpose of the Declaration? - There is some debate over the purpose of the Declaration.  Some see it as an explanation about fighting in the British Isles when the Pope expected Christian Princes to be on Crusade in the Holy Lands.

There is other evidence to suggest that it was an attempt to have King Robert the Bruce received back into the Church, as he wished to go on crusade and excommunicants were excluded.

Others see it as the first formal statement of nationhood and rights which also puts expectations on the King by those he rules.  It certainly follows Magna Carta of 1215.

"Yet if he (Bruce) should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King..."

Crowning Bruce

The People and Their King - And the extract above does seem to state the people choose their King to represent what they - the people - believe in.  That, in itself, was an almost unknown public view at this period. Monarchies were based on the Divine Right of Kings: they were chosen by God. That being said, Bruce almost certainly believed in Divine Right.  After all, he had himself crowned.  He didn't take a vote 

Robert the Bruce - However, it also cleverly gives an explanation of Bruce's killing of John Comyn.  After all, that murder could be viewed through the above argument as the people choosing their King because Comyn was seen as acting against the wishes of the people in forming an alliance with Edward.  With all that being said, the Declaration of Arbroath remains surprising, adept and important.  It was a step towards the sort of constitutional monarchy we see now.

Related Information  - The Declaration of Arbroath was written in Latin. Here is an English translation.

Declaration of Arbroath Translation

To the most Holy Father and Lord in Christ, the Lord John, by divine providence Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman and Universal Church, his humble and devout sons Duncan, Earl of Fife, Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, Lord of Man and of Annandale, Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March, Malise, Earl of Strathearn, Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, William, Earl of Ross, Magnus, Earl of Caithness and Orkney, and William, Earl of Sutherland; Walter, Steward of Scotland, William Soules, Butler of Scotland, James, Lord of Douglas, Roger Mowbray, David, Lord of Brechin, David Graham, Ingram Umfraville, John Menteith, guardian of the earldom of Menteith, Alexander Fraser, Gilbert Hay, Constable of Scotland, Robert Keith, Marischal of Scotland, Henry St Clair, John Graham, David Lindsay, William Oliphant, Patrick Graham, John Fenton, William Abernethy, David Wemyss, William Mushet, Fergus of Ardrossan, Eustace Maxwell, William Ramsay, William Mowat, Alan Murray, Donald Campbell, John Cameron, Reginald Cheyne, Alexander Seton, Andrew Leslie, and Alexander Straiton, and the other barons and freeholders and the whole community of the realm of Scotland send all manner of filial reverence, with devout kisses of his blessed feet.

Most Holy Father and Lord, we know and from the chronicles and books of the ancients we find that among other famous nations our own, the Scots, has been graced with widespread renown. They journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage tribes, but nowhere could they be subdued by any race, however barbarous. Thence they came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to their home in the west where they still live today. The Britons they first drove out, the Picts they utterly destroyed, and, even though very often assailed by the Norwegians, the Danes and the English, they took possession of that home with many victories and untold efforts; and, as the historians of old time bear witness, they have held it free of all bondage ever since. In their kingdom there have reigned one hundred and thirteen kings of their own royal stock, the line unbroken a single foreigner.

The high qualities and deserts of these people, were they not otherwise manifest, gain glory enough from this: that the King of kings and Lord of lords, our Lord Jesus Christ, after His Passion and Resurrection, called them, even though settled in the uttermost parts of the earth, almost the first to His most holy faith. Nor would He have them confirmed in that faith by merely anyone but by the first of His Apostles -- by calling, though second or third in rank -- the most gentle Saint Andrew, the Blessed Peter's brother, and desired him to keep them under his protection as their patron forever.

