George W's Quagmire

By: Bootie Cosgrove-Mather

This column was written by Michael Graham.

Philadelphia, the American Colonies, July 4, 1776 -- Leaders of the self-described "American patriots" movement gathered in this Pennsylvania city today to sign an official declaration of their political intentions, despite widespread criticism of a failing war policy and complaints that their military action was launched under false pretenses.

"Here it is, July of 1776, and George W. and his lackeys are just now getting around to declaring what this war is supposedly all about?" complained Loyalist playwright Michael LeMoore. "Washington and his neo-congressionalists rushed us into war at Lexington and Concord, before anyone had 'declared' a single word about independence. Face it: George lied, and people died."

LeMoore was referring to what patriots call "The shot heard 'round the world," when colonial forces fired on British soldiers in violation of accepted international rules of military engagement.

Supporters of George Washington and the so-called "war for independence" dispute claims from the antiwar movement that their actions are unlawful, and they point to their formal "Declaration of Independence" as proof.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights," reads the Declaration in part, "that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The document was reportedly written by Thomas Jefferson, a white, southern slave-owner, and one of the architects of the "patriot" movement.

Critics quickly noted the hypocrisy of Jefferson's reference to "unalienable rights" of liberty and the author's own record of slave-ownership.

"If they really believed in spreading 'freedom,' they would free their own slaves instead of killing the British and shelling innocent civilian Loyalist women and children in Boston and New York," said Howard Deanne, head of the Loyalist National Committee. "And what of the recently uncovered Commonwealth Avenue memos, which would seem to indicate that those closest to Washington were planning for war after the Boston Tea Party back in `73? I'm telling you, the colonists of America have been misled into war!"

Though most colonists agree that King George III is a tyrant, polls consistently show that a minority of colonists support open military action against the British. Many pundits also question whether removing the monarchy will make any fundamental difference in the lives of Americans.

General Washington came to Philadelphia to report to members of the Continental Congress, and anonymous sources report he came under heavy fire over the actions of his army and the costs of the war.