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 hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and 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 months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s 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.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many
people as you can, please. It’s time we get the word out that patriotism
is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer,
picnics, and baseball games.

I also believe that the government wants to control everything in our lives.  They control us two ways, by taking our guns so we can’t resist and by taxing us.  If we don’t like something, they will force it on us.  That’s why they don’t want us to have guns.  It’s an affront to their power.   We could actually resist.  The 2nd Amendment exists to allow the citizenry to protect themselves from an oppresive government.  That’s the truest reason it exists.  Secondarily to that is defense of the person and home. 

We need to stand up for our rights.  Please, write your Senators and your Representatives.  Make sure they know that you do not support any type of gun legislation that restricts or tries to control your 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms.  I found this video as well.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j73SsNFgBO4&NR=1 It has some good statistics and quotes some of our forefathers.  Those men that came before us knew first hand what an oppresive government could and would do.  We should listen to them.  The world is no different today than it was back then.  We just have more technology.  The ideaologies are pretty much the same.