Yesterday was Constitution Day, so here are some observations on that document.
First, Patrick Henry:
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”
Ayn Rand:
“Today, when a concerted effort is made to obliterate this point, it cannot be repeated too often that the Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals—that it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government—that it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizens’ protection against the government.”
Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America:
“The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) asserts that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.”
The common theme here is that the goal of the Constitution is limit the power of government, and to put the power in hands of the people.
This battle took place on the 30th of April 1863, during the campaign of Mexico. It is celebrated each year, on the anniversary of this date, by all the regiments of the French Foreign Legion.
History: The French Army was besieging Puebla. The mission of the Legion was to ensure the movement and safety of the convoys, over an 80 mile distance. On the 29th of April 1863, Colonel Jeanningros was informed that an important convoy was on its way to Puebla, with a load of 3 million francs, and material and munitions for the seige. Captain Danjou, his quartermaster, decided to send a company to escort the convoy. The 3rd company of the Foreign Regiment was assigned to this mission, but had no officers available. So Captain Danjou, himself, took the command and 2nd lieutenants Maudet, company guide, and Vilain, the paymaster, joined him voluntarily.
On the 30th of April, at 1 a.m., the 3rd company was on its way, with its 3 officers and 62 men. At 7 a.m., after a 15 mile march, it stopped at Palo Verde in order to get some rest. At this very moment, the enemy showed up and the battle began. Captain Danjou made the company take up a square formation and, even though retreating, he victoriously drove back several cavalry charges, inflicting the first heavy losses on the enemy . By the inn of Camerone, a large building with a courtyard protected by a wall 3 meters high, Danjou decided to stay, in order to keep the enemy and so delay for as long as possible, any attacks on the convoy.
While the legionnaires were rapidly setting up the defense of the inn, a Mexican officer demanded that Captain Danjou surrender, pointing out the fact that the Mexican Army was greatly superior in number. Danjou’s answer was: “We have munitions. We will not surrender.” Then, he swore to fight to the death and made his men swear the same. It was 10 a.m. Until 6 p.m., these 60 men who had had nothing to eat or drink since the day before, in spite of the extreme heat, of the thirst and hunger, resisted against 2,000 Mexicans: 800 cavalry and 1,200 infantry.
At noon, Captain Danjou was shot in the chest and died. At 2 p.m., 2nd lieutenant Vilain was shot in the head. About this time, the Mexican colonel succeeded in setting the inn on fire. In spite of the heat and the smoke, the legionnaires resisted, but many of them were killed or injured. By 5 p.m., only 12 men could still fight with 2nd lieutenant Maudet. At this time, the Mexican colonel gathered his soldiers and told them what disgrace it would be if they were unable to defeat such a small number of men. The Mexicans were about to give the general assault through holes opened in the walls of the courtyard, but Colonel Milan, who had previously asked 2nd lieutenant Maudet to surrender, once again gave him the opportunity to. Maudet scornfully refused.
The final charge was given. Soon, only 5 men were left around Maudet; Corporal Maine, legionnaires Catteau, Wensel, Constantin and Leonard. Each had only one bullet left. In a corner of the courtyard, their back against the wall, still facing the enemy, they fixed bayonets. When the signal was given, they opened fire and fought with their bayonets. 2nd lieutenant Maudet and 2 legionnaires fell, mortally wounded. Maine and his 2 remaining companions were about to be slaughtered when a Mexican officer saved them. He shouted: “Surrender!” “We will, only if you promise to allow us to carry and care for our injured men and if you leave us our guns.” “Nothing can be refused to men like you!”, answered the officer.
Captain Danjou’s men had kept their promise; for 11 hours, they had resisted 2,000 enemy troops. They had killed 300 of them and had injured as many. Their sacrifice had saved the convoy and they had fulfilled their mission. Emperor Napoleon the 3rd decided that the name of Camerone would be written on the flag of the Foreign Regiment and the names of Danjou, Vilain and Maudet would be engraved in golden letters on the walls of the Invalides, in Paris. Moreover, a monument was built in 1892, at the very place of the fight. The following inscription can be read there :
HERE, THEY WERE LESS THAN SIXTY
AGAINST A WHOLE ARMY
ITS MASS CRUSHED THEM
BUT LIFE RATHER THAN COURAGE
ABANDONED THESE FRENCH SOLDIERS
THE 30TH OF APRIL 1863.
TO THEIR MEMORY THE NATION BUILT THIS MONUMENT.
Since then, when Mexican troops pass by the monument, they present arms.
A very good book for the serious martial artist. A lot of history as well the basics behind various techniques and philosophy. It explains why there are no real Shaolin in mainland China anymore (the Communists were better at driving them out than the War Lords), and why you are better off going to the Chinatowns of San Francisco, New York City and Boston, to find real Shaolin Gung Fu than going to Communist China (where they have Tai Chi practitioners and WuShu artists in orange robes to bilk tourists of the their cash).
As billed, a collection of Badasses through out history. The list includes Alexander the Great, General George S. Patton, Bruce Lee, Chandragupta Maurya, Tomoe Gozen, Carlos Hathcock, and many more.
I have my own six degrees of connection to world class badass, back when I was a little kid, we lived in a D.C. suburb in Virginia while my dad was doing his scenic tour of Southeast Asia courtesy of the US Army. The school teacher who lived down the street used to babysit for my brother and I. She was one of the daughters of the USMC’s Lewis “Chesty” Puller. From what I remember, she was nice, but we didn’t get away with anything.
Bill Whittle of PJTV shows the history of the modern left’s conscious decision to avoid the facts and the truth in order to get their message across. It goes back to the early 2oth century, with its roots firmly planted in writings of Karl Marx. Marx, who never had a real job in his life, predicted what the “workers of the world” would do, and not surprisingly, got it completely wrong.
So the Marxists stopped calling themselves Marxists, at least in public, and came up with a way to attack their philosophical enemies. This method, called “Critical Theory”, allows the Marxists to attack their foes on very narrow grounds, while avoiding any historical evidence to the contrary and not providing any solutions of their own.
The Marxists, going under the code name “the Frankfurt School” have been very successful in pushing their false narrative in popular culture. As Mr. Whittle points out, the so-called “journalists” at MSNBC spout it without even knowning it.