Getting Stimulated, Uh Huh

What the heck ever happened to "Just Say No"?

Drudge has a Flash Report today:

$335,000,000 FOR STD PREVENTION IN ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL
Wed Jan 28 2009 09:58:30 ET

Democrats may have eliminated provisions on birth control and sod for the National Mall in the "job stimulus" -- but buried on page 147 of the bill is stimulation for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases!

The House Democrats' bill includes $335 million for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

In the past, the CDC has used STD education funding for programs that many Members of Congress find objectionable and arguably unrelated to a mission of economic stimulus [such as funding events called 'Booty Call' and 'Great Sex' put on by an organization that received $698,000 in government funds.]

"Whether this funding has merit is not the question; the point is it has no business in an economic plan supposedly focused on job creation," says a stimulated Hill source.

Developing...

The Democrats just can't stay out of the boudoir, can they? Leave it to Rush Limbaugh to come up with a novel idea for birth control:

“When I think of reducing budget deficits, it would never occur to me to think about eliminating people. (A reference to abortion.) If [Nancy Pelosi] wants fewer births, I have the way to do this, and it won’t require any contraception. You simply put pictures of Nancy Pelosi … put pictures of Pelosi in every cheap motel room in America today, that will keep birth rates down because that picture will keep a lot of things down." source: North Country Public Radio

The government workers can't even control themselves, I suppose they figure no one can. And when there's money to be made, Democrats or Republicans are all for getting government in the womb!

Hurray for Prostitutes!

They really help us determine the statesmen from the politicians, don't they? As I read Paterson's choice for New York Senator, I had to ask the question:

What if Spitzer was still in office?

Who would he have chosen?

So hurray for prostitutes. Thanks to them, we needn't suffer through a Spitzer decision. Instead, we get Paterson, who has his ear (if only a symbolic one) to the Upstate ground.

As it is, Kennedy is out and Kirsten Gillibrand is in. And I'm betting she's never consorted with prostitutes. On second thought-- liberals may think so, as Gillibrand is "bought and paid for" by the National Rifle Association, I hear.

So far, Paterson has at least paid some consideration to Upstate New Yorkers. I applaud that. Gillibrand, from the capital region of New York, is certainly a much better pick than an elitist-insider like Caroline Kennedy. Time will tell if Gillibrand's loyalties lie with Upstate New York (and New York's best interests) or with her political handlers. After all, she IS a Democrat...

heh

FFQF: The First VP

John Adams was the first Vice-President of the United States. It was a difficult position. Of it, he said:

"My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived. And as I can do neither good nor evil, I must be borne away by others, and meet the common fate."

I'm sure his suggestions to the Senate for the formal addressing of the new office of president didn't help him in the popularity department:

"His Highness, the President of the United States and Protector of the Rights of the Same."

He never recovered from the constant sniggering of the Senate about that one. And behind his back- none too subtly- the junior senators called Adams, "His Rotundity."

Personally, I think Adams should have been treated with much more respect. But "His Rotundity" is extremely funny. Heh.

Wegmans is Tops

Congratulations to the Wegmans supermarket store chain, for making one of Fortune’s 'Best Companies' again, for the 12th time.

Wegmans began as a small mom and pop grocery store in Syracuse Rochester, NY. Excellent management brought growth, to the point where there are now 71 stores. Wegmans has become a household name, a business known for wise investments-- people.

“Every one of our employees and our customers should stand up and take a bow, because together they make Wegmans a special place,” says CEO Danny Wegman. "Whenever I’m in one of our stores, customers stop to tell me how much they appreciate our employees. You can imagine how great that makes our people feel and why they enjoy coming to work everyday.”

A driving factor for the list this year, according to FORTUNE, is that the companies excel in creating jobs. The 100 companies on the 2008 list added 67,000 employees to their payrolls in the past year and employ a total of nearly 1.6 million employees; up 16% from the number employed by companies comprising last year’s list. Wegmans is no exception. By the end of 2007, Wegmans employed 37,602, an increase of 5.6% over the previous year.

And this company has done this without any federal bailout money!

Thank you, Wegmans, for showing the rest of the business world and our government how it's done. You make your money the old-fashioned (and secure way): You earn it.

Proof that Nothing Has Changed in NY

Just the fact that Caroline Kennedy is even a consideration for Hillary's vacant Senate seat is evidence that New York State has not changed. Rag sheets are already crowning her. Yet we do not want Kennedy and Kennedy would not be good for New York.

