Kosciuszko the Abolitionist, and Jefferson's Weakness

This post deserves its own entry, for it shows Thomas Jefferson's weakness, and the unwavering devotion to freedom of one Thadeus Kosciuszko.  From the article:

I beg Mr. Jefferson that in the case I should die without will or testament he should bye out of my money So many Negroes and free them, that the restante [remaining] sums should be Sufficient to give them aducation and provide for thier maintenance, that . . . each should know before, the duty of a Cytyzen in the free Government, that he must defend his country against foreign as well as internal Enemies who would wish to change the Constitution for the worst to inslave them by degree afterwards, to have good and human heart Sensible for the Sufferings of others, each must be married and have 100 Ackres of land, wyth instruments, Cattle for tillage and know how to manage and Gouvern it well as well to know [how to] behave to neyboughs [neighbors], always wyth Kindnes and ready to help them . . . . T. Kościuszko.

Too bad the former President couldn't honor his promise to his friend.

Joseph Olson & GOCRA

The lawyer I spoke with got her degree from Hamline University, and she mentioned that one of her professors was a Joe Olson, who she described as a big 2nd Amendment guy.  The name sounded familiar, like he was involved with the Permit to Carry law passing.  Well, I found his bio on the Hamline site, and he's got an impressive list of publications, including several with Clayton Cramer and David Kopel.

Furthermore, he founded GOCRA in 1989.  GOCRA was instrumental in passing the permit to carry law, as well as legalizing suppressors in 2015.  Prof. Olson stepped down as president of GOCRA in 2013, turning over the reigns to Andrew Rothman.

Society of the Cincinnati

Apparently Cincinnati has roots leading back to the Revolutionary War via the Society of the Cincinnati.  How come all the neat parts of history are kept hidden from general public knowledge?  (I suppose it's because the general public doesn't care about history.)

Secession

For historical study.

Paul Revere's Legacy

Via someone on the Appleseed forums (Transform), I learned of an interview of the author of Paul Revere's Ride, David Hackett Fischer, where he voices something that occurred to me when I read the book:

I think he had a message for us as well. To me, the interest of the story is partly that. I think we can see a kind of message, first of all, in what he was doing. For me it was mainly the kind of collective effort in that cause of freedom, and we forgot about that. We forgot about both sides of it, sometimes. I think people on the left today, some of my colleagues at academe, tend to forget about American ideas of freedom. People on the right tend to forget about collective action. Paul Revere and his friends brought those two things together, and I think that's a message for us.

Yeah.

U.S. Political History Chart

Apparently the xkcd guy put together a chart showing political leanings of Congress and the President along with world events.

It's interesting; in particular this statement:

Farmers and poor people who owed money favored a dual gold-silver standard, because it would lead to inflation, which would make debts easier to pay off. Wealthy bankers—who owned that debt—wanted the opposite.

While the point of using a precious metal standard is that it prevents inflation, which is caused by the growth of the money supply outstripping the growth of the economy, in this case, inflation due to bimetallism was from the exchange rate between gold and silver being tweaked.

Ironically, while silverites wanted inflation because they thought it would lead to economic prosperity, and thus supported bimetallism, later economist Milton Friedman, an anti-Keynesian, supposedly regarded bimetallism as more stable.

Revolutionary War Books

A list from a thread on the Appleseed forum:

Robert Gross "The Minutemen and their World."
David MccCllough "1776"
David Hackett Fischer "Albion's Seed" and "Liberty and Freedom" and "Washington's Crossing"
Stephen Halbrook "The Founder's Second Amendment"
Peter Oliver "Origin and Progress of the American Rebellion, a Tory View"
Richard Lacrosse "The Frontier Rifleman"
Lyman Draper "King's Mountain and it's Heroes"

Edit [2013.01.03]:
An Appleseed Radio email also noted:
Thomas B. Allen "Tories"
Esther Forbes "Johnny Tremain" (fiction)

Random Comment

GCA68 was partly racially motivated: the Black Panthers were unabashedly armed. The cover for passing that law was the assassinations of JFK and MLK, and people supported it based on emotion alone.

Never mind that anyone with basic handyman skills could build a black-powder zip gun and knock off any politician he can get within 10 yds of. Knocking off one person with a homemade gun is easy; resisting Brownshirts is another matter. And like most laws, the GCA only applies to people who follow the law, unless you enforce it with the threat of deadly force.

Precedent for Birthright Citizenship

For whatever reason, I came across the Wikipedia entry for the 1898 Supreme Court case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, that set the precedent for birthright citizenship in the U.S.  It's useful to read about the history prior to having debates on the subject, since most people don't bother to get informed prior to opening their mouths!

HDDs Gone By

old gold: Some information on HDDs gone by from the Land Down Under.

Wikipedia has a list of defunct HDD manufacturers, as well.

