Hello All,

I hope you had a wonderful July 4th Celebration. I thoroughly enjoyed mine.
Yesterday, on the 4th, Jubal was performing at the Eno Festival , and asked
me and a few friends to join him, and we had a blast at the Otter Stage
entertaining for young and the young at heart.

Jubal and I are headed back to the Cary Border's Books & Music this Friday.
I hope those of you in the area can come and join us:
Friday July 7
Border's Books & Music
Cary, NC ~ 8 - 10 pm

In a couple of weeks, we are headed to Greenville & Spartanburg, SC, and
Charlotte, NC. I would love you to tell your friends in those areas about
our shows:

July 19 -
Coffee Underground Theater
Greenville SC
$5.00 at the door. Starts at 8 pm

July 20-
The Sandwich Factory
Spartanburg, SC 8 - 10pm.
We will be joined onstage by Leslie Berry & her band.

July 23 -
Border's Books & Music,
Charlotte, NC ~ 2 - 4 pm


Then we return home for a North Raleigh appearance:
July 28 -
Border's Books & Music,
N. Raleigh ( Strickland & Six Forks) NC ~ 8 - 10 pm


~~~~~~~
I received a great piece of information about our country's Founding
Fathers,and I want to share it with you. Just a reminder that what ever is
worth doing, is worth sacrificing for. Thankfully - for us - these brave
men risked all they had for our thriving lives today.
~~
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who
signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and
tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost
their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had
two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships
of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were
merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated. But they signed the
Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the
penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader,
saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He
sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was
forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in
the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.
His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was
his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall,
Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was
dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and
his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he
lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife
dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died
from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were
the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These
were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were
soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security,
but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and
unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this
declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the
divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other,
our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America.
The history books never told you a lot about what happened
in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British.
We were British subjects at that time and we fought our
own government! Some of us take these liberties so much
for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while
enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these
patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
~~~~~~~~

Let's hope that our families continue to enjoy the freedoms we have!

Hope to see you soon!
Kim Buchanan


kimbuck2@...
www.kimbuchanan.com
www.mp3.com/kimbuchanan