DESPITE claims that he's still undecided, Gov. Paterson is "certain" to pick Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the US Senate, several unhappy contenders for the job have told friends and associates in recent days.

The contenders based their conclusion on the view that Paterson, after nearly two months of indecision, would "greatly embarrass" and "entirely humiliate" Kennedy, anger her prominent political family and even offend President-elect Barack Obama by picking someone other than President John F. Kennedy's daughter.

It's still the same old same old: the political buddy system at the expense of New Yorkers; name-brand symbolism trumps substantive progress; tax-and-spend liberalism is what New York does best. I hope that Paterson resists the pressure and gives us someone who is worthy (or at least has some experience with messing up the state). He claims that he remains undecided. What to choose-- what's good for New York or what's good for political gain? Which way will this governor go?

Meanwhile, several Democrats pointed to Paterson's already-declining public-opinion poll numbers to warn that selecting Kennedy could worsen his chances to be elected next year.

"The polls show Kennedy is not who the public wants, and every upstate newspaper has come out against her," noted a longtime Democratic operative.

"Picking Caroline could turn into a disaster for Paterson," he continued.

I believe that Paterson's pick will tell us more about Paterson than about what kind of senator will fill the seat. Such suspense...

Watch The Suffering Ukraine

While the rest of the world is under the spell of the Israeli/Gaza fiasco and the American inauguration lovefest, other important news is being squelched. Currently, there's a spat between Russia and the Ukraine (again), and Ukraine has been denied fuel from Russia. This has been terrible punishment for a country in the throes of winter. And oddly enough, this news has not been publicized in our media. Why has this news been kept quiet? For your information, it seems that Russia is displeased with the independent Ukraine's desires to join the NATO military alliance and the Ukraine's pro-Georgia position, among other things. I learned Sunday that, under pressure, Russia has agreed to allow gas to the Ukraine again (as the Ukraine in turn transports gas to several European countries), but nothing is flowing yet.

Historically, the Ukraine, a nation of fiercely independent people, has been squashed under the thumb of Russia and Russian power. Pre-World War II events that were completely ignored by European and American government and media have leaked out the past years, such as the forced starvation of millions of Ukrainians under the dictator Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. I can only suspect that Stalin's crimes were overlooked by our government, so as to generate support for Russia as a WWII ally. Supporting Communist Russia and supplying her with our weaponry was one of the greatest mistakes in U.S. foreign policy, ever.

There's an interesting internal viewpoint about Russia's treatment of Ukraine, whether it was genocide or not; one website is naming it a "holodomor," or "holocaust golodomor." (A golodomor is a genocidal famine).

P.S. And in case you didn't know- and I had to re-check-- it was possibly the Ukraine that suffered the most with the Chernobyl nuclear explosion that fateful day in April 1986.

I am bringing all of this up because Russia is becoming a bear once again. A vacillating U.S. foreign policy and soft words of camradarie will backfire. This is a momentuous time for our country and the world. Will Russia and China take the advantage, this advantage they have been waiting for? While the world parties under the Lincoln Memorial, the more suspicious of us watch the north, and a good idea of reading their intentions is how they treat and control their surrounding countries.

So Far, 24:7 is a Disappointment

There are very, very few television shows I enjoy (just one, actually): 24. I have seen every episode of all the seasons, and I did see the interim pre-season The Redemption, which wasn't too bad. I been watching the first four segments of Season 7, and, bluntly: it's a little of a disappointment.

The main cause for my dissatisfaction is the new president and adminstration. The president and staff characters have always disappointed me. Such care goes into making the story, sets, and characters as realistic as possible for the TV show, save the way our goverment is supposed to work. It's like we get a new king or queen every season, who feels "moral obligations" to save everyone in the world but the United States... There is an overriding perception that the rulers always know what's best, and their concern for the "American people" is always that they won't "panic" or "riot." I detest it. This time, we have a woman president ala Hillary Clinton, who wants to expunge Africa of genocidal killers because as arbiters of everything that is powerful and good, we are compelled (yet how conveniently North Korea and other countries are ignored). Her husband (who incidentally played Alexander Hamilton in the PBS series Liberty) is a vacillating basketcase from the tragic and suspicious death of his only son. It's just too much.

