Ask Me Help Desk - Palin: Paul Revere was riding to warn the British!

Palin: Paul Revere was riding to warn the British!

The dim bulb from Alaska is at it again. She shouldn't be traveling around the country, she should be in summer school to make up for the 4th grade history lessons she missed. From her recent travels in the Boston area:

"We saw where Paul Revere hung out as a teenager, which was something new to learn. He who warned the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and by making sure that as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free and we were going to be armed.”

Wow...

Did I miss something? What dim bulb?

Well, if you copied and quoted at least this person can spell. That's highly unusual.

She won't back down either and admit she was mistaken, that she had the story wrong. She also said, "This Statue of Liberty was gifted to us by foreign leaders, really as a warning to us, it was a warning to us to stay unique and to stay exceptional from other countries. Certainly not to go down the path of other countries that adopted socialist policies."

Hello e:

Yeah, she said she was asked a "gotcha" question. You got to watch out for the lame stream media.. Here's the "gotcha" question:

“What have you seen so far today and what are you going to take away from your visit?”

Would you trust this woman with nuclear weapons?

excon

To tell you the truth ;I'd bet most Americans do not know the whole story of the ride ,as so much of it is legend .

Technically she is correct on 2 counts although her phraseology is a bit muddled.

The Brits were on the march to seize the Patriots arsenal at Concord Mass. So on that count she is correct .

The truth is that the 'dim bulb' was doubly correct because part of the little known history of the ride was that Revere was captured by the redcoats and did warn them that the militia knew of their movement to Concord and was prepared to meet them.
This is from his own account of the ride in a 1789 letter maintained by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

I observed a Wood at a Small distance, & made for that. When I got there, out Started Six officers, on Horse back,and orderd me to dismount;-one of them, who appeared to have the command, examined me, where I came from,& what my Name Was? I told him. it was Revere, he asked if it was Paul? I told him yes He asked me if I was an express? I answered in the afirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston? I told him; and aded, that their troops had catched aground in passing the River, and that There would be five hundred Americans there in a short time, for I had alarmed the Country all the way up. He imediately rode towards those who stoppd us, when all five of them came down upon a full gallop; one of them, whom I afterwards found to be Major Mitchel, of the 5th Regiment, Clapped his pistol to my head, called me by name, & told me he was going to ask me some questions, & if I did not give him true answers, he would blow my brains out. He then asked me similar questions to those above. He then orderd me to mount my Horse, after searching me for arms

Edit... most Americans get it wrong because poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's account is often what's taught.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

There would be five hundred Americans there in a short time, for I had alarmed the Country all the way up.

Hello tom:

No, he didn't WARN the British. He LIED to the British. He was one of OUR guys..

But, it's a nice Sarah spin. She actually DIDN'T know what you suggest that she did, and I really don't believe you think she did either..

Look. I LIKE Sarah Palin... IF, after she lost her bid to become VP, she COULD have gone on a crash course in history and world politics. She COULD have used the time to educate herself so that she'd BE relevant today. She DIDN'T. She WANTED to remain as dumb as a rock, and she DID.

Would you trust this woman with nukes??

excon

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

To tell you the truth ;I'd bet most Americans do not know the whole story of the ride ,as so much of it is legend .

Here's what my generation learned about the famous ride:

The Real Midnight Ride

Yes his warning was mostly bluff ,and I did say her rhetoric was a bit muddled . As far as trust goes ,
I'd trust her as much as I trust the guy who sees fallen heros in the audience on Memorial Day ;whos reforms are intended to bring inefficiencies to our health care system, who stated that 10,000 people died in a Kansas tornado that took 12 lives.
The problem is that politicians have made these type of statements for years . But now with the net everything goes viral.
So if that standard is to be applied to Palin;then it's fair to treat everyone's comments the same way .
You know and I know the point Palin was attempting to make as much as I know that the President doesn't really believe there are 57+ states .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Here's what my generation learned about the famous ride:

The Real Midnight Ride

Pretty accurate summation. Many people are not aware that there were more than one rider ,and that Revere did not complete the mission. The fact is that shortly after he was released ,the first shot was fired ,and the Brits who captured him became nervous and concerned that his account of the Minutemen strength was correct. I'd bet by the time they made it back to Boston they thought they were opposed by 500 men .

