Kerfuffles

Happy Birthday Rabbie Burns! (1759-1796)

Robert Burns, born 25 January 1759 in Scotland, became a revolutionary rebel and subversive, and because of his written words, when he died at the age of 37, he was under threat of debtor’s prison. On the day of his funeral, his pregnant widow was literally without a shilling, yet his funeral was one of the biggest demonstrations in Scottish history. It would have been even bigger had it not been for heavy military presence.

“It’s coming yet, for a’ that, that man to man the world o’er, shall brithers be for a’ that.”

Although now replaced by “Scotland the Brave” and “The Flower of Scotland”, Robert Burns’ revolutionary song, “Scots Wha Hae”, served for a long time as the unofficial national anthem of Scotland. He wrote the lyrics in 1793, as a speech given by Robert the Bruce before the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, when Scotland regained independence from England. He entitled it “Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn” and composed the lyrics to the Scottish tune “Hey Tuttie Tatie”, which was played by Bruce’s army at the Battle of Bannockburn.

Linked at Mudville Gazette.
   

Or as they probably say at Georgetown University - “Ignoramuses”.

Print Story : Yahoo! News
Georgetown University students hold up a sign with their backs turned towards U.S. Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales (R, at podium) in protest as he speaks … at the university’s ‘Georgetown National Law Forum’ in Washington January 24, 2006.

Sadly, Georgetown University students are so busy “publicly protesting” that there is not enough time to study that great American forefather, Benjamin Franklin, and to quote him accurately. They therefore embarrass themselves and their university by “dowdifying” the great patriot’s words. Michelle Malkin has the original quote straight from Ben himself as it was written in 1755:

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

And to illustrate further the lunacy of leftist writers, Maureen Dowd chided the U.S. Attorney General that if he had not ignored the Georgetown University student ignorami, “he might have learned something from their banner, emblazoned with words of Benjamin Franklin”, which she then “double-dowdified” by publishing in today’s New York Times!

“Conservative Cat” has a good essay about the left’s use of Franklin’s famous quotation.

I’m not advocating that we spit on returning veterans … . But, please, no parades. ~~Joel Stein

If anyone cares to hear the Hugh Hewitt interview with Joel Stein of the “Los Angeles Times”, Radio Blogger has it plus the transcript. When one reads the “bio” of Joel Stein at the LA Times website, one will realize why he wrote such an outrageous opinion. Now he will get to add to his list that he was interviewed on radio by Hugh Hewitt.

Joel Stein is desperate for attention. He grew up in Edison, N.J., went to Stanford and then worked for Martha Stewart for a year. After two years of fact-checking at various publications, he got hired as a sports editor at Time Out New York. Two years later he lucked into a job as a staff writer for Time magazine, where over seven and a half years he wrote a dozen cover stories on subjects such as Michael Jordan, Las Vegas, the Internet bubble and — it being Time and he being a warm body in the office — low-carb diets.

Being desperate for attention, he has appeared on any TV show that asks him: VH1’s “I Love the Decade You Tell Me I Love,” HBO’s “Phoning It In,” Comedy Central’s “Reel Comedy” and E! Entertainment’s “101 Hottest Hot Hotties’ Hotness.”