Stacy Schiff

Listening to MPR Mid-Morning on my way in to work, they had an interview with the author of a new book on Cleopatra.  I never had much interest, but the author sounded pretty cool.  She had a funny but not overstated sense of humor and quoted E.B. White regarding how she manages to stay objective: "strong curiosity, weak affiliation".  I also identified with her comment about her poor recollection that serves to further remove her biases, which is an interesting way to think about that attribute in a positive way.

You know, I'd be so much more inclined to donate to MPR if there wasn't such liberal bias in a lot of their content.  Kerri Miller certainly slants that way when talking about the need for government to "help", but randomly tuning in over lunch yesterday there were antagonistic pricks spouting off liberal rhetoric that made me think "screw these bastards, they can get their funding from FedGov if they think that way".

Yet another wrinkle

The whole Berkey thing has a long, sordid history with many different associations.  Originally there appears to have been Jones, Watts, and Doulton making pottery in 1815 and eventually granular carbon filters.  Watts bowed out, leaving Doulton & Co. in 1853.  It looks like Doulton predominantly used carbon.  The next step forward appears to be the Chamberland filter (also known as the Pasteur type) in 1884, which used a porcelain tube as the filter medium, but required water under pressure.  In 1891, the Berkefeld filter was developed in Germany, which established the current form of the gravity filter: an upper chamber contains raw water, which passes through a ceramic filter into the lower chamber.  The Berkefeld filter is an extension of the Chamberland filter in that it uses gravity to generate the water pressure.  The unique elements are the use of diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr in German) as the filter media and the use of an upper and lower chamber structure.  The Berkefeld Filter Co. was separate from Doulton & Co.  In 1972, Doulton was acquired by Pearson & Son Ltd., which purchased Fairey Holdings in 1980.  In 1985 the company became Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd. (FICL), and acquired the rights to the Berkefeld and Sterasyl trademarks.  (It's unclear where the name "Sterasyl" came from, since Berkefeld was already using diatomaceous earth.)  FICL separated from Pearson group in 1986 and went public in 1988 as Fairey Group PLC.  Rolls Royce bought FICL from Fairey Group in 2003, spinning off the filtration division and others, which ostensibly retained the FICL name.

That much can be gleaned from Doulton USA's history of Doulton with a smattering of Wikipedia details.  However, there have been a number of companies affiliated with Doulton/Berkey, and their relationship isn't always clear.

• Royal Doulton is what remains of the original parent company after the 1972 buyout by Pearson Group.  Along the way they were bought by Waterford Wedgwood, which went into receivership in 2009.
• Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd. owns the trademarks Doulton, used independently of Royal Doulton, and British Berkefeld, though not "Berkey".  They still manufacture the Doulton "candle" filter elements, Sterasyl, etc., and license some trademarks to New Millennium Concepts Ltd. in North America.
• New Millennium Concepts Ltd. owns the trademark to the Berkey name and expanded the lineup of gravity filter systems to several sizes.  (According to one site, the stainless steel systems are manufactured in India.)  They also produce the Black Berkey filter elements, which have an unknown pedigree.  The claims made by NMCL exceed the claims of FICL with regard to capability of the Super Sterasyl filters.  For example, only the Super Sterasyl ATC media is rated for lead removal, but NMCL claims that the Black Berkey elements are comparable.  NMCL has been the British Berkefeld master distributor in North America since 1998.
• Doulton USA sells the Doulton candles, but worth noting is that they aren't related to FICL or Royal Doulton either!  The bottom of their website notes that Doulton USA is a unit of Eco Systems International LLC, which also sells AquaCera filters.
• Ceramic Filters Company Inc. manufactures AquaCera filters, which are often sold as lower-cost substitutes for Doulton filters.  According to their website, they were the agent, importer, and distributor for Doulton and British Berkefeld in 1989.  Apparently NMCL won the master distributor rights, but apparently CFC still sells the Doulton systems.

That's a long, sordid history with lots of players.  It's not surprising that people get confused about what is what in the world of Berkefeld.

For anyone reading this, after my personal experience with NMCL, my suggestion would be to make your own filter unit out of two food-grade buckets and use the Doulton elements.  While I have yet to get any to test, those have the most history behind them.  We know relatively little about the Black Berkey elements, and while they do improve water taste, they have an alarming rate of failure (3 of 4 elements that I have failed), for which NMCL didn't issue a recall, and there are shady business practices with regard to claims of laboratory testing (source).  Should comparable performance be required, get the Super Sterasyl ATC candles, which supposedly handle lead and organics.  St. Paul Mercantile has an excellent FAQ on the Doulton filters, including a link on how to build one's own bucket filter.

I think that for my SHTF water filter, I may have to go with a Sawyer.  And I may get a Katadyn Pocket just for good measure.

Edit [2012.02.03]: Except that I've read that some viruses get down to 0.004 micron, so the Sawyer may not be sufficient....  Also, the "candle" terminology comes from the French "bougie", used in other medical contexts.  Lastly, gravityfilter.com is pretty cheap.