The Most Holy Fathers your predecessors gave careful heed to these things and bestowed many favours and numerous privileges on this same kingdom and people, as being the special charge of the Blessed Peter's brother. Thus our nation under their protection did indeed live in freedom and peace up to the time when that mighty prince the King of the English, Edward, the father of the one who reigns today, when our kingdom had no head and our people harboured no malice or treachery and were then unused to wars or invasions, came in the guise of a friend and ally to harass them as an enemy. The deeds of cruelty, massacre, violence, pillage, arson, imprisoning prelates, burning down monasteries, robbing and killing monks and nuns, and yet other outrages without number which he committed against our people, sparing neither age nor sex, religion nor rank, no one could describe nor fully imagine unless he had seen them with his own eyes.

But from these countless evils we have been set free, by the help of Him Who though He afflicts yet heals and restores, by our most tireless Prince, King and Lord, the Lord Robert. He, that his people and his heritage might be delivered out of the hands of our enemies, met toil and fatigue, hunger and peril, like another Macabaeus or Joshua and bore them cheerfully. Him, too, divine providence, his right of succession according to or laws and customs which we shall maintain to the death, and the due consent and assent of us all have made our Prince and King. To him, as to the man by whom salvation has been wrought unto our people, we are bound both by law and by his merits that our freedom may be still maintained, and by him, come what may, we mean to stand.

Yet if he should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

Therefore it is, Reverend Father and Lord, that we beseech your Holiness with our most earnest prayers and suppliant hearts, inasmuch as you will in your sincerity and goodness consider all this, that, since with Him Whose Vice-Regent on earth you are there is neither weighing nor distinction of Jew and Greek, Scotsman or Englishman, you will look with the eyes of a father on the troubles and privation brought by the English upon us and upon the Church of God. May it please you to admonish and exhort the King of the English, who ought to be satisfied with what belongs to him since England used once to be enough for seven kings or more, to leave us Scots in peace, who live in this poor little Scotland, beyond which there is no dwelling-place at all, and covet nothing but our own. We are sincerely willing to do anything for him, having regard to our condition, that we can, to win peace for ourselves.

This truly concerns you, Holy Father, since you see the savagery of the heathen raging against the Christians, as the sins of Christians have indeed deserved, and the frontiers of Christendom being pressed inward every day; and how much it will tarnish your Holiness's memory if (which God forbid) the Church suffers eclipse or scandal in any branch of it during your time, you must perceive. Then rouse the Christian princes who for false reasons pretend that they cannot go to help of the Holy Land because of wars they have on hand with their neighbours. The real reason that prevents them is that in making war on their smaller neighbours they find quicker profit and weaker resistance. But how cheerfully our Lord the King and we too would go there if the King of the English would leave us in peace, He from Whom nothing is hidden well knows; and we profess and declare it to you as the Vicar of Christ and to all Christendom.

But if your Holiness puts too much faith in the tales the English tell and will not give sincere belief to all this, nor refrain from favouring them to our prejudice, then the slaughter of bodies, the perdition of souls, and all the other misfortunes that will follow, inflicted by them on us and by us on them, will, we believe, be surely laid by the Most High to your charge.

To conclude, we are and shall ever be, as far as duty calls us, ready to do your will in all things, as obedient sons to you as His Vicar; and to Him as the Supreme King and Judge we commit the maintenance of our cause, sating our cares upon Him and firmly trusting that He will inspire us with courage and bring our enemies to nought.

May the Most High preserve you to his Holy Church in holiness and health and grant you length of days.

Given at the monastery of Arbroath in Scotland on the sixth day of the month of April in the year of grace thirteen hundred and twenty and the fifteenth year of the reign of our King aforesaid.

Endorsed: Letter directed to our Lord the Supreme Pontiff by the community of Scotland.

Additional names written on some of the seal tags: Alexander Lamberton, Edward Keith, John Inchmartin, Thomas Menzies, John Durrant, Thomas Morham (and one illegible).
( source: http://www.scran.ac.uk/news/news.php?id=261&PHPSESSID=46b22295ba3cb83b5fc16da0d5f77a67 )
Related Information

Read a full feature on the Declaration of Arbroath. Click here to view.