Yet I like the character of Jack Bauer. I believe Kiefer Sutherland has done an excellent job of making him a complex man. He works with what he's got, but, as with the president, I dislike the overriding sense that American law and the Constitution is too outdated for these violent and modern times. It's the most pervasive theme with every episode; rubs me the wrong way. I will never accept the idea that arbitrary law or oligarchy rule is now necessary.

As to Season 7-- resurrecting Tony was a bad idea. Hey, maybe Carlos Bernard needed some work, yeh, but still. And it was very clear from the beginning that Tony was not a bad guy. Maybe I've seen too many seasons and can see through these things. Maybe it was never the goal of the writers that viewers believed Tony was a bad guy now. But it was difficult to believe that the writers wanted us to believe that Jack believed that Tony had gone turncoat.

Nonetheless, 24 at its worst is better than American Idol at its best, which should be banned or used only for severe torture techniques at Guantanamo (with Lord Obama's permission, of course). Or perhaps Jack could see to it, he has become such a rogue.

I'm marveling at the discovery that Jack Bauer and all the cast of characters have their own bio pages at Wikipedia. Heh.

Sarah Palin Interviewed With Fairness

Well that's not a headline title that one is likely to see...

Sarah Palin was recently interviewed, asked about her treatment by the mainstream media. I enjoyed watching the video and found her incredibly passionate, articulate, perceptive, and-- most of all-- correct. She is an intelligent adult sailing solo in a sea of juvenile, uncouth babies. The video is extemely enlightening.



I didn't follow the presidential race very closely (I lost interest when the GOP bashed Ron Paul). I had some interest in Palin, but I heard very little about her except that her daughter is an unwed mother, and that Palin's youngest baby wasn't really hers. Palin never really had a chance to get off the ground about who she was and what she could do. Everyone just remembers the mockery by Tina Fey...

Thanks to Political Conservatives for posting the video.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

America has come a long way

In a few short days, a black man will move from his private residence into a much larger and more expensive one owned not by him but by the taxpayers. A vast lawn, perimeter fence and many well-trained security specialists will insulate him from the rest of us, but the mere fact that this man will live there should make us all stop and count our blessings — because it proves we live in a nation where anything is possible.

Many believed this day would never come. Most of us hoped and prayed that it would, but few of us actually believed we would live to see it. Racism is an ugly thing in all of its forms and there is little doubt that if this man had moved there 15 years ago, there would have been a great outcry — possibly even rioting in the streets. Today, we can all be both grateful and proud that no such mayhem will take place when this man takes up residency in this house.

This man, moving into this house at this time in our nation's history is much more than a simple change of addresses for him — it is proof of a change in our attitude as a nation. It is an amends of sorts — the righting of a great wrong. It is a symbol of our growth, and of our willingness to judge a man, not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character.

There can be little doubt now that the vast majority of us truly believe this man has earned both his place in history and his new address. His time in this house will not be easy — it will be fraught with danger and he will face many challenges. We're sure there will be many times when he asks himself how in the world he ended up here, and, like all who have gone before him, the experience will age him greatly. But in every way a man can, he asked for this. His whole life for the past fifteen years appears to have been inexorably leading this man toward this house. It is highly probable that in the past, despite all of his actions, racism would have kept this man out of this house. Today, we thank the Lord above that we are Americans and live in a nation where wrongs are righted, where justice matters and where truly anything is possible. A nation where O.J. Simpson is finally going to jail.

What, you thought this was about Obama?

From The Patriot Post

Nothing New Under the Sun

I saw this very amusing Calvin & Hobbes comic strip at the In God We Trust Blog. Kudos!

Calvin’s explanation of his Lemonade Stand’s business perspective has a resonance to the American Auto industry’s position in the economy. Remember that this cartoon was drawn over 15 years ago!

However, I will amend to the idea; this kind of thinking as portrayed in the comic is not an aberration of government behavior, it is indeed the norm. It was the casting off of government restraint by WE THE PEOPLE that has allowed these things to come to fruition today.

Obama For Chaaaang...e... yaaawn....

Did anyone ever really think it would be any other way? Change? What kind?

THIS kind of change (which isn't truly change, just a more rabid progression than the Bush administration):

• A more government-controlled nation


• National health care, enforced by health nazis


• Socialist policies for business, education, and everyday lives of the populace


• A rising police state within and without U.S. borders


• ...etc etc etc

But bailouts for bankers, investors, corporations?
War in Iraq continuing?
Higher taxes?
Bigger bureaucracy?

No change, no change at all!