Edit... here is link to Revere's account
http://www.americanrevolution.org/revere.html

I obviously don't even bother reading what Sarah Palin has to say - or else I would have known who was being discussed a very long time ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

Pretty accurate summation.

edit ....here is link to Revere's account
Revere Speaks

What I posted was from his own account, from his journal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

I obviously don't even bother reading what Sarah Palin has to say - or else I would have known who was being discussed a very long time ago.

I thought it was pretty clear from the title of the thread...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

I obviously don't even bother reading what Sarah Palin has to say - or else I would have known who was being discussed a very long time ago.

I haven't read anything about it either. The weekend newscasts on all stations were full of it. Even Fox News was laughing.

Historians agree: Palin was right about Revere

The thing is people are quick to jump at any chance to add to the perception that she's stupid. That is not the case . Recall she made the comment "Let's party like it's 1773 " ,and it went viral . Everyone thought she was speaking of 1776 Declaration of Independence when in fact she was speaking to the Tea Party movement and was referring to the date of the Boston Tea Party.

Hello:

More Palin spin... Where, in your historians account, are the bells and warning shots?? Toms too...

How come you guys skip over that bunch of crap?

Besides, if she was RIGHT, how come she blamed the "gotcha media"?

excon

Read it:

Quote:

Sarah Palin yesterday insisted her claim at the Old North Church last week that Paul Revere “warned the British” during his famed 1775 ride — remarks that Democrats and the media roundly ridiculed — is actually historically accurate. And local historians are backing her up.

Palin prompted howls of partisan derision when she said on Boston’s Freedom Trail that Revere “warned the British that they weren’t going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and making sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free.”

Palin insisted yesterday on Fox News Sunday she was right: “Part of his ride was to warn the British that were already there. That, hey, you’re not going to succeed. You’re not going to take American arms.”

In fact, Revere’s own account of the ride in a 1798 letter seems to back up Palin’s claim. Revere describes how after his capture by British officers, he warned them “there would be five hundred Americans there in a short time for I had alarmed the Country all the way up.”

Boston University history professor Brendan McConville said, “Basically when Paul Revere was stopped by the British, he did say to them, ‘Look, there is a mobilization going on that you’ll be confronting,’ and the British are aware as they’re marching down the countryside, they hear church bells ringing — she was right about that — and warning shots being fired. That’s accurate.”

Patrick Leehey of the Paul Revere House said Revere was probably bluffing his British captors, but reluctantly conceded that it could be construed as Revere warning the British.

“I suppose you could say that,” Leehey said. “But I don’t know if that’s really what Mrs. Palin was referring to.”

McConville said he also is not convinced that Palin’s remarks reflect scholarship.

“I would call her lucky in her comments,” McConville said.

Meanwhile, the state’s Democratic Party held a thin blue line on the issue, insisting on mocking Palin despite a brief historical review of the matter. State party chairman John Walsh wise-cracked that the region welcomes all tourists, even those with “an alternative view of history.”

“If you believe he was riding through the countryside sending text messages and Tweets to the British, still come to Boston,” he said. “There are a lot of things to do and see.”

But Cornell law professor William Jacobson, who asserted last week that Palin was correct, linking to Revere quotes on his conservative blog Legalinsurrection.com, said Palin’s critics are the ones in need of a history lesson. “It seems to be a historical fact that this happened,” he said. “A lot of the criticism is unfair and made by people who are themselves ignorant of history.”

The facts are clear . Bells were ringing and gun shots were firing . You don't think she's saying that Revere was ringing church bells as he raced through the town... do you ?

Quote:

Where, in your historians account, are the bells and warning shots?? Toms too...

