Betsy’s Ghost 🇺🇸

“Our country is in danger, but we can, through daily discipline, stand firm together and withstand anything.” – George Washington

[Betsy’s Ghost 🇺🇸 @2Blows]

One of the most famous quotes from America's Revolutionary period that directly addresses the theme of battle fatigue (weariness, exhaustion, and hardship) while calling for renewed strength and perseverance comes from Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “The American Crisis” (No. 1), published on December 23, 1776.

This was during one of the lowest points for the Continental Army—after defeats, with enlistments expiring, soldiers weary and deserting, and morale crumbling in the face of cold, hunger, and relentless British pressure.

The opening lines are:

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that , the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

Paine wrote this to rally exhausted troops and civilians, acknowledging the profound fatigue and trials, while urging endurance and inner strength. It famously boosted morale.

Legend holds that George Washington had it read aloud to his soldiers before the daring Christmas 1776 crossing of the Delaware, which led to victories at Trenton and Princeton.

A shorter, related one often attributed to Paine (though sometimes listed separately in collections) emphasizes the effort required:

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

These capture the era's spirit, openly naming the weariness of prolonged struggle while drawing on moral and patriotic resolve for the strength to carry on. Paine's words, in particular, are iconic for inspiring endurance amid fatigue.

My fellow American Patriots, stay strong, stand against the enemies and continue, together, embodying that Spirit of 1776🇺🇸

Dispel the psyops and Appeal to the Heavens, that this battle for the soul of America, the Good vs Evil, will be forever in our favor.

[TheLastRefuge @TheLastRefuge2]

Let me give this a shot.

First, @USAttyEssayli I do not believe you. Or anyone else in California politics, law or justice. Because you all know exactly how California voter fraud is done.

This is a silly game of pretending. You are pretending not to know. I'll explain it again.

All of you know:

Former Attorney General Eric Holder was hired by California govt to advise on the election changes created by linking DMV database to Secretary of State database.

The tech team that wrote the code to link the DMV and SOS were given specific instructions. The affirmative flag, the checkbox in the DMV system that says the applicant is legally eligible to vote, was neutralized.

Meaning, if the checkbox is left blank, the computer system accepts the application from the DMV as affirmative. The DL applicant data is transferred to the SoS office, and the applicant is registered to vote.

Illegal Aliens, unlawful migrants, were allowed to get California Driver's Licenses and State IDs. The Motor-Voter process now registers those drivers and ID recipients as legal voters and ballots are created.

Those illegal ballots form the core of the voter fraud in California and were first used in the November 2018 midterm election as the beta test for national rollout.

Not a single person in Sacramento politics doesn't know this. All of you are aware. All you have to do is go check and you will see.

The fraud is impossible to prosecute. The fraud is built into the system. Go look. Everyone knows.

Again. I don't believe you.

[DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican]

Turns out that @LeaderJohnThune was totally projecting when he said the SAVE Act was an influencer campaign.

Senator John Thune is compromised by a company that literally exists to sell access to himself.

Pass it on.

[🇺🇸 Based Americana 🇺🇸 @basedamericana]

Daily reminder.

[The Ways of A Gentleman @Gentleman_Ways]

Respect your ancestors and teach your children to do the same.

It instills a sense of history and fosters inter-generational responsibility.

They weren’t perfect, but they weren’t evil either.

[The Ways of A Gentleman @Gentleman_Ways]

D-Day was one of the most monumental days in the history of mankind.

Don’t take my word for it, watch this video from Andy Rooney, who saw it with his own eyes.

Share it with everyone you know, especially your kids.

[Barnaby Breaks History 🇺🇸 @CorpBarnaby]

🇺🇸 Most Badass Americans You Don’t Know D-Day Edition: Harrison C. Summers

Staff Sergeant Harrison C. Summers dropped into Normandy before dawn on D-Day. Unfortunately for the Germans, he turned into Rambo.

Born July 12, 1918, in Marion County, West Virginia, Summers grew up working in the coal mines.

He carried that hard attitude with him when he enlisted and became a paratrooper.

He served in Company B, 1st Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, after his unit had secured Saint-Germain-de-Varreville near Exit 4 off Utah Beach, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Cassidy needed a dangerous job done fast.

He ordered Summers and about fifteen men to seize a cluster of stone buildings nearby designated “WXYZ” on the map.

The buildings turned out to be barracks housing over a hundred German soldiers who were positioned to control the approaches to the beach causeways.

When Summers and his small patrol reached the edge of the position, most of the men froze under the threat of heavy fire.

Summers did not wait.

Armed with his Thompson submachine gun, he charged the first building alone, kicked in the door, and gunned down four Germans as they tried to escape.

He moved straight to the next building and repeated the assault.

Only two men, Privates William Burt and John Camien, followed him into the fight.