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Robert the Bruce  Although these data have been compiled from many sources usually deemed reliable, no sources or references are provided because no guarantee of scholarly accuracy is offered.  If your researches reveal differing results, please let us know.

Please note that this page is presented, not as historical fact, but as legend. It is worthwhile to not confuse legend with facts. Legends are, by definition, not necessarily fact. Although these data have been compiled from many sources usually deemed reliable, no sources or references are provided because no guarantee of scholarly accuracy is offered. For all I know, the entire article may be inaccurate. If your researches reveal differing results, it is perhaps not surprising. While I will be happy to receive your updated data, and will even consider posting it, I will neither defend nor argue about the content of this article, nor will I cite information sources. That being said, I hope you enjoy this page.  ( source: http://www.clanmcalister.org/robbruce.html Webmaster )

Robert de Bruce, the soldier king Scotland
Although William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were of the same period in Scottish history, their aims were, to begin with, very different. Wallace was driven by patriotism and hatred of the English invaders, Bruce on the other hand, was initially motivated by his personal ambition. The family of Bruce was Anglo-Norman and known as de Brus. His grandfather had been one of the claimants to the Scottish throne when Balliol was nominated by the English King, Edward I. The Bruce had originally sworn fealty (allegiance) to the English king too but changed sides as Wallace became recognized as the leader of the Scottish armies by virtue of his various successes against the English.

However as the success of Wallace waned, Bruce once more switched his allegiance, along with many more of the Scottish Lords who originally joined Wallace, back to the English King. When Wallace was out of the country and Edward I was warring in France, the way was open for Bruce to take the initiative. His own patriotism had been instilled in him by his first wife, the daughter of the earl of Mar. It was the daughter of this union, through her marriage to Walter the Steward, that became the mother of the first great Scottish Stewart dynasty. Later relations in this line included Charles I, and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

At this time the English Parliament had written up a Constitution for Scotland that had failed due to a lack of consent by the Scots who had strong resentment toward the English and their involvement in Scotland. In 1306 Bruce's patriotism was enhanced when he killed his hereditary enemy, the Red Comyn during a quarrel in the Church of the Convent of the Minorite Friars, in Dumfries. Bloodshed on sacred ground was sacrilege, and this act put Bruce outside the parameters of Christendom, and enraged Edward.

With the backing of a few friends and a small host gathered round him, Bruce went to Scone where the Kings of Scotland were crowned and became the King of Scotland. The coronation was conducted by two Scottish Earls and three bishops. Bruce was crowned by the Countess of Buchan in place of her brother who held the hereditary right to crown the Kings of Scotland, since he refused to attend in this case. The real crown having been stolen by Edward was replaced by a golden coronella. Thus Robert the Bruce, the greatest soldier king Scotland ever had, began his battle against the English. He also began his fight to capture the hearts and minds of the Scottish people and bring back pride and independence to the beleaguered Scots.

Edward was enraged by Bruce's actions and sent a strong force north of the border that crushed the smaller Scottish force, aided by treachery by some Scots. Bruce and some of his followers took refuge in the wild mountainous areas of Athol and Argyle. He was accompanied by Sir James Douglas, known as 'the Black Douglas', whose clan was one of the strongest in Scotland at the time. Edward sent many forces to find Bruce, Douglas and the rest of the small band, but they were unable to bring them to captivity. There were many close encounters where Bruce, through sheer guts and determination, was able to avoid capture. These various encounters have gone down in Scottish folklore, but at the time they gave the Scots a focus for their hopes of independence.

While in hiding from the English, Bruce's lands were confiscated and his wife and young daughter were imprisoned in English castles. The Countess of Buchan who had dared crown Bruce was imprisoned in an open cage made of wickerwork and fixed to the walls of a castle in Berwick. Three of Bruce's brothers were put to death. Many others who opposed Edward and supported Bruce or Wallace suffered similar fates with their heads being placed on spikes to discourage others from acting against their English overlords.