Just WHAT kind of knee-jerk reaction/change did you liberal/democratic voters want? How the hell did this guy get into office; because he is black?! Because you thought that electing a guy with different colored skin would signify "change"?



He is completely inept!

President-elect Barack Obama warned of dire and long-lasting consequences if Congress doesn't pump unprecedented dollars into the national economy, making an urgent pitch Thursday for his mammoth spending proposal in his first speech since the election.

"In short, a bad situation could become dramatically worse" if Washington doesn't go far enough to address the spreading crisis, the Democrat said as fresh economic reports showed an outlook growing increasingly grim.

Since his November election, Obama has deferred to President George W. Bush on foreign policy matters such as the Middle East. But, with the worsening of the economic situation, Obama has waded deeply into domestic issues as he works to generate support for his plan to create jobs and jolt the economy into recovery.

And another thing-- that choice of wording in the news story, "Obama has deferred to President George W. Bush." Hello?! Bush IS still president. Obama is not deferring anything, he is legally (and thankfully) prohibited from making foreign policy until he is actually president. What poppycock.

Resourceful Office Materials

My office is making great efforts (and great strides) with tightening the belt and reigning in expenses and such. I am grateful to see more groups and individuals making efforts to be more resourceful, not only for the benefit of an individual business or corporation, but also for the community at large. Gaining popularity recently are recycled business cards and other eco-friendly office supplies. They are quite nice. And I've been wondering what waste management facilities have been doing with all the paper products we are constantly recycling. Dolphin Blue, for example, one of the most notable recycling-product office suppliers and supplying offices with recycled products for over 15 years, prints business cards with soy ink on 100% recycled, no virgin wood-pulp fiber paper. (All Dolphin Blue products are guaranteed to be at least 20% recycled material-- that's material recycled by individuals or offices through a recycling collection program-- although some of the higher-end products can be 100% recycled material).

Dolphin Blue is based in Dallas, Texas. They are a fine company; if you are looking for excellent customer service and a solid reputation for devotion and value, consider them for your personal and business printing needs. And of course, the higher the demand for recycled products, the more encouragement the recycling process gets. Yes, this is true supply and demand economics at its best, heh heh.

I prefer recycled material. It appeals to something ingrained within me, the idea that we are God's special stewards of this good earth He has given us. I recycle, I recommend recycling, and I also recommend buying recycling products as much as one is able.

FFQF: Lafayette & Washington

Continuing with the theme Humor. I am thoroughly enjoying this theme. When I have time to attend to it, heh.

Most historians seem to view George Washington as a sourpuss. Au contraire. Washington was quite witty, especially when under the influence of the intoxicating folly and sense of sheer fun of the effervescent Marquis de Lafayette. The Marquis' actual full name is sufficient for a FFQF Humor post in of itself: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, (formerly Marquis de) Lafayette. Heh.

After the Revolution, Lafayette continued correspondence with Washington from France. This is one of his letters. Note the French frivolity.

Be so kind, my dear general, as to present my best respects to your lady, and tell her how happy I should feel to present them myself to her at her own house. I have a wife, my dear general, who is in love with you, and her affection for you seems to me to be so well justified that I cannot oppose myself to that setiment of hers. She begs you will receive her compliments and make them acceptable to Mrs. Washington.

I hope, my dear general, you will come to see us in Europe, and most certainly I give you my word that if I am not happy enough to be sent to America before the peace, I shall by all means go there as soon as I can escape. I must not forget to tell you, my dear friend, that I have the hope of being soon once more a father.

All Europe wants to see you so much, my dear general, that you cannot refuse them that pleasure. I have boldly affirmed that you will pay me a visit after the peace is settled, so that if you deny me, it will hurt your friend's reputation throughout the world.

I beg you will present my best compliments to your family, and remind them of my tender affection for them all. Be so kind, also, to present my compliments to the general officers, to all the officers of the army, to every one, from the first major-general to the last soldier.

