Why Did They Erase Richard Somers from Our National Memory? Was It Any of These Eleven Inconvenient Truths?

BY SETH GROSSMAN

Left to Right:  LibertyAndProsperity.com Treasurer Bruce Barkoff, Director Paul Klepacki, Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, Director Mike Smith, Republican Somers Point Councilman Michael Owen, and LibertyAndProsperity.com member Alan Stearne.  Photo taken shortly after event.  Atlantic County Surrogate Jim Curcio, a Republican, and roughly three dozen others also attended the outdoor, socially distanced event on September 4, 2020.

One September 4, 1804, 26 year old Richard Somers and all twelve of his crew were killed instantly, when their “fireship” Intrepid exploded in the harbor of Tripoli, North Africa.  Their goal was to destroy the last of the “Turkish flotilla” and bring a three year war to an end.  Earlier this month, we held a ceremony in his boyhood home of Somers Point, New Jersey on that same day 216 years later.

LibertyAndProsperity.com and the Somers Point Historical Society have been holding events to remember Richard Somers ever since 2004, the 200th year of his death in Tripoli.  In 2004 and 2006 both Jeff Van Drew (then Democrat) and Jack Gibson (Republican), then the two Assembly Members representing Somers Point, obtained resolutions from the entire NJ State Assembly recognizing the importance of Richard Somers in New Jersey and American history.  Both resolutions are displayed in our Somers Point office.

We were joined by Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, who presented us with a Proclamation to recognize the event.  We were also joined by Republican Surrogate Jim Curcio who represented Atlantic County.  Republican Councilman Michael Owen represented the City of Somers Point.

Several local radio hosts promoted the event.  They included Harry Hurley and John DeMasi of WPGTalkRadio.com 95.5 FM, and Dan Klein, Ann Baker, and Don Williams of WONDRadio.com 1400AM.

Two weeks earlier, Sally Hastings and the Somers Point Historical Society opened a new maritime exhibit in their nearby Historical Museum.  That museum explains the remarkable story of the people who settled in this area 350 years ago, and how they achieved exceptional success.  More particularly, it explains our traditions of sailing and shipbuilding that inspired and prepared Richard Somers for his historic mission.  Click here for details on that story.

https://www.libertyandprosperity.com/local-hero-richard-somers-this-year-we-talked-about-the-south-jersey-he-grew-up-in-an-exceptional-land-of-liberty-prosperity-and-boundless-opportunities-even-by-todays-woke-standards/

However, we were disappointed by the community leaders, organizations and institutions who ignored the event.  There was no publicity in area daily or weekly newspapers or any of the Philadelphia TV stations.   There was no participation by Stockton University or any local public schools.  Not a single library in the area had a program, lecture, or exhibit about Richard Somers.  Why?

Richard Somers was not guilty of any of the “sins” that caused other historical figures like Christopher Columbus to be “cancelled”. 

Neither Richard Somers, nor any members of his family owned or traded in slaves.  On the contrary, they were Quakers.  They were among the first Americans to aggressively and systematically work to end slavery in this country, and to help freed slaves live independent, productive lives.  They created comfortable lives for themselves by supplementing their farm income with other businesses.  Richard Somers great-grandfather John Somers started a ferry to connect the New York road with the Cape May stagecoach road.

Another relative, James Somers built a dam and road (now known as Central Avenue) across the Patcong Creek which now separates Linwood and Egg Harbor Township.  The water current from that dam powered two mills.  A grist mill on the Linwood side of the creek was used to grind grain into flour. The other was a sawmill, used to make lumber for buildings and ships.

William Penns’s treaty with Native Americans in Pennsylvania, 1680s.

William Penn controlled all land titles in South Jersey (then called West Jersey) as well as in Pennsylvania.  He did not approve any land titles without proof that no Native Americans claimed that land, and that all sales of land by Native Americans were fair and voluntary.

Neither Richard Somers, nor any members of his family killed or mistreated Indians, now called Native Americans.  South Jersey was settled by Quakers under the leadership of William Penn.  Penn gave strict orders not to occupy any land claimed by Native Americans, unless that land was sold freely and voluntarily for a fair price.   Those orders were carried out.   Although the Leni Lenape Indians (also called the Delaware) often fished, gathered berries, and harvested claims in and around South Jersey, they had few permanent settlements here. That all became known in 1995, when the mayor of the beach resort of Wildwood spent years in court trying to get approvals allowing a Leni Lenape casino there.

There were no laws preventing women from voting, owning property, or holding public office in New Jersey when Richard Somers was alive here.

So why was Richard Somers cancelled?   Was it any of these eleven “inconvenient truths” that don’t support the narrative of today’s “woke” socialists and communists?