These brutal actions undertaken by Edward, however had the opposite effect and Scots from the Clergy, nobles, gentles and commons rallied to Bruce's banner swearing fealty to him as their rightful King. For about a year Bruce was a fugitive in great danger but fate was on his side. King of England, Edward I - the 'hammer of the Scots' - died, failing in his great purpose of life to totally annex Scotland under English rule. Such was the hatred of Edward that his dying wish was to have his bones carried to Scotland the next time a rebellion broke out.

Edward II was not the same type of character as his father, though he led an army into Scotland to obey his father's dying behest only to be defeated in Ayrshire. Bruce continued to enhance his position by defeating his enemies, those who had conspired with the English, within Scotland. Philip IV of France attempted to bring about a truce between Scotland and England but as Bruce enjoyed more success in getting Scotland behind him, these attempts were ignored.
Another important step for Bruce was to get the Clergy to support him after the incident in the church when he had slain Comwyn. This was eventually achieved with the clergy swearing fealty to him as their rightful King and amending their seals accordingly. 

Tit for tat exchanges occurred between the English and the Scots across the borders, with Bruce and the Scots being more successful than their English counterparts. Various castles in Scotland that had been taken by the English during the time of Edward I, returned to their legitimate owners. Dumbarton, Perth, Roxburgh and the great stronghold of Edinburgh Castle were recaptured with daring and cunning, often with the Black Douglas acting as leader. 

The most important stronghold of Stirling remained in the hands of the English, so Bruce assigned the taking of it by his brother, Edward Bruce. The English governor of the Castle suggested a sporting challenge by offering to surrender were the Castle not relieved before the twenty-fourth day of the following June. This allowed time for an English army to attempt to relieve the much besieged garrison and offered a chance for the Scots to face the might of the English army once and for all. The challenge was accepted out of chivalry and the stage was set for the best known battle in Scottish history. 

Duly the English marched north with the biggest force yet to face the smaller Scots army. As the English approached Bruce was riding a small mount, not expecting any attack at that point. Sir Henry de Bohun, an English knight, recognized Bruce and seized the chance to fight him as, unlike Bruce, he was dressed in full armor and riding a great war horse. On seeing the oncoming attack, Bruce turned and rising in his stirrups, with one blow, clove de Bohun's skull in two with his battle axe, which consequently broke. 

The morning of the battle followed a night of revelry for the English, so sure were they of victory, the Scots on the other hand had spent it in"silence and devotion." Bruce prepared the ground around the Bannock Burn, placing his troops in strategic positions that allowed for retreat if victory proved impossible. The army was divided into four 'schiltrons' or circles, under Edward Bruce, Sir James Douglas, Sir Thomas Randolph and Walter the Steward. The King himself was in charge of the reserves. The ground between the Scots and the approaching English was full of marshes and watercourses. The Bannock Burn gave some protection to the Scottish front, as did two great bogs that threatened to slow the English progress. 

The English attack commenced with a hail of arrows over the Scots. In the hand to hand fighting the defenders had the upper hand as the English, fighting in spaces too close, were caught up in the submerged pits and bogs. Men and horses plunged helplessly, and knights, hampered by heavy armor could not rise. The English ranks, in total disorder, suffered the final blow when a group of observers tore down the hill where they had been eagerly watching shouting the Bruce's battle cry and making the English think that Scots reinforcements had arrived. Edward II fled the field leaving some intrepid English still fighting. 

Bannockburn was the greatest defeat that the English ever suffered at the hands of the Scots and the victory provided great booty, but more important, independence and Bruce as master of Scotland. The succession to the throne was quickly organized by Parliament and ensured that if there was no male heir to Bruce, that his brother Edward and his male heirs would succeed. The only child of Bruce was Marjorie who died in child birth, after a fall from a horse, the surviving infant of the Princess later became Robert II. 

