This is really
 

funny

http://www.businessinsider.com/sarah...es-ride-2011-6

Umm.. Richie - those ARE Revere's own words. He only talked to the Regulars after he was captured. He also didn't know whether or not Prescott and/or Dawes got through.

Let's remember something else about Paul Revere. He was a silversmith and artist. *He* was the one who made the famous woodcutting depiction of the Boston Massacre and he added some "artistic license" (like the little dog in the corner). Revere was a Revolutionary - brave, indeed, but not beyond bending the truth for propaganda purposes. He inflamed the passions of people in Boston with that piece of art. It wasn't until after the trial where the Redcoats - defended by none other than future U.S. President John Adams - were found to be innocent and, for the most part, fired in self-defense as an very angry mob closed around them.

Quite frankly, if it wasn't for H. W. Longfellows poem, Revere would have been a barely mentioned figure in history. Paul's name rhymed well - certainly better than Prescott or Dawes (or Israel Bissell who had an even more important ride). Of course, Longfellow failed to mention Revere's capture and, instead, had him riding all the way to Concord.

Look, I respect Palin's savvy in many ways. Just NOT as a credible conservative candidate. She's a laughingstock when it comes to that. All her missteps would come back to haunt her in a pitched campaign - and that would first come from her own party. I don't think other GOP hopefuls will take it easy on her.

Your opinion of Gov. Palin has nothing at all to do with this post. What Paul Revere situation might have been that caused him to speak to the British is immaterial. What Paul Revere carved or didn't carved is immaterial. Get a grip on yourself. This is a ridiculous post. Paul Revere wrote his own historical record of the events. You said you're not a "hater" of Gov. Palin. This post of yours does not support that claim.

Ok, let me sum up then.

Palin was using Revere's ride as a talking point - in and of itself, there's nothing wrong with that. However, she mischaracterized it. Personally, I think she could get a lot more mileage out of using the ride for an anti-tax debate since "taxation without representation" was what was driving the colonists to arm themselves.

Revere's own words back me up. Again, he talked to the Regulars *at the point of a gun*.

What irritated me about the whole thing is that Palin clearly didn't know what she was talking about, trying to 're-purpose' a pivotal event in American history.

Palin, as a person, I don't hate. Yes, I have negative opinions of her, but I reserve the word "hate" for MUCH stronger things. I think she's opportunistic (not always a bad thing) and can't stand it when she does things like saying "I'm not a quitter" in the very speech she gave to QUIT HER JOB AS GOVERNOR.

I think she's being somewhat sleazy in getting her PAC to pay for her 'vacation' bus tour - legal because she's not a declared candidate. I roll my eyes at her saying she doesn't want publicity while touring in a shrink-wrapped bus.

She's a storm of self-contradiction. And while that's fine for ENTERTAINMENT, we need more than that from our politicians. I may not agree with a lot of Pawlenty or the New Romney - but they come across to me as much more serious candidates. Palin falls into the "Trump" category these days.

What troubles me more is that conservatives are SO desperate (and I don't blame anyone for having that feeling) for someone charismatic who can lead the ticket that they have taken to someone who, at times, is acting like a buffoon. When you say "North Korean allies", you don't wait a couple of days - you immediate say "Oops - I meant SOUTH Korea". People are quite forgiving when it comes to that.

Richie and other admirers of Palin- Do you honestly think that Palin found all these historical references by herself? My speculation is that some staffer found these obscure Paul Revere remarks and the entire staff got together and decided that would be a great way for more publicity for Palin - like she would say it with great authority - some "liberals" would call her an idiot - and then the staffers would bring out their obscure proof that Palin is a historical genius. Excellent ploy.

This person is no dummy by any means. She has made more money by being a non-candidate than you can imagine. She plays the system like a violin - and probably pays no income tax!!

While Palin herself is a mental lightweight and cannot conduct herself in an unrehersed interview (Katie Couric was her first and last unrehersed interview), her handlers have the acumen to control her and make sure all interviews are with friendly interviewers from FOX and the questions have all been pre-screened for her handlers to brief Palin on the answers they want her to give.

If Palin was the great American she pretends to be, she would not have QUIT her job as governor of Alaska.

Palin wouldn't exactly be unique when it comes to having staffers do research. In fact, I can't think of any candidate who WOULDN'T have them.

DPlong, you are right about all candidates having staffers to do research. I was stating that Palin probably had no clue about Paul Revere and would never have said anything about him until a staff group thought it would be a good way to look like a historical genius after being called a know-nothing for saying it. Very good ploy.

I really liked your comments about her "shrink-wrapped bus". Excellent posting on your part.

However, Sarah Palin does continue to be a force to be respected. She is a very good business person and it is fun to see reporters race to get a little sound bite from her - only to hear Sarah say she does not owe the media anything at all. She sells ghost-written books, her daughter is a celebrity in her own right (for unknown reason to me), and Sarah gets paid more money than a former President for speeches that are basically sound bites, too. I have to respect her charisma.

Richie, thanks for the Yeunglings last night. It was real good to finally meet you.

DJ and Bugs; your affliction of this Sarah Palin Derangement Syndrome is almost too sad for me to be laughing about, but I can't help myself. So many words to try to malign someone who got something right and that you can't believe she actually knew something about, and so have to come up with some kind of "Steven King-ish" fantasy tale of intrigue to explain this unfathomable occurrence. Please, continue. Your stories are so much more fun than the actual mundane story of an underestimation of a person you dislike and disrespect.

Gosh, I miss Yeungling.

It was my pleasure, Bugs. I hope you can make it down again. Or, maybe we can arrange 9 holes of golf sometime.

A truce?

Ha, ha; Bugs and I disagree on most things "political", but not on what makes life a pleasure. There's plenty of common ground for friendship, Gracie.

No Richie.... Even moderate Democrats as well as some Republicans are afraid of her..... She didn't know about the historical facts you presented because when this flared up she went to her ole standby "it was a gotcha question from the lame stream media...

Just saying... They played the clip on Morning Joe today.

As an often accused liberal.....I do live for 7 months in The Villages. And how many of the conservatives don't live in TV?

Most likely it was something she had in her memory, but when people called her on it in the all too common ridiculing of anything Palin, she became unsure of her memory. Don't tell me that's never happened to you; I know it has happened to me.

Like me, she should have, or had someone else, look up the historical records of Paul Revere before she talked to another of her liberal media hit people.