New Hartford Stormwater Meetings Opened To Public

[Clipper]

Well heck Dave. It also holds true for you. We here at the corner are always waiting with baited breath for either a tidbit of wisdom, or a smidgin of humor, LOL.

I don't think you can duplicate Ben's hairdo at this late stage in life, but you have his humor and wit and much of his wisdom. You are actually smarter than he was, considering the fact that you don't fly your kite in lightning storms.

[dgriffin]

I cant' resist this opportunity to play know it all. (And really, I'm not a historian. Just what I remember reading.) Ben wasn't such a dummy. He says in his autobiography (I think... I read it twice, but it was a while ago) that he thought up the kite idea but decided it was too risky, and so he didn't do it. But a Frenchman (zeee, zoze crazeee Frencamin!) saw Ben's idea in print and tried it, almost killing himself. When Ben read the Frenchman's account, he realized how to do it safely and it was at that point that he actually flew the kite, some years later. If I remember correctly, Ben did not use a key. The Frenchman might have.
To Europeans, Ben Franklin's main claim to fame was that he was considered a very innovative scientist. His scientific papers were read throughout England and Europe and were well regarded. His reputation as a statesman came later.

(I'm on a roll.)
Franklin was considered by many in America to be a turncoat, until he finally decided that America's separation from England was the right thing to do. In fact, Franklin had almost decided to spend the remainder of his days in England. Back home, his common law wife collected the money coming in from his printing house investments and paid Franklin's bills on the continent, which were considerable, but not as much as Jefferson's. Franklin's son was already declaring his loyalty to the King, and would eventually leave the US.
But Franklin finally had to admit to himself that without a clean break with England, America would be sucked into the continental wars in the offing and be drained dry of its resources in order to pay for the conflicts.
And he felt England's leadership was morally decaying from within, from the King down.
H.W. Brands beautifully portrays Franklin's change of heart in the prologue to his book, "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin." Entitled, "a lesser man would have been humiliated," Brands tells of England's Solicitor General excoriating Franklin from the "cockpit" in the House of Commons. Ben had made one of the few mistakes of his career when he had been involved in publishing a private letter regarding Massachusetts Royal Goverenor Hutchinson. Franklin stood mute through the public attack on his character. He was not humiliated. He was angry that a government could be so dysfunctional that it turned to the vilification of one man instead of addressing the real problems with America he had to come to help solve. He left Parliament that day with a heavy heart, knowing it was over. He would go home to America and help to form a new nation. He would set aside his personal goals for a while and pick up the mantle of American Statesman. He was 68 years old.

The personal attack was to have enormous consequences and was probably the dumbest thing Britain ever did. They created a leviathan of an enemy and a world hero. Not many years later the strongest nation on earth, former queen of the seas and colossal empire builder was reduced to a second rate power and eventually to near oblivion. Today, pretty much only Americans are in love with the Brits.
Even "the Royals" are a cartoon of themselves, and are seldom as newsworthy as their in-laws.

[frankcor]

LOL, I'm freakin' dying here. Thank's Dave.