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Friday, 18 November 2011
Are we witnessing another revolution?

“OWS is eerily reminiscent of the run up to the American Revolutionary War. Three ingredients fueled the original American Revolution. The first was egregious British taxation policy exacerbated by the fact that the colonies had no representation in Parliament. The second was the growth of liberalism and its concepts of natural rights and the social contract. Finally, Americans embraced the values of “republicanism” -- in its original form - which criticized both British corruption and the power of the English aristocracy. For eighteenth-century American colonists, democracy was a novel idea, whose influence grew from 1763 onward and culminated with the publication of Tom Paine’s Common Sense. ...Occupy Wall Street indicates that we’re inching towards revolution. We need a twenty-first century Declaration of Independence that addresses three difficult subjects: the size and power of multinational corporations; the wealth of the 1 percent; and the role of money in the American political process. Daunting challenges but not impossible if the 99 percent operate as a Benevolent Community.” – Bob Burnett in The New American Revolution: Occupy Wall Street

Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 10:15 PM EST
Updated: Monday, 21 November 2011 8:15 AM EST
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Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Saturday: Book/DVD signing at Gray Ghost Winery

On Saturday I will be making my third appearance at Gray Ghost Winery’s annual “Civil War Authors Day.” This year I will be signing 2 books and 1 DVD. I am also presenting a brief talk on Richard Kirkland as part of their author vignettes.

This FREE event is on Saturday, November 19, 2011 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information, visit their website at www.grayghostvineyards.com.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 10:01 AM EST
Updated: Tuesday, 15 November 2011 11:37 AM EST
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Thursday, 10 November 2011
Mort's next masterpiece

This Saturday I will be joining my friend (and favorite client) Mort Kunstler here in Fredericksburg. Mort will be signing his new 2011 snow print “How Real Soldiers Live” at my friend Terry Thomann’s Civil War Life Museum Store (829 Caroline Street) from 10 am until 3 pm. Mort’s newest project is one that I will be covering in detail here at Blog, or Die. It is an accurate representation of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. According to Mort himself, this will be the painting that he is best remembered for years from now. I will post some pictures of the Sat. event next week.

Below: "The Spirit" by Bill Bleyer for Newsday October 9, 2011


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 8:27 AM EST
Updated: Thursday, 10 November 2011 11:03 AM EST
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Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Now available online

With the War of 1812 Bicentennial fast-approaching, folks all across our country and in Canada (especially in Canada) are preparing a series of programs to commemorate one of the most overlooked wars in American history. You may recall a recent movie review that I posted on the new PBS film “The War of 1812.” A production of WNED (Toronto), Florentine Films/HOTT Productions, in association with WETA, Washington DC, “The War of 1812” is a 2-hour documentary that not only presents a historical look at the conflict, but also how it has been remembered and forgotten today. The film includes interviews with 26 leading American, British, Canadian and Native historians, first-hand accounts, battle re-enactments and period artwork which all help to define this war. In addition to battlefield exploits, the experiences of civilians and politicians are included. This includes familiar characters such as the Indian warrior Tecumseh and first lady Dolley Madison.

You can now watch the entire 2-hour film online at PBS and view a series of special bonus features and behind-the-scenes material. I have only begun to study the War of 1812 and believe it to be incredibly important when understanding how America established its early diplomacy and maintained its independence after the Revolution. The War of 1812 was also the seminal event that defined James Madison’s presidency. I am especially interested to see how our neighbors in the “Great White North” acknowledge this war, as it seems to mean a lot more to them than it does to us. Future posts may look at the Canadian perspective and interpretation.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 8:16 AM EST
Updated: Wednesday, 9 November 2011 8:18 AM EST
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Sunday, 6 November 2011
Crossover-post from All-Access Battlefield Tours

This weekend AABT had the privilege of conducting a special two-battlefield tour for an extraordinary couple from Oregon, Mike and Irene Brashear. Mike was a combat photographer who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1966-69 and Irene is the proud daughter of an Okinawan-American, US Army, MIS WW2 veteran. The Brashears were in town attending the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony for Irene’s father with the 100th, 442nd, and MIS Japanese American veterans in Washington DC. No strangers to memorials themselves, both have been instrumental in the founding and establishment of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Memorial (Read Article) back in Oregon.

Our tour covered the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Battlefields and focused on the Sunken Road, Spotsylvania Courthouse area, and of course the Bloody Angle. What started out as a 5 hour tour ended in 7 as we had such a tremendous time together. Michael Aubrecht provided a detailed presentation for the Fredericksburg portion and John Cummings presented his original research at Spotsylvania’s hallowed grounds. Stops were also made at Stevenson Ridge and the Confederate Cemetery. AABT thanks the Brashears for their patronage, generosity, and for providing us with a wonderful day.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 11:25 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 6 November 2011 11:29 AM EDT
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