Friday Music

Written, recorded and released as a single in 1964 by the Vibrations this song reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  It was one of the first song recorded by the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck.  The most successful version was recorded and released by the McCoys when it reached number one on the singles charts. 

Long associated with Ohio State University, after a staff arranger, John Tatgenhorst, begged the marching band director to try playing it.  The song debuted on October 9, 1965 and following the crowd's reaction it has been featured at every game since.  A free download is available on the University website.

Hang On Sloopy and Ohio State University...

Prescient?

From April 3, 2023.....

 

Independence Day

Today is Independence Day - a day to celebrate the birth of this great nation of ours.  Casting-aside the yoke of British oppression it is on this day that we recognize and celebrate the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776.

To be absolutely clear, the Congress had voted to declare independence two days earlier - on July 2 - but it was not formally declared until July 4.    

Take a few moments from your celebration today to go to this link and take a handful of short quizzes.  Test your knowledge of the Constitution by measuring your Constitution I.Q.  You can also find out which of the Founding Fathers you are most like and which one you would likely vote for. 

In case you are wondering I not only aced the ten question Constitution Quiz - I am also most like James Madison and would likely vote for Benjamin Franklin.  But I digress.

Ordinarily I would say something snarky about British royalty today but I am going to demure.  Recent SCOTUS action notwithstanding I'm tickled that we don't have a present or future president with the absolute powers of a monarch.  

Nevertheless, coming off of a charming family vacation in the United Kingdom I have a new found appreciation and fondness for the the people that live there.  And all of the pomp and circumstance that comes with British royalty is sorta quaint. 

So while this has nothing to do with our national birthday celebration today; here's a short video clip from Buckingham Palace of the procession leading-up to the changing of the guard.

Everybody likes the precision drill of a marching band.....  

2024 Graduating Class

Some of this year's new recruits.

Fledgling orioles coming to the feeders to be fed my their parents.

And mama whitetail tending to her fawn. 

 

How To Win Friends And Influence People

In further news, this past weekend Donald Trump gave voice to his planned Retribution Tour after he retakes the White House.

Trump has vowed to prosecute and punish his political opponents; promising the arrest and imprisonment of President Biden (and his family), Vice President  Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senators Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Representatives Adam Schiff, Jamie Raskin, Pete Aguilar, Zoe Lofgren and Bennie Thompson, retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, an extensive list of judges, district attorneys, state election figures, local and federal law enforcement officials, National Archives employees, charity and religious organizations who aid migrants, journalists and media organizations and Mark Zuckerberg. 

Former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney was singled-out for particular scorn and undeserving of due due process.  Elizabeth Lynne Cheney is guilty of treason, and Trump called for her to be prosecuted by a televised military tribunal reserved for enemy combatants and war criminals.

I know I've missed quite a few individuals and organizations who have made the enemies list which is growing by the day.  

The base loves this Roman Colosseum "feed them to the lions" stuff. Yet I'm still trying to figure-out how this makes for a successful reelection campaign strategy.  Big Fat Middle; remember?  

And suppose someone else runs on the Democratic ticket?

We're certainly living in interesting times.....

Wild Flower Walk

From our walk yesterday we note changes occurring daily in the pollinator habitat.

There are a few Black-eyed  Susans emerging among acres of Penstemon.

Talked the dog into posing with some False Sunflower (Ox-Eye). 

And there was the first bloom on a Compass Plant.

 

The Founders And Religion

A few words about the belief systems of our founding fathers on Independence Day. 

 

Quite a few of them - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, James Madison, Ethan Allen and James Monroe - practiced a faith called Deism. 

 

Yup.  They were Deists. 

 

Deism is grounded in the philosophical belief that human reason is a reliable means of solving social and political problems. In lieu of relying-upon divine revelation Deists believed that religious truth should also be subject to the authority and influence of human reason.  And as a consequence they do not believe that the bible is the revealed word of God and they rejected scripture as a source of religious doctrine.  

 

Many of the founding fathers were also practicing Christians. They retained a supernaturalist world view, a belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, and an adherence to the teachings of their denomination.  Among them are Patrick Henry, John Jay, and Samuel Adams. 

 

And like in all belief systems that are matters of degree; so there are Founders who fall into the category of Christian Deists. Washington is included in this group and his dedication to Christianity was clear in his own mind - Deist beliefs notwithstanding. These believers made use of Deistic terms for God but sometimes added a Christian dimension—such as Merciful Providence and Divine Goodness.  Yet these Founders did not move further into orthodoxy to solely employ the traditional language of Christian piety. 

 

Founders who remained unaffected by Deism or who like John Adams became conservative Unitarians and made use of terminology that clearly conveyed their orthodoxy - Savior, Redeemer, and Resurrected Christ.

Happy Independence Day.

And always remember we do not have a state religion.

The Founding Fathers had great foresight in that regard.....

Wildflower Walk

From our walk yesterday there was this.

A good day to be a dog.....