Indeed the bells in Lexington did begin to ring.
I already linked to Revere's account of the ride . Here's another .

In the rider's wake there erupted the peeling of church bells, the beating of drums and the roar of gun shots - all announcing the danger and calling the local militias to action.
Battle at Lexington Green, 1775

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

Indeed the bells in Lexington did begin to ring.

Later. Not before and during the ride.

And ? That's the point of contention that makes her a "dim bulb " ;or the subject of ridicule by the media ? I bet Chris Wallace and the rest of these media experts didn't know a thing about the ride until now . And people wonder why she points a finger back at them over such minor nitpicking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

and ?

I think she opens her mouth before engaging her brain, and I'm not so sure she's real clear on facts.

She's pretty, vivacious, knows how to tap into those two assets, and is being called a kingmaker. Now, if she can get her act together and do it right, she and the GOP might surprise us all.

I've already shown that historians said she's right. Tom has shown she was right. What's left to say?

Quote:

Originally Posted by speechlesstx

I've already shown that historians said she's right. Tom has shown she was right. What's left to say?

Good grief.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Good grief.

What? You said "I think she opens her mouth before engaging her brain, and I'm not so sure she's real clear on facts."

She was right, 'nuff said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speechlesstx

What? You said "I think she opens her mouth before engaging her brain, and I'm not so sure she's real clear on facts."

She was right, 'nuff said.

No, she wasn't.

Yes she was.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/curren...ml#post2817980

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/curren...ml#post2818096

What part of "Historians agree: Palin was right about Revere" do you not get?

Quote:

Originally Posted by speechlesstx

What part of "Historians agree: Palin was right about Revere" do you not get?

That's your "proof" she was "right"? Oh, puhleeeese. Read Revere's journal (primary source, i.e. he was there).

Hello again,

Well if you ask me, I'll take a LIBRARIAN over a half-governor ANY time.

excon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondergirl

That's your "proof" she was "right"? Oh, puhleeeese. Read Revere's journal (primary source, i.e., he was there).

Uh, did you miss where they cited his journal to back her up? Geez, did anyone read the damn article?

Quote:

Originally Posted by speechlesstx

Uh, did you miss where they cited his journal to back her up? Geez, did anyone read the damn article?

The night of the ride? I read his journal. "About 10 o'clock, Dr. Warren Sent in a great haste for me, and begged that I would immediately Set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock and Adams were..." At 12:05 a.m. he accomplished his mission to warn Hancock and Adams ("I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark's; I told them my errand.... 12:30 a.m. Mr Daws came; we refreshid ourselves, and set off for Concord to secure the Stores, etc. there."). About 12:35, "We were overtaken by a young Doctor Prescot, whom we found to be a high Son of Liberty."

From the article --

Boston University history professor Brendan McConville said, “Basically when Paul Revere was stopped by the British [1 a.m. "I was about one hundred Rod ahead... in an Instant I was surrounded by four... the Doctor jumped his Horse over a low Stone wall, and got to Concord"], he did say to them, 'Look, there is a mobilization going on that you'll be confronting,' and the British are aware as they're marching down the countryside, they hear church bells ringing — she was right about that — and warning shots being fired. That's accurate.”

Patrick Leehey of the Paul Revere House said Revere was probably bluffing his British captors, but reluctantly conceded that it could be construed as Revere warning the British.

If this is the quality of american politicians all I can say is God help america because no one else can

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebaines

"We saw where Paul Revere hung out as a teenager, which was something new to learn. He who warned the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and by making sure that as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free and we were going to be armed.”

Wow....

The quote is a grammatical nightmare. Shouldn't a politician be able to string a coherent sentence together?

Tut

It was off the cuff chatting that got caught on video . Maybe she should be more guarded and have a travelling teleprompter like the President carries around with him.

As I've already demonstrated ;without his TOTUS (teleprompter of the United States ) ,the President is a gaffe machine . The difference is that he gets a pass by the press ,and a slip of the tongue or an unscripted moment is not worthy of a week worth of coverage.