1.  Richard Somers,  like most young men of his day, finished eight years of formal schooling by age 16.  At that time, he had better knowledge of reading, writing, history, literature, science, and mathematics than most college graduates today.

2. Richard Somers, like most young men of his day, mastered a useful skill or trade by age 17.   Richard Somers mastered sailing and navigation. By age 17, he was in charge of “coasters”, sailing ships that carried cargo between New York and Philadelphia.

3. When Richard Somers finished school, America was such a peaceful nation, that we had an army of only 5,200 men, and no navy at all.

4. America only started to build a navy in 1796, thirteen years after we won our independence.  That was when Americans got tired of paying bribes and tribute to Islamic “Barbary Pirates” in the Mediterranean and French pirates in the Caribbean.  Under international law at the time, the “Barbary Pirates” were not criminal “pirates” like the French.  They could be executed when captured.  The “Barbary Pirates were instead “corsairs” or “privateers” for Islamic nations legally at war with non-Muslim nations that did not pay them tribute.

5. When Richard Somers was 20 years old, he gave up a promising career as a private ship captain, to join our new navy in Annapolis at age 20.

6. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson sent our new navy to fight the “Barbary Pirates”.  He put 23 year old Richard Somers in command of the Nautilus, a 160 ton warship with 20 cannons and a crew of 100 men.  Richard Somers sailed that ship, without incident, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Spain, and then the Mediterranean.  Most other ship commanders of the U.S. Navy at that time were the same age as Richard Somers.

7. America was the only nation to fight the “Barbary Pirates” of North Africa.  England, France, Spain, and Portugal, the major sea powers found it cheaper to pay tribute than fight them.  Only Americans said “Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute”.

8. For three years, young Americans like Richard Somers won the admiration of the world by defeating the Islamic “pirates” in battle after battle.  After one battle, Pope Pius VII publicly declared, “The American commander, with a small force, and in a short space of time, has done more for the cause of Christianity than the most powerful nations of Christendom have done for ages”.

9. Although Richard Somers failed in his attempt to destroy “the Turkish flotilla” in Tripoli on September 4, 1804, he inspired other Americans to continue the fight, and win a decisive battle “on the shores of Tripoli” one year later.

10. The Islamic kingdoms of North Africa that ordered their “pirates” to attack American ships were also part of a massive slave industry.   Their “pirates” also captured and enslaved thousands of white Europeans and tens of thousands of black Africans each year and either put them to work  themselves, or sold them throughout the Arab world.  The most brutal slave work was being chained to the oars which powered the warships of the “Barbary Pirates” when there was not enough wind.

11. When America defeated the Barbary Pirates in 1805, and again in 1815, we effectively ended the African slave trade.  This also made many Americans aware of the horrors of slavery, and intensified efforts to end slavery in America.

This story of Richard Somers is a key to understanding the story of America, when America was great.  It is there inconvenient to those who hate America, and want to divide us and tear us apart.

And, of course, Richard Somers was a white, Christian male.  During the past thirty years, our schools, colleges, media, and Hollywood pop culture have falsely blamed white, Christian men for almost every problem in the world today.

Many candidates for public office in this year’s election are winning votes by just by being of a  different race or gender.  Teaching young people about white, Christian, male heroes like Richard Somers does not promote that political agenda.

Click here for more details of the Richard Somers story.

https://www.libertyandprosperity.com/local-hero-richard-somers-this-year-we-talked-about-the-south-jersey-he-grew-up-in-an-exceptional-land-of-liberty-prosperity-and-boundless-opportunities-even-by-todays-woke-standards/

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No GOP Platform: Kushner and Stepien got their way.

By Rubashov  

The Republican Party Platform – the platform that grew out of the Reagan movement – died today.  It has ceased to exist.  It is no more.

Conservatives saw this coming.  Over the Memorial Day weekend, John Robert Carman posted a story from the website Axios, regarding “secret talks to overhaul the GOP platform.”  The Axios article – which was picked up by a number of national publications – details the efforts of Jared Kushner and Bill Stepien in minimalizing the Republican Party platform from its current 58 pages down to a one page document with ten bullet-points.  

According to those present at the on-going meetings held “in the Secretary of War Suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the West Wing of the White House”, Kushner wants words like “freedom” removed from the platform, as well as statements of principle like: “We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children.”

You can read the full Axios story here:
https://www.axios.com/republican-platform-jared-kushner-56cb19ee-d6c7-409e-93e5-088eebd82825.html

Jared Kushner is the President’s son-in-law.  Bill Stepien is his campaign manager.  Various apologists have argued that Kushner and Stepien are simply attempting to “dumb down” the platform to “make it more relevant” to people accustomed to social media like Twitter.  Maybe, or perhaps something else is going on.
 