5.56 Propellants

While searching for information on WC867 and WC872, an article came up regarding a Vietnam-era controversy regarding propellants for the 5.56x45mm cartridge in the U.S. military.  Sounds like a sordid mess, but it's good history to know.

The Secret History of Guns

Great article in The Atlantic on the history of firearms regulation in the United States.  Interesting how the 1968 Gun Control Act was fomented by the racist desire to prevent black people from possessing weapons as much as it was in reaction to the assassinations of MLK and JFK.

This bit is inspiring:

In February of 1967, Oakland police officers stopped a car carrying Newton, Seale, and several other Panthers with rifles and handguns. When one officer asked to see one of the guns, Newton refused. “I don’t have to give you anything but my identification, name, and address,” he insisted. This, too, he had learned in law school.

“Who in the hell do you think you are?” an officer responded.

“Who in the hell do you think you are?,” Newton replied indignantly. He told the officer that he and his friends had a legal right to have their firearms.

Newton got out of the car, still holding his rifle.

“What are you going to do with that gun?” asked one of the stunned policemen.

“What are you going to do with your gun?,” Newton replied.

By this time, the scene had drawn a crowd of onlookers. An officer told the bystanders to move on, but Newton shouted at them to stay. California law, he yelled, gave civilians a right to observe a police officer making an arrest, so long as they didn’t interfere. Newton played it up for the crowd. In a loud voice, he told the police officers, “If you try to shoot at me or if you try to take this gun, I’m going to shoot back at you, swine.” Although normally a black man with Newton’s attitude would quickly find himself handcuffed in the back of a police car, enough people had gathered on the street to discourage the officers from doing anything rash. Because they hadn’t committed any crime, the Panthers were allowed to go on their way.

The people who’d witnessed the scene were dumbstruck. Not even Bobby Seale could believe it. Right then, he said, he knew that Newton was the “baddest motherfucker in the world.” Newton’s message was clear: “The gun is where it’s at and about and in.” After the February incident, the Panthers began a regular practice of policing the police. Thanks to an army of new recruits inspired to join up when they heard about Newton’s bravado, groups of armed Panthers would drive around following police cars. When the police stopped a black person, the Panthers would stand off to the side and shout out legal advice.

However, Newton's entry in Wikipedia describes him as being a self-professed criminal. Still, I have a lot more respect for The Black Panthers now!

The Framers of the Constitution and Technological Progress

Codrea has a thought-provoking article that debunks the argument that the authors of the Bill of Rights couldn't have anticipated the technological progress that brought us machineguns and the like.  (I've always liked the counterargument that if that's the case, then the First Amendment protections on freedom of speech only apply to quill pens on parchment or old-school printing presses a la Gutenberg.)  Pepperbox revolvers (multi-shot revolvers in those days), volley guns (also multi-shot guns), and Puckle guns (a Gatling-gun type contraption, aka a hand-crank machinegun)?  Plenty of multi-shot and, indeed, rapid-fire technology existed.  Those anti-gunners are full of shit!

Thaddeus Kosciuszko

I only became aware of Kosciuszko via kmk, but this "advice to youth" is insightful as to the means for right living:

To do honor to your family and yourself and at my recommendation, you must reread what follows every day so that it will be engraved on your memory on which your well being will depend.

Rise at four in the summer and six in the winter. Your first thoughts must be directed towards the Supreme Being; worship Him for a few minutes. Set yourself to work with reflection and intelligence, either at your prescribed duty carried out in the most scrupulous manner, or perfect yourself in some science in which you should have true mastery. Avoid lying under any circumstances in your life, but always be frank and loyal and always tell the truth. Never be idle but be sober and frugal even hard on yourself while indulgent to others. Do not be vain nor an egotist. Before speaking or answering on something, reflect and consider well in order not to lose your point and say something stupid. Never fail to give due recognition under any circumstances to the person who is in charge of your well being. Anticipate his desires and his wishes. Pay close attention with proper humility. Look for an opportunity to be useful. As you are a foreigner in the country, redouble your concern and efforts to gain trust and preference over the natives legitimately by your merit and superior knowledge. If a secret is entrusted in you, keep it religiously; in all your actions you must be upright, sincere and open; no dissimulation in your speech, do not argue but seek the truth calmly and with modesty, be polite and considerate to everyone, agreeable and obliging in society, humane and helpful to the unfortunate according to your means. Read instructive books to embellish your mind and improve your spirit. Do not degrade yourself by making bad acquaintances, but rather those with high principles and reputation thus your conduct should be such that the whole world approves it and that wherever you may be it will be considered irreproachable.

I don't know if I can get up that early, though....

4/20 Link Dump

I need to restart Firefox again, so here we go.

The Battle of Athens TN - What to do when there are election hijinks.

Making desiccant packs for long-term firearm storage - Doc on Scribd

The history of FOPA - Salient since McClure died this year.