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George Hempington and the First Hempoween

10/31/2015

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Picture



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This story deserves a hearing – even if it’s been 250 years
 
 
Hempoween is a colonial American invention (if it was invented at all). Obviously, in order to celebrate a Hempoween, one needs some hemp. Back in early colonial times the Tuscarora Nation provided hemp for the land called Virginia; part of the Tuscarora were known as “the hemp gatherers” and this was back when hemp grew wild in America and all one had to do was gather it. Our story, the one about the first Hempoween, honors the aborigine and follows in their spirit.
 
George Hempington faced a different hemp world than the Tuscarora. George began his adult career working as a surveyor for the King of England in western Virginia; he then settled down into plantation life and in 1759 married Artha, also known as “Lady Hempington,” and had a life long love affair with her (the two would spend winters together during George’s later military campaigns).
 
George opted for hemp farming (one couldn’t just gather it anymore) because his king needed hemp and was paying a bounty – a price above market value – for it.
 
George sowed his hemp in May along with the slaves he owned – he would have needed help for the hemp planting and harvesting; of course, like much of colonial America, and colonialism in general, slaves did the labor. George’s first hemp harvest (he would go on to farm hemp the rest of his life) was two-and-a-half ton of fiber and 152 bushels of hemp seed.
 
What defines a Hempoween? Apparently, given the historical evidence, it is the scattering of shattered hemp seed on one’s field (or garden); that’s what George Hempington did on 31 October 1765 when he plowed 27 bushel of shattered hemp seed into the hemp ground newly sowed with wheat at one of his plantations.
 
Perhaps only The Smudge of 17 September 1787 merits consideration along with Hempoween as George’s greatest contribution to American heritage: we’ll let time be the judge.
 
Happy 250th Hempoween All!
 
Next Up: A Supreme Pilgrim’s Progress Update for Thursday 26 November, Thanksgiving Day.
 
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Calling Steve About My 2016 Halloween Recurring Dream

10/30/2015

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Picture






​
Stephen Young and Bryan Brickner are activists and have been talking and writing together about the US Republic for more than a decade; Bryan has a Halloween 2016 dream (for the third year) and again calls Steve for help …
 
Bryan: Steve!
 
Steve: What!?
 
Bryan: I had that Halloween dream again.
 
Steve: Calm down ~ recurring dreams can be useful: what happened this time?
 
Bryan: Well, it was Halloween 2016 again –
 
Steve: – Because you saw the stage and big banner Halloween 2016 Presidential Debate.
 
Bryan: You remember.
 
Steve: And it’s just prior to the November 2016 election.
 
Bryan: Right again.
 
Steve: What was different or new?
 
Bryan: There was only one US flag and not two; no candidates or podiums either, just an empty stage with the flag centered.
 
Steve: Was the citizenry there like the first year?
 
Bryan: No.
 
Steve: Was John Finley Pettigrew there, you know, like the last times?
 
Bryan: Yeah, Pettigrew was, still young, dressed in revolutionary garb and unarmed. He was mostly motionless with his focus on the stage.
 
Steve: Mostly motionless?
 
Bryan: There’s this one moment when he …
 
Steve: What?
 
Bryan: … He stops General Washington.
 
Steve: How does a Virginian like Pettigrew, who was 18 in 1776 when he joined the revolution, stop General Washington?
 
Bryan: With his hand.
 
Steve: Oh … how so?
 
Bryan: Well, it’s Pettigrew, Washington and Morgan in the …
 
Steve: General Morgan, Thunderbolt of the Revolution?
 
Bryan: Right.
 
Steve: Who’s all there?
 
Bryan: There’s Pettigrew, Washington and Morgan in the front and Lee and Lincoln standing behind them.
 
Steve: Okay …
 
Bryan: So Pettigrew puts his hand out as Washington makes a move for the stage.
 
Steve: Interesting: did the musical Ozzy then show up?
 
Bryan: Music did but no Ozzy – a different mode this year.
 
Steve: A Depeche Mode?
 
Bryan: You guessed it ~ Freestate.
 
Steve: Step out of your cage and onto the stage …
 
Bryan: … It’s time to start playing your part.

PictureJohn Finley Pettigrew
Steve: Patient Pettigrew.
 
Bryan: A sign for We the People.
 
Steve: What happened next?
 
Bryan: It ended like the other times: the scene switches to Pettigrew’s headstone and then I awake.
 
Steve: Hmmm … sounds okay to me, you know, with the playing your part bit.
 
Bryan: Let your senses overflow ‘eh?
 
Steve: Freedom’s a state.
 
Bryan: I hear ya’ ~ just open your mind and let yourself go.
 
Steve: Sounds good Bryan ~ Happy Halloween 2015!
 
Bryan: Thanks and you too Steve!
 
~

Video: Depeche Mode's Freestate

​
*Next Up: Saturday 31 October and The Story of George Hempington and the First Hempoween.
 
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Whiskey221: Rebellion, Danton and Bradford 

10/24/2015

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PictureGeorges Danton (1759-94)






​Whiskey 221 ~ October 1794, Part 3 of 3
The Whiskey Rebellion 1791-94: Western Pennsylvania
 
 
 
Sincere
 
Free of pretense and deceit are marks of sincere: synonyms include genuine and heartfelt.
 