Jared Kushner has not been a registered Republican for very long.  The scion of a wealthy Democrat family, his father was the fundraising muscle behind Democrat Governor Jim McGreevey.  He got caught up in the corruption and went to prison.
 
Kushner wasn’t a registered Republican when his father-in-law was on the ballot in the primaries and General Election of 2016.  He became a registered Republican only in 2018.  Before that, he was a major fundraiser for the Democrat Party and promoted the candidacies of some very socially liberal Democrats. 

Bill Stepien owes his political redemption to Kushner, who assisted him after the Bridgegate scandal in which he was dismissed by Governor Chris Christie.  He is a talented political operative. 
 
Stepien is not a movement Republican, or movement conservative, or movement anything.  He is singular in his focus – and that focus is always on the candidate who employs him.  When he worked for Governor Christie, the NJGOP steadfastly refused to support the platform of the Republican Party.  The argument put forward was that having ideas on paper and committing to them got in the way of the politics of power.  One wonders what America would be like if gentlemen like these had written – or rather, not written – the Constitution and Bill of Rights. 
 
Of course, this had its downside.  The 2013 re-election campaign Stepien ran for Governor Christie was successful, but that 20-point win did not result in a movement victory.  The Republican Party did not gain ground in the Legislature.  The victory was singular, contained, it went no further than the top-of-the-ticket.
 
Stepien’s method of campaigning runs like this:  We did a poll. The voters say they like cheesecake.   Our donors are not adverse to cheesecake, so we can safely say we like cheesecake.  It was summed up very well earlier this year, by a former executive director of the NJGOP, who rejected the idea of arguing for the Second Amendment and who found it “ridiculous” to fashion language and arguments with which to defend this Constitutional right. 
 
So now the Republican platform is simply a man.  Where once there were ideas, now there is a photograph that may be conveniently pointed to.  Kushner and Stepien have won.  They got their way.  Now here is the full sum of what you need to know about the Republican Party in 2020…

Here is the full edict, released today, announcing the demise of the Republican Party Platform.  You can judge for yourselves as to the tone and the excuses made.  Does it sound as authoritarian to you, as it does to us?  A sadden day.  
 
  RESOLUTION REGARDING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM

  WHEREAS, The Republican National Committee (RNC) has significantly scaled back the size and scope of the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte due to strict restrictions on gatherings and meetings, and out of concern for the safety of convention attendees and our hosts;
 
WHEREAS, The RNC has unanimously voted to forego the Convention Committee on Platform, in appreciation of the fact that it did not want a small contingent of delegates formulating a new platform without the breadth of perspectives within the ever-growing Republican movement;
 
WHEREAS, All platforms are snapshots of the historical contexts in which they are born, and parties abide by their policy priorities, rather than their political rhetoric;
 
WHEREAS, The RNC, had the Platform Committee been able to convene in 2020, would have undoubtedly unanimously agreed to reassert the Party’s strong support for President Donald Trump and his Administration;
 
WHEREAS, The media has outrageously misrepresented the implications of the RNC not adopting a new platform in 2020 and continues to engage in misleading advocacy for the failed policies of the Obama-Biden Administration, rather than providing the public with unbiased reporting of facts; and
 
WHEREAS, The RNC enthusiastically supports President Trump and continues to reject the policy positions of the Obama-Biden Administration, as well as those espoused by the Democratic National Committee today; therefore, be it
 
RESOLVED, That the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda; RESOVLVED, That the 2020 Republican National Convention will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention;
 
RESOLVED, That the 2020 Republican National Convention calls on the media to engage in accurate and unbiased reporting, especially as it relates to the strong support of the RNC for President Trump and his Administration; and
 
RESOLVED, That any motion to amend the 2016 Platform or to adopt a new platform, including any motion to suspend the procedures that will allow doing so, will be ruled out of order.
 

"Every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered...History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."

George Orwell
(Eric Arthur Blair)

AFP: The pothead/ amnesty for illegals wing of the GOP

“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” (Eric Hoffer)

Is AFP even conservative anymore?

Looking at their positions on some of the major issues facing New Jersey, you would have to conclude NO.

Establishment GOPers are very good at worming their way into conservative causes and turning them into husks.  A short history of this could occupy a chapter in a book -- or a lengthy article.  A good starting point would be what happened to "Hands Across New Jersey" after the Whitmanites offered their help and money.  And the 2009 gubernatorial primary with Brother Todd and his checkbook would make interesting reading too.

GOPAC was once a dynamic organization and a pillar of the conservative movement.  Today -- in New Jersey at least -- it is run by Ocean County GOP boss George Gilmore.  Would anyone in their right mind describe George Gilmore as a "movement conservative"?

Establishment types apply the word "conservative" the way old tarts apply makeup -- to hide many sins.  But trust one and see what you are left with.  It won't be fresh faced idealism. 

