Annapolis Capital Punishment

CP received this letter from Nancy Duden in response to the recent post on the Declaration of Independence:

Nancy Duden said...

"I enjoyed your King George v. W posts. I keep this quote with me for encouragement: "A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt....If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1798, after the passage of the Sedition Act"

Thanks for the note Nancy. Yes we are a country of contradictions and this was embodied in Jefferson. Yup--he owned slaves-but freed them upon his death. He spent himself into poverty. He died on July Fourth, but speaking of the Aliens and Sedition Act, so did his arch political rival John Adams! And so did Jesse Helms the other day! You may wish to know that the man responsible for preserving Monticello was an American Jewish Naval Officer named Uriah Levy who suffered discrimination, oppression and six courts martial because he was despised by other officers for being Jewish. He loved America and admired Jefferson. Twice it took the direct intervention of US presidents to exonerate him and he eventually rose to the rank of Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron. He also worked to abolish flogging in the Navy. It took until recently for the Navy to honor him.
Yes we are a country of contradictions, of great right and wrong, but we have this amazing capacity to change and adjust. I just hope that has not been seriously diminished by this horrible Bush Crime Family. Locally, speaking of the reign of witches, we have plenty of our own problems too.