IMO the must UNSUNG heroes, and bravest Patriots of our Country were these men: George Read Caesar Rodney Thomas McKean George Clymer Benjamin Franklin Robert Morris John Morton Benjamin Rush George Ross James Smith James Wilson George Taylor John Adams Samuel Adams John Hancock Robert Treat Paine Elbridge Gerry Josiah Bartlett William Whipple Matthew Thornton Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Lewis Morris Philip Livingston Francis Lewis William Floyd Button Gwinnett Lyman Hall George Walton Richard Henry Lee Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton Benjamin Harrison Thomas Jefferson George Wythe Thomas Nelson, Jr. William Hooper John Penn Joseph Hewes Edward Rutledge Arthur Middleton Thomas Lynch, Jr. Thomas Heyward, Jr. Abraham Clark John Hart Francis Hopkinson Richard Stockton John Witherspoon Samuel Huntington Roger Sherman William Williams Oliver Wolcott Charles Carroll Samuel Chase Thomas Stone William Paca They were the brave men that signed their names to this document knowing full well the penalty for doing sou would be DEATH, if they were captured by the British Army. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few weeks. John Hart was driven from his wifes bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didnt fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldnt.

How you feel about winning a particular medal is a relative thing. Going in to a competition expecting to win nothing, you would probably be elated to win Bronze. Going into the same competition expecting to take Gold and ending up with Bronze, that's a completely different feeling. Not that I'm excusing anyone, just that I can completely understand. It's human to feel disappointed when losing a hard fought game. On the other hand, do ya just LOVE Apolo Ohno? He got disqualified in that final round in the 500 meter when he could have won silver. I'm CERTAIN he was disappointed, and he made some remarks regarding the fact that he disagreed with the judges' decision, but he still smiled and said how he had no regrets and felt that he'd had a successful and satisfying time. And speaking of speed skating controversial decisions, the judge who disqualified the Chinese team in the women's relay received threats on his LIFE! How's that for sportsmanship? Ah well, it's over. It was great fun to watch. Congratulations to ALL the winners. Looking forward to the summer games in London in 2012.

How tragic for all that are touched by this. I assume that the driver of the van was one of those that died. It is terrible to say, but perhaps death for the driver would be kinder than having to live with this even if they were totally faultless in the crash that took these young lives.

Just finished John Sandford's new Lucas Davenport thriller, Field of Prey. It was like riding a roller coaster during a tornado. I could barely catch my breath. Now starting Simone St. James' newest ghost story/mystery, Silence for the Dead. From the back cover, italics are mine: "In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the same of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House - its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It's know that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patient all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?" PAM