They say they are "conservative" and then they vote to make your daughter share her high school shower with someone sporting a penis.  They vote to confirm a judge who backs COAH and Abbott.  They vote to obstruct a woman's ability to obtain a legal handgun to protect herself and her family.  They vote to fund abortion. 

Last year, we suggested an alternative to the "screw card" put out by AFP.  We said it should be based on the highest authority in the Republican Party -- the platform of the Republican National Committee.  Well, a couple people took up the idea and word is they'll soon have the money necessary to publish and distribute a score card that is truly representative of the conservative movement in New Jersey.

Of course, there are those within the NJGOP who will feel threatened by this and who will work against it, as they work against all alternative ideas.  They don't like the First Amendment, preferring worship to speech.  But they shouldn't be threatened, because nothing attracts and grows a cause or a party better than open debate and free participation.  It breaks the stale boring monopoly of establishment language and ads the spice of truth.

Loosen up and all will be well.

AFP support illegals taking Americans' jobs

The reason that BOTH wings of the corporate establishment party -- the Hillary Clinton Democrats and the Mitch McConnell Republicans -- have done nothing to secure our borders or to attempt to monitor those who come into this country legally and then overstay their visas, is because their corporate masters depend on illegal labor to suppress American wages.  For the past forty years, the American worker has lost ground and passing minimum wage laws mean nothing when there are millions of wage slaves in the gray economy to exploit.

The Koch brothers know this and that is why they have done their best to undercut the presidential campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump.  The Kochs hate Trump the way the Roman Senate hated Caesar.  Trump threatens to take away the illegal gray-economy labor force, the way Caesar threatened to take away slave labor in favor of citizen wage-earners.  The Kochs want more for them at the expense of everyone else.

The Kochs' lobbying wing, the so-called Americans for Prosperity (AFP), dutifully follow their masters' lead.  Earlier today, the New Jersey outpost of AFP issued an attack on legislation designed to protect skilled American workers from illegals looking to take their jobs. 

The bill under attack is Senate Bill 2173.  This is EXACTLY how the bill description reads:

This bill requires every contract subject to State prevailing wage requirements to require each worker employed under the contract to be enrolled in, or have completed, a registered apprenticeship, unless the contractor or subcontractor certifies that the worker is paid not less than the journeyworker wage rate.

Under the bill, a “registered apprenticeship program” is an apprenticeship program which is registered with and approved by the United States Department of Labor and which provides each trainee with combined classroom and on-the-job training under the direct and close supervision of a highly skilled worker in an occupation recognized as an apprenticeable trade and meets the program performance standards of enrollment and graduation under 29 C.F.R. Part 29, section 29.6.

This is the LIE being promoted by AFP:

At the heart of the legislation is a requirement that " each worker employed under the contract to be enrolled in, or have completed, a registered apprenticeship" program. Since apprenticeship programs are offered primarily by labor unions, this bill would all but shut out competition from non-union shops and drive up project costs at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers.

The truth is this:  There are 676 active apprentice programs in New Jersey, only 15 of which are affiliated with a construction union.

Illegals cannot gain access to apprenticeship programs because they are in the United States illegally.  As it is now, unethical contractors hire a qualified worker (per the law) and then place a dozen or dozens of unqualified illegals under him (or her), pay them less, and increase profits.  Why should taxpayers pay for unqualified illegal labor?

SB 2173 makes sure that the workers hired are qualified workers or worker trainees in an approved apprenticeship program, who have a legal right to be in the United States. 

And contrary to what AFP is telling you, if there is no apprenticeship program covering a particular job-description, a worker may be hired provided that the contractor sign a statement that he is legally permitted to work in America.  Now why would ANY group calling itself CONSERVATIVE oppose that!

What's up with AFP NJ?

Back when Steve Lonegan ran AFP in New Jersey, there was a level of competence that seems lacking now.  Lonegan communicated with other conservative and used AFP to support the conservative movement as a whole -- even when it went against the corporate interests of the Koch brothers. 

In contrast to the Koch brothers and the current regime running AFP NJ, Lonegan was solidly Pro-Life, he opposed same-sex marriage, opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants, and supported American cultural values.  The current leadership are culture warriors for the Left.  No less than conservative Senator Mike Doherty was stiffed by them when he asked the financial backers of AFP NJ for help. 

Whether due to incompetence or by design, AFP NJ has once again exhibited that they don't understand the legislation they are opposing.  Conveniently ignoring the purpose of the legislation to push the Koch agenda isn't helping the conservative movement in New Jersey.  Next time, pick up a telephone and talk to a fellow conservative before going off half-Koched.

DONALD TRUMP WON’T BE GETTING KOCH BROTHERS MONEY

BY REUTERS ON 8/2/16 AT 1:35 PM