Summers kept going anyway.

For more than five hours he fought room to room and building to building through the complex, personally killing more than thirty Germans and forcing many more to surrender or flee.

He was wounded during the action but refused to stop.

With only very limited help, he eventually cleared the entire WXYZ complex.

His rampage opened a critical path for the forces coming off Utah Beach.

Physically and emotionally exhausted after the five-hour rampage, he sat down to smoke a cigarette and said, "It was all kind of crazy. I’m sure I’ll never do anything like that again."

He was nominated twice for the Medal of Honor but received the Distinguished Service Cross.

He later earned a battlefield commission to second lieutenant and continued fighting through the rest of the war in Europe, including Market Garden where he was wounded again.

After the war Summers returned to West Virginia and lived quietly.

He passed away on August 3, 1983.

Among the men of the 101st who knew what he did that morning, he became a legend, often called the Sergeant York of World War II.

Harrison C. Summers is an American Badass

Thank you, Harrison! 🫡🇺🇸

[Shane Cashman @ShaneCashman]

There’s literally nothing weird about Thomas Matthew Crooks emailing a deputy from Butler, PA before the assassination attempt. It’s not weird that he practiced shooting at the same range Homeland Security used. It’s not weird that the local police and Secret Service spotted Crooks with a rangefinder, photographed him, and texted about him for over an hour and still let him climb the roof with a rifle. It’s not weird that the Secret Service wasn’t flying drones that day, but Crooks was. It’s not weird that Butler was the first Trump rally of the year with Secret Service anti-sniper agents on the roofs. It’s not weird that Crooks’ house looked like a sterile lab with no trash or silverware. And it’s not weird that his body was cremated ten days later before Congress could see it. This is like when people say the CIA was shadowing Oswald before he, and he alone, shot JFK.

[Sassafrass84 @Sassafrass_84]

I voted for this. Way to go, DeSantis.

Starting July 1, Florida will begin rolling out a major change to driver's licenses and state ID cards: your citizenship status will now be printed directly on the card.

The change is part of HB 991, Florida's version of the SAVE America Act, which Governor DeSantis signed in April. Beginning next month, new licenses and renewals will indicate whether the holder is a U.S. citizen or holds another legal immigration status. Current license holders will not need to make a special trip to the DMV, as the change will be applied automatically at their next renewal or replacement. Anyone who becomes a U.S. citizen can get a free updated card reflecting their new status.

The broader law also eliminates student IDs, retirement community IDs, debit cards, and public assistance IDs as acceptable forms of voter identification. Candidates running for federal office must now disclose whether they intend to trade stocks while in office, and all candidates must affirm U.S. citizenship and disclose any dual citizenship. The full suite of voter registration and election code changes takes effect January 1, 2027, though the driver's license provision kicks in next month.

Critics say the law will disproportionately burden naturalized citizens and legally present immigrants, while supporters call it a common-sense modernization of identification standards. <<<--- this won't burden me.

[Garrett Exner @Exner_Garrett]

Ray’s Rock - Omaha Beach

On the morning of June 6, 1944, 23 year old Staff Sergeant Arnold “Ray” Lambert came ashore with the first wave of the 1st Infantry Division on the eastern side of Omaha Beach. At this small patch of concrete he saved nearly 20 lives:

The division came under intense fire from several German bunkers surrounding the entrance to the Colville Draw (one of two exits off Omaha Beach). Ray, a medic, immediately went to work.

He was shot in the arm. Moments later he was hit by shrapnel in the leg, but Ray kept pulling men to safety. He pulled nearly 20 wounded soldiers to cover behind this 8ft wide obstacle, treating each soldier before going out in search of others.

After several hours under fire, while pulling a wounded soldier from the ocean, he was struck by a landing craft. It dropped its ramp on top of him, breaking his back. He fell face down in the water, drowning. The craft backed up and nearby soldiers pulled an unconscious Ray to safety, eventually evacuating him off the beach.

Remarkably, Ray had already earned two Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts in Sicily and North Africa, prior to landing in France. But here in Normandy his war would end.

He awoke in a hospital back in England a day later. In the next bed over was his brother, who had also been wounded at Omaha.

When asked about his work on D-Day, Ray simply said, “I did what I was called to do.”

Ray Lambert passed in 2021 at 100 years old. He exemplified the best of American grit and why remembering this day is so important.

[Betsy’s Ghost 🇺🇸 @2Blows]

lol…Thomas Jefferson supported several partisan writers in the 1790s by providing financial assistance, favors, and help securing jobs. His aim was to counter Federalist attacks through outlets that criticized politicians like Alexander Hamilton and John Adams.
The most notable was a Scottish journalist James Callender who wrote pieces mixing facts, rumors and insults. Jefferson backed his work, which played a role in the heated 1800 election.

After Jefferson became president and pardoned