I most earnestly entreat you, my dear general, to let me hear from you. Write me how you do, how things are going on. The minutest detail will be infinitely interesting to me. Don't forget anything concerning yourself, and be certain that any little event or observation concerning you, however trifling it may appear, will have my warmest attention and interest. Adieu, my dear general, I cannot lay down the pen, and I enjoy the greatest pleasure in scribbling you this long letter. Don't forget me, my dear general; be ever as affectionate to me as you have been; these sentiments I deserve from the ardent ones which fill my heart. With the hightest respect, with the most sincere and tender friendship that ever human heart has felt, I have the honour to be, &c.
To General Washington, June 12, 1779

Washington, with the eloquence and dry wit of the older man, replies with elegant repartee:

But to conclude, you requested from me a long letter, I have given you one; but methinks my dear Marquis, I hear you say, there is reason in all things; that this is too long. I am clearly in sentiment with you, and will have mercy on you in my next. But at present must pray your patience a while longer, till I can make a tender of my most respectful compliments to the Marchioness. Tell her (if you have not made a mistake, and offered your own love instead of hers to me) that I have a heart susceptable of the tenderest passion, and that it is already so strongly impressed with the most favourable ideas of her, that she must be cautious of putting loves torch to it; as you must be in fanning the flame. But here again methinks I hear you say, I am not apprehensive of danger. My wife is young, you are growing old and the atlantic is between you. All this is true, but know my good friend that no distance can keep anxious lovers long asunder, and that the Wonders of former ages may be revived in this. But alas! will you not remark that amidst all the wonders recorded in Holy Writ no instance can be produced where a young Woman from real inclination has preferred an old man. This is so much against me that I shall not be able I fear to contest the prize with you, yet, under the encouragement you have given me I shall enter the list for so inestimable a Jewell.

September 30, 1779

Obama Pin

No one can call me a non-equal-opportunity partisan. Barack Obama won the election, garnering a massive amount of support from Chicago politicians and voters. As apprehensive as I may be about the coming presidential term, I have accepted the fact that, Constitution or no, Barack Obama will be our next president.

Here's something interesting: Obama exclusive Inauguration pins. A young man named Kyle created them, and they are quite elegant. Spectacular, no doubt. Check out the website and see. There are two pins available, one is a limited edition with the presidential seal made of brass (only $5.99 +$1.79 shipping) and the other is an Obama-logoed pin with the phrase "Yes, we did" engraved on it ($4.99 +$1.79 shipping). You can order wholesale in bulk by emailing here: orders@inauguralpins.com.



These would make a nice gift for the Obama-maniac in your family (or a gag gift for a whiny McCain supporter). I may get one for my co-worker (one of those Obama zombies). And if things go downhill during the Obama term, I can always remind my co-worker who goofed up the country, and say, "Yes, you did!"

The nice thing about the pins is that some of the money raised is going to charity-- one of my favorite charities, the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. Twenty-five cents for every singular pin sold goes to the charity!

Quick Comment on Paterson's Consolidation Ideas

I've had very, very little free time of late, explaining my lengthier absences from this website, and my terse posts. I apologize. Life has sped up somewhat. I may even have to skip my beloved Founding Father Quote Friday tomorrow.

I've not been attentive to much in the news (it is only the same-old same-old anyway), But one very brief news story about Paterson's call to consolidate school services gives me pause.

On Wednesday, Governor David Paterson told New Yorkers its time to spend more efficiently. One way to achieve that goal, the Governor says, is to consolidate services from governments, to school districts.

Consolidation has been a hot topic among governments, from local to state, as of late. Just last month, a report from the Chairman of the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief was released. The report suggests one of the best ways to help ease the burden on tax payers is to consolidate small school districts. Many of those districts are in the Mohawk Valley.

The report suggests consolidating schools that have an enrollment of less than 1,000.

I have mixed feelings about this. While I certainly agree that there is a severe need to reduce spending and cut costs, politicians are ALWAYS tenderfooting around the school system (read: teacher's union).

The push during the 1970's and 80's to merge schools and consolidate services hasn't done much to cut costs. I believe it has only increased them. Newer buildings on larger campuses had to be built, and while we're at it, let's make Circus-Maximus-sized soccer fields and football stadiums covered with astroturf and surrounded by state-of-the-art locker rooms and spas.

I understand that hundreds to thousands of tiny schools are costly to maintain, but it this really the very first step toward fiscal solvency? And, more importantly, is this really beneficial for New York families, having their children so far removed from their local influence and schools so removed from local accountability?

Well, the state has hit the bottom of the barrel. There isn't anywhere to go but up...

Too Many Parasites

I didn't say such a thing! Thomas Jefferson did!

"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thomas Cooper, 29 November 1802.

I don't care much for old Tom (being a Federalist/Constitutionalist and all), but from time to time, the old guy did have some juicy things to say.

So why are the "separation of church and state" goons always quoting Jefferson's letter to the Dansbury Baptists to justify the removal of the knowledge of God, yet never quote Jefferson's statements about homosexuality or, as I so kindly informed you, of his stance of parasitical government?