The Pope intervened between the two warring countries by proclaiming a two-year truce. Bruce ignored this as the Pope refused to recognize him as the rightful King, and sent forces to Berwick to retake the city that had been in the hands of the English since Edward I had butchered its inhabitants. The English remained oblivious to Scotland as independence and the Scots sent an appeal to the Pope stating that, "While there exists a hundred of us we will never submit to England. We fight not for glory, wealth or honour, but for that liberty the loss of which no virtuous man will survive." 

Hostilities between the countries continued, Edward II running out of supplies returned south after ravaging the Scottish border area only to be surprised by Bruce heading north after raids into Yorkshire. Treachery was waiting for Edward II after he fled south to escape Bruce; first, by the Earl of Carlisle who was in league with the Scots and was summarily executed; and secondly, by his wife who, with her lover, was conspiring against him. With various problems hanging over him, Edward called for a thirteen-year truce with the Scots, although this did not include recognizing Bruce as the 'King of Scotland'. Bruce also got papal approval and with the birth of his son, he was universally recognized as King. The uneasiness between the English and Scottish neighbors continued and Bruce was able to raise more taxes for his armies through the Scottish Parliament. The situation remained the same as Edward II was replaced by Edward III, though a treaty was initially signed which attempted to bring peace. Finally a large English army was forced to disband when faced by a smaller Scottish army and with this and other pressures playing on the English, overtures for peace were made. The terms were concluded in Edinburgh the following year with Scotland being formally recognized as an independent Kingdom, her King an independent Sovereign, her inhabitants a free and independent people. 

Robert the Bruce saw the fulfilment of his highest hopes and he was able to live out the last years of his life in peace at Cardross, where he died in his fifty-fifth year. His last request was that his heart be taken on the crusades against the infidel. James Douglas carried out this last wish throwing it in front of him into the fighting, and following it as he so often had done. The Black Douglas was killed in Spain but the Bruce's heart was returned to its native Scotland.
Bruce and the North East of Scotland.

Bruce was crowned in 1306 on the 26th of June, however his struggle over the enemy from the south continued for many years after. Kildrummy Castle lies some 30 miles west of Aberdeen and it was here that Bruce sent the Queen, and his brother Nigel for safety. Unfortunately the Queen was taken prisoner by the English. 

Bruce defeated his sworn enemies, the Comyns, at Old Meldrum, north west of Aberdeen on Christmas eve in 1307. After this, the whole of the north east swore fealty to him, and legend has it attacked the garrison in the castle at Aberdeen who supported Edward I, and put them to the sword. The Aberdeen motto 'Bon-Accord' on the city Coat of Arms, was said to have been given to the town by Bruce in thanks for their defeat of the English garrison. However, the historic accuracy of this is open to speculation. 

Keeping peace in the north of Scotland depended on Aberdeenshire (now Grampian). To this end, many strong fortifications were built such as Kildrummy, Kindrochit in Mar (Braemar - 70 miles west of Aberdeen and 15 miles from Balmoral, the summer home of the present Queen) and later Hallforest (a hunting lodge built by Bruce) outside Kintore. 

Bruce spent much time in Aberdeen especially as it was the first area of Scotland to offer its support to him. To show his thanks to the Aberdonians once his authority become the dominant force in Scotland, heconferred a Royal Charter to the city in 1314. The Royal Forest of Stocket also became the property of the city and the Brig (bridge) of Balgownie was probably built by funds from Bruce.

Bruce also shaped the future of the area by giving lands, some from the Comyns, to various families who became the main dynasties of the area. The names that dominated the area, such as Gordon (Gordon of Khartoum), Keith, Lesley, Fraser, Irvine, Burnett, Hay and Johnstone, are still in evidence today and much of the local history is in the context of these names and families.

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"There are times when words alone fall short." -- rfh