Georges Danton was a French leader during the revolution and the Reign of Terror.  As a delegate to the National Convention he served as the first president of the Committee of Public Safety; Robespierre was the second and had Danton and 14 others arrested, tried and guillotined for counter-revolutionary activities. Danton’s last public words were: “My only regret is that I am going before that rat Robespierre.”

PictureThe David Bradford House - National Historic Landmark
​David Bradford was an American rebel leader during the Whiskey Rebellion. He was one of the citizen-speakers in the rebellious communities to advocate violence – even more revolution. At a gathering on 1 August 1794, Bradford spoke well of the French Revolution, Robespierre and the guillotine: in ironies of ironies, Robespierre had lost his head on 28 July 1794, four days before Bradford’s public praise.
 
The French Republic sincerely guillotined citizen Danton (and so many others) for voicing difference; the American Republic pardoned citizen Bradford (on 9 March 1799) for voicing difference:

"I—John Adams, President of the United States of America, have granted, and by these presents do grant unto the said David Bradford a full, free, absolute and intire pardon for all treasons, suspicions of treasons, felons, misdemeanors and other crimes and offences by him committed or done against the United States, in relation to the Insurrection aforesaid hereby remitting and releasing all pains, and penulties by him incurred by reason of the promises."
 
Whiskey222 is distillin’ ~ Thanks All!
 
*Next Up: Friday 30 October and calling Steve (for the third year) about my 2016 Halloween Dream; then on Saturday 31 October with the story of George Hempington and the First Hempoween.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Whiskey221: Rebellion, Robespierre and Findley

10/17/2015

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PictureCartoon showing Robespierre guillotining the executioner after having guillotined everyone else in France.













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​Whiskey 221 ~ October 1794, Part 2 of 3
The Whiskey Rebellion 1791-94
Western Pennsylvania
 
 
Innocent
 
Our word “innocent” is derived from Latin; the prefix in (not) is attached to nocere (to hurt) creating the meaning not to hurt, or innocent.
 
Maximilien Robespierre built a political career as a French leader before and during the Reign of Terror. He got caught up in the terror himself; after having disposed of adversaries with the guillotine, the ones still left finally turned the blade on Robespierre, 28 July 1794.

PictureWilliam Findley (1741-1821) by Rembrandt Peale
William Findley built a political career as an American leader before and during our revolution and founding. He didn’t get caught up in any terror: just some tax-breaking whiskey rebels. US Representative Findley reported to President Washington in October 1794 about the rebels; he told him that “he would prefer quitting the scene altogether” rather than go through it again. He didn’t quit; Findley continued to serve the new republic, serving long enough to garner the moniker Father of the House.
 
Domestic tranquility is a goal found in the Preamble of our Constitution; not to hurt (innocence) is the means.
 
 
Next Up: The finale of Whiskey221, Saturday 24 October, with a highlight on our American Republic, representation and whiskey rebels.
 
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Whiskey221: Rebellion, Napoleon and Washington

10/10/2015

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PictureGeneral Washington resigns his commission 23 December 1783, by John Trumbull










Whiskey 221 ~ October 1794, Part 1 of 3
The Whiskey Rebellion 1791-94: Western Pennsylvania
 
Quiet
​
George Washington was no Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon was no George; they were men of the same era yet not the same men: Napoleon an Emperor and the only one – Washington a president and only one of many.
 
The French Republic (1792-1804) wasn’t quiet. They had this thing called the Reign of Terror from September 1793 to July 1794: they killed the aristocracy, or anyone not with the new times. The guillotining ended (mostly) yet the French never recovered; in 1799 General Napoleon used force (the army) to take down the French Republic; in 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor.
 
The American Republic (1789-to present) was quiet by comparison. For example, we had no Reign of Terror in dealing with non-compliance (rebellion) in our Whiskey Rebellion of 1791-94 (no guillotining); there was just a bit of rioting and outright lawlessness happening in the western hills of Pennsylvania. The rebellious citizens didn’t want to pay a whiskey tax; President Washington asked Congress for guidance; they said something had to be done, so President Washington called on the state militias for federal support.
 
What would Napoleon have done? He was fond of promising one thing and doing the opposite; he probably would have said something nice and then sent in the cannon and bayonets. America chose otherwise, a quiet and strong approach to domestic tranquility, one based on representing We the People in Congress according to our numbers – something a Napoleon (would be dictator) would find incomprehensible.

Picture
Napoleon I at Fontainebleau 31 March 1814, by Paul Delaroche

​Next Up: Part two of Whiskey221, Saturday 17 October, with more about our American Republic, representation and whiskey rebels.
 
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner
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    Author

    Brickner has a 1997 political science doctorate from Purdue University, cofounded Illinois NORML in 2001, and was a 2007 National NORML Cannabis Advocate Awardee. He is also publisher and coauthor of the 2011 book banned by the Illinois Department of Corrections – The Cannabis Papers: A Citizen’s Guide to Cannabinoids.

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