If Obama were in charge, he would have declared the mission a failure before it began, started discussions with the Hessian’s with no preconditions, and pledged to Mother England that all colonial forces will be out of the colonies within 16 months.

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If Code Pink had been around back then they would have raced ahead of Washington to warn the Hessians. But the Hessians would probabaly have mistaken the Pinkos for a band of disease ravaged freaks and shot them on sight.

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Please produce the standard that was violated by Washington.

Cheating allowing unverified donations to campaign, having staffers vote illegally in battleground states.

What struck me was how we have changed since Washington boldly crossed the Delaware on Christmas Day.

The river was somewhat calm, I’ve seen it churned up and this was downright peaceful for the Delaware. The wind was not gale force, it was a perfect day for a crossing.

Talking to one of the colonial re-enactors, the older gentleman in the officer’s outfit, who mentioned that the reconstructed Durham boats were quite pricey – upwards to $100,000 a boat. They did not want to risk losing control of the boat and smashing it against the pylons of the bridge.

December, 1776 Washington instructed the colonial army to confiscate “Boats and Crafts, particularly Durham boats” prior to the march on Trenton. These boats were the lifeblood of many families on the Delaware. Yet the continental army took them. The struggle for freedom and self-determination was far more highly valued than the intrinsic worth of those Durham boats in 1776.

In 2008, we don’t cross the Delaware if there is any possibility of damaging these boats.

Prior to that fateful crossing, Washington quoted Thomas Paine “What we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”

Do we as Americans value freedom any more? If so, how would the antithesis of what Washington and his troops struggled for on Christmas Day in 1776 become president in 2009?

Thomas Paine is rolling in his grave.

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It was still cheating, attacking during Christmas break was sneaky.

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Somewhere I have pictures of that when I took my kids to see it (used to live about 15 minute drive away). Great show, some even camping out there in tents, mock battles, really wonderful to see.

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This is the first I’ve ever heard of this particular reenactment. I would love to see it.

But I’m afraid that for many people, all we learn from history is that we never learn from history.

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Wonderful to see this post first thing this morning. Paine’s words are as valuable and timely today as they were then.

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