From Governing: "Smallpox was attacking [Washington's] soldiers, and given the close quarters at camp, there was little he could do to prevent its spread. As regiments from the south planned to march north, he took drastic action to prevent them from catching the disease once they reached Philadelphia. After catching smallpox as a teenager and living with the scars on his face to prove it, Washington knew how deadly the disease could be.
"On Feb. 5, Washington wrote John Hancock, president of Congress, sharing his plans to “innoculate all the Troops now here, that have not had it,” as well as his intention to “innoculate the Recuits as fast as they come in to Philadelphia [sic].” The general assured Hancock that the army would lose no time while the recruits were in quarantine, as they had to wait while “their cloathing Arms and accoutrements are getting ready” anyway."Washington also alerted the nearby state conventions, urging them to inoculate their troops before sending them to winter quarters. He also reminded them: “We intend for the present to keep the Matter as much a Secret as possible, and I would Advise you to do the same.” If the British discovered that the Continental Army was recovering from the inoculation, they would certainly seize the opportunity to strike."
I believe we'd all agree that George Washington, the only person to be unanimously elected President, was a patriot.
Sounds like a veiled dig at the patriot Steve Lynch, you are better blogger than that O'Hare.
ReplyDeleteDon't vote for lunatic Lynch!
ReplyDeleteIt is well known that George Washington had a rAdiCal liBerAl agenda and was a proto Socialist/Communist that would ultimately inspire Karl Marx!
ReplyDeleteTrue Conservatives bowed only to King George and hated the "Colonial Era Squad" comprised of Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, etc., and their leftist printing presses!
Whats next? Women not wearing bonnets?!?!?
HARUMPH I say! HARUMPH!!!
@10:02 - I don't think its veiled at all. Just further pointing out the absurdity of Lynch's position on being afraid of masks and how wildly out of touch he and his small band of supporters are with the rest of America...
ReplyDeleteActually, vaccines didn't exist at the time. Washington ordered mass innoculations, which were equivalent to the "COVID parties" frat boys have had lately. His mandated procedure had a 5-10% fatality rate.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.snopes.com/fact-check/washington-order-troops-vaccinated/
Could you imagine if Donald Trump had done such a thing?
Reading the article Washington mandated it for soldiers, not the general public. There is a big difference there because when you sign up you forfeit some of your rights and liberties.
ReplyDeleteWe have no shortage of anti-vax idiots.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and he lit the fuse on the 7 years war which led to our little spat with ol' John Bull. This Washington guy is nothing but trouble. I hope the real "patriots" tear down his monument in the name of FREEDOM!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I hear he was really good at exercising too!
I believe the key work here is URGED, and it was not a vaccine, but the disease.
ReplyDeleteYou need to learn how to read. He urged states to inoculate before sending troops to him. But if they didn't they were inoculated when he got them. It was a MANDATE, which is quite common in any military.
ReplyDelete@ 4:47 - Naturally occurring smallpox was wiped out worldwide by 1980 — the result of an unprecedented global immunization campaign.
ReplyDeleteGoogle it you moron!
Get the vaccine or die! Maybe not but why take the risk?
654,000+ dead Americans from Covid and we're still not under control, WTF people???
ReplyDeleteWell how about polio ? That closer to people still living.
ReplyDeleteLynch is a good man
ReplyDelete"vaccines didn't exist at the time."
ReplyDeleteThey certainly did. Vaccines at one time were a small bit of the virus.
George Washington also owned slaves. Was that also patriot-like behavior?
ReplyDeleteSteve@ 7:14 - See what happens when you do too much drugs, you talk to yourself and you don't even know it.
ReplyDelete"What were George Washington’s political views?
ReplyDeleteOverall, his political views were more overarching in their scope, rather than specific. Washington stood for national freedom, individual liberties, and a strong central government that would serve to protect the freedoms and liberties of its citizens."
I would recommend Ron Chernow's "Washington: A Life" for anyone who wishes to learn more about this great man. Washington thought slavery was a bad idea for several reasons. In his Will, he set all of his slaves free, and made provisions for each one of them so they could learn how to read and write and have a modest home of their own. He believed in symbolism, and was sending a message to his fellow Virginians in his Will. That message was ignored by hypocrites like Jefferson.
ReplyDeleteHe did believe in the need for a strong government but was very careful to avoid any appearance that he himself desired power. Remember this is the man who could have been King. This is the man who started the precedent of serving only two terms. This is the man who stood up to the largest invasion force ever assembled at that time. This is the man who lost nearly every battle but continued to fight and who ended up winning the war.
It is hard for me to decide whether he or Lincoln was the greatest President we ever had.
And he believed in the vaccine.
Um I refuse to publish petty nonsense insisting that the smallpox vaccine was not a vaccine. This was a precursor to the more modern vaccine.
ReplyDeleteHey dum-dums. Early vaccines were the use of live cultures. The experimentation phase was determining how much to use to protect but not harm the inoculated host. The use of live cultures actually continued into the e1970's before more modern and synthetic meaning safe methods were developed. This includes computer models. Much like is use on aircraft and Ship design. This dramatically cuts the time and expense of development. Open a damn book besides Ann Coulter. Science is an ongoing process. The current Covid Vaccine is scientifically sound.
ReplyDeleteNow get off the internet and get the damn shot you namby pambys. Patriots my ass!
George also held slaves and worked carefully around PA's anti-slavery laws to cycle his slaves through Philadelpia. I know that makes him a rock star to admitted white racists. But come on with the George comparisons. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteMany are complaining we all need to wear a mask and be vaccinated. ? We did all this and things have not gotten any better the last 18 months , some could say things have proceeded to get worse around the world. Until this crap runs it's course, we will be dealing with it. Funny, I don't hear of any updated vaccine($) to fight the Delta or other variants that are coming or already here. We know the delta gets through the vaccines ( BREAK THORUGH CASES) and if mask truly work, this would have ended in summer 2020. Just political feel good moves and to keep driving the fear of the people so they can keep control. GET ON WITH ONES LIFE. IT'S YOUR CHOICE, JUST LIKE AN ABORTION CORRECT?
ReplyDeleteAs GOD is my witness; If I see one second of Biden anywhere near any 9 /11 ceremonies tomorrow, I will unleash all efforts to deny ANY goddam democrats from ever taking office again in Northampton County. Meet me tomorrow at the Flag in Centre Square at 8:46 AM if you doubt my word.
ReplyDeleteHardly a valid comparison.
ReplyDeleteSmallpox was a pervasive pandemic posing a risk to all regardless of clinical / demographic category. COVID presents a vanishingly tiny risk to much of the population. CDC tells us we have less than 35K deaths for those under 50 and 107K for those 50 to 64. Those are vanishingly tiny percentages of those populations, which combined total 270,000,000.
Moreover, Washington mandated inoculation for the military during wartime, not for the general population. Those are two *very* different things.
COVID and smallpox are apples and oranges. The same is true of COVID and the Spanish Flu.
The comparison of Washington's and Biden's actions is simply intellectually dishonest.
1:32 - It's a beautiful day. Go outside and be thankful for the good things in your life. Life's too short to hate.
ReplyDeleteAt 1"32, Sir I have only one word for you... CUCKOO
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAuthoritarian
au·thor·i·tar·i·an
/əˌTHôrəˈterēən/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: authoritarian
favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.
I thought the authoritarian was Donald Trump?