Excellent Financial Article

In case you have not yet read this excellent post by the Wandering Economist, I strongly, strongly suggest that you do. I wish I could copy and paste the entire article here, but when the post is merely a click away, why not just see it? I'll give a sample.

Hundreds of Billions of dollars have been directly injected into the largest banks in the country with more than a Trillion more in guaranteees. What has happened so far? Banks reserves have gone up, way up, but lending has only inched forward by the tiniest fraction.

... My quess is that the banks are totally insolvent. That’s right, the banks have huge loads of unfundable liabilities because of their leveraging against sub-prime and other bad debt. The debt snowball that has been created is sneaking up behind them to bite them in the behind.

... I suspect the FED will inject LUDICROUS amounts of capital into the system. I also suspect that this money will not be made real by the external purchase of U.S. Treasuries. Nope, I susupect they will begin to monitize their own debt on behalf of the good people of the United States.

The Wandering Economist hit the nail on the head with this:

They are trying to prop up a system that is, or should be, at the end of its useful life. Keep in mind that I am not one of those people who hopes for the end of this system. I know the two likely outcomes and they both stink. Outcome #1, we all end up in debt slavery to a private banking system. Outcome #2, we end up in anarchy. I’m too old to play Mad Max. I’ll take a crash that injures us all bad enough that we stand a chance against the evil banking system when its all over. If we end up with outcome #2, I’m afraid we won’t even get a chance to play.

This essentially sums up, in a perfect little nutshell, all that I have been warning about the crash, the bailouts, and the eventual outcome of this economic setup. And yes, I am calling it a setup- it is nothing less. There are powers-that-be that have a vested interest in destroying America Land of the Free and creating America, Inc. That's just a nicelittle word for fascism, the fascism that has been so neatly and perfectly planned and is chugging along right on schedule.

Human Skateboards

Very funny. As far as home videos go. My nephews loved this, even attempted practicing it. I couldn't find it in me to tell them that this video was a stop-and-start motion, not a real guy getting road rash on his face while another really skated atop him. Oh well, they'll figure that out eventually. Heh.

Prepare for Digital TV

I saw this somewhere-- forgot where. I apologize for exempting proper credit. This is a wonderful tutorial of how to convet your television from analog to digital in 1,000 easy steps. Leave it to the government to dump all this mess in our laps.



One question: what's going on the airwaves now that they are ridding TV from them?

FFQF Adams Family

My sincerest apologies to my dear Hercules Mulligan. I have been defunct in my duties as a member of the Founding Father Favorite Quote Friday group. I entirely missed last weeks, due to the hustle and bustle of the holiday. This week I have no excuse save for the fact that I forgot.

The theme currently is Humor. Here is my selection of the week, the humorous sparring between John and Abigail Adams.

In 1776, Abigail wrote:

I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.

Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.

Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.

That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute; but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up -- the harsh tide of master for the more tender and endearing one of friend.

Why, then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity?

Men of sense in all ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the (servants) of your sex; regard us then as being placed by Providence under your protection, and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness."

Husband John, sensing an impassioned female on his hands, wisely circumvented her logic and replied lightly:

As to your extraordinary code of laws, I cannot but laugh.

We have been told that our struggle has loosened the bonds of government everywhere; that children and apprentices were disobedient; that schools and colleges were grown turbulent; that Indians slighted their guardians, and negroes grew insolent to their masters.

But your letter was the first intimation that another tribe, more numerous and powerful than all the rest, were grown discontented.

This is rather too coarse a compliment, but you are so saucy, I won't blot it out.

Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems. Although they are in full force, you know they are little more than theory. We dare not exert our power in its full latitude. We are obliged to go fair and softly, and, in practice, you know we are the subjects.

We have only the name of masters, and rather than give up this, which would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat, I hope General Washington and all our brave heroes would fight.

Often, Abigail's response to John's ribbing is often overlooked. I quote it here. It is obvious she finds no humor in his response.

I cannot say that I think you are very generous to the ladies; for, whilst you are proclaiming peace and good-will to men, emancipating all nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over wives.

But you must remember that arbitrary power is like most other things which are very hard, very liable to be broken; and, notwithstanding all your wise laws and maxims, we have it in our power, not only to free ourselves, but to subdue our masters, and without violence, throw both your natural and legal authority at our feet.

Heh.