Welcome to An Exercise in the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up to date with what I'm writing. Alternatively, if you want to contact Peter in relation to issues of human sexuality, please use the contact form here. Thanks for visiting!
To my colonist chums, a Happy 4th of July. I include for your enjoyment a festive picture of British troops burning the White House down the last time we went to war (1812 - 1814). I believe we won that one…
Tags: 4th Of July, British Troops, Chums, Fireworks, Happy 4th Of July, Last Time, War 1812, White House
July 4th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
If you had won, then presumably you wouldn’t have packed up and run off, and we wouldn’t still be known as “The United States of America.”
July 4th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
We saw the future and wanted nothing to do with McDonalds…
July 4th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I think there might be some Americans willing to re-create that picture nowadays…
There is a young English lad at the camp where I’m working this summer. Today the other kids surrounded him in the dining hall and sang a hearty version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” He was a good sport about it. :)
July 4th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
You may have burned down the White House, but you spared the Patent Office, and for that we thank y’all!
Treg
July 5th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Wiki says it was a score-draw. :-)
July 6th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Thanks for your (cough!) good wishes!
Some lovely English friends had us over for a meal when they heard we didn’t have plans for the Fourth. They decorated the room with home made American flags and even found and printed out a Texas flag for Mike. They tried to print out a Virginia flag for me, but their printer wouldn’t cooperate. Must have been an British printer, choking on the imagery:
http://www.fotw.us/flags/us-va.html
July 6th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Hmmm ….
;-)
bb
July 8th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
If memory serves I think it was a strange affair, started with the aim of US expansion, fuelled by anger at British interference with trade. The invasion of Canada was a disaster a lead to the British capture of Detroit.
Of course the burning of the President’s residence is the reason its called “The White House”, after all the white wash needed to make the building presentable again.
But even then mutual respect existed as the British Troops left George Washington’s house in tact out out of respect. ( The had earlier defeated US forces at a battle known as the <a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bladensburg”>Bladesburgh races</a> due to the speed at which US forces ran away - not entirely fair as they were poorly armed and certain elements put up resistance ).
The war was a draw - dampening US designs on Canada. It also had the strange issue of a battle being fought after the peace agreement had been signed ( in Paris ).
The battle for New Orleans, which US forces won, but was pointless as the war was already over!
See what US History ‘O’ level does for you !
July 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Amazing that the British had a color camera on the scene back then!
;-)
July 9th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
We’ve always been WAY ahead of the game…
July 10th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of fabrication and spin, so if you’re talking about ahead in the game of self-delusion, then I suppose I could agree. :)