But that's the way it is here. Simple gaffes become permanently branded onto conservative public figures.Former VP Dan Quayle's misspell of the word potato is legendary. There were books written about President Bush's malaprops . But when VP Biden makes a gaffe ,It's just good ole Joe being Joe. He isn't really as stupid as he sounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

It was off the cuff chatting that got caught on video . Maybe she should be more guarded and have a travelling teleprompter like the President carries around with him.

As I've already demonstrated ;without his TOTUS (teleprompter of the United States ) ,the President is a gaffe machine . The difference is that he gets a pass by the press ,and a slip of the tongue is not worthy of a week worth of coverage.

But that's the way it is here. Simple gaffes become permanently branded onto conservative public figures.Former VP Dan Quayle's misspell of the word potato is legendary. There were books written about President Bush's malaprops . But when VP Biden makes a gaffe ,It's just good ole Joe being Joe. He aint really as stupid as he sounds.

Hi Tom,

Off the cuff chatting ? One would hope a person would be more lucid away from the spot-light. Apparently not.

The president shouldn't be a gaff machine. Does this say something about the quality of people running for office?

I don't know about Dan Quayle's ability to spell. Do Latin Americans really speak Latin? If true, these types of 'errors of judgement' are not gaffs. They indicate something profound is afoot.

Tut

I wonder how you would fare if everything you uttered was caught on cell phone and turned into a Youtube video . Do we really want our pols so guarded that they just refuse these moments ?

That's what has happened with the President . His public appearances are carefully screened .

A reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle almost lost access for bringing a recording device to a fundraiser.
SF Chronicle video prompts White House threat | Full Page
Only when that became public did the White House reverse and deny it's decision.

The President's use of TOTUS has become legendary. During one address the teleprompter went faster than the President could speak . He stopped the speech completely until the script was rolled back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

I wonder how you would fare if everything you uttered was caught on cell phone and turned into a Youtube video . Do we really want our pols so guarded that they just refuse these moments ?

Hi Tom,

Good point.

President Joe Blow was a very intelligent man, unfortunately he was caught off guard on a number of occasions saying very derogatory and obscene things about this party members.

Fred Smith was a president who was know for the large number of gaffs he made. This reflected poorly on his intelligence.

In the end both presidents will be remembered as being incompetent politicians. No more or no less. Strange isn't it?

Tut

If you ask me, having a president who's been to 57 states is more embarrassing than anything Palin has said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speechlesstx

If you ask me, having a president who's been to 57 states is more embarrassing than anything Palin has said.

Give her time.

Tut

Quote:

In the end both presidents will be remembered as being incompetent politicians. No more or no less. Strange isn't it?

It's a problem and it goes well beyond that. Lincoln made brilliant speeches . But his voice grated on the listener... being described as shrill, squeaking, piping, unpleasant . He would not fare well today in a television world . He was described as an ape by his opponents because of his appearance.

Today selecting a President is like picking a winner from the 'Idol ' shows.
Mitch Daniels... too short. Chris Christe... too fat .

Palin... too folksy .

There was a time in the past when that was considered a strength. Harry Truman ,generally regarded as a good to great President did not have a college education . Before he entered politics he was a haberdasher and a farmer . He ran the country on good instinct ,common sense and principles . But he steered the country through some of it's greatest challenges and contained Communist expansion before it consumed all of Europe and Asia .When he left office he was reviled and labelled with similar smears we hear today about certain politicians who don't sound smart. He left office with one of the lowest approval ratings a President has had. History has been much kinder to him.

The United States has had a very small field to choose from for more than 20 years. When did it become a prerequisite for a President to come from an Ivy League school ? The last 4 have been either Yale or Harvard or both . It lends credence to the charge that America is run by an elite class .

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomder55

Palin.... too folksy .

.

Now there you have a man or woman of the people is not welcome because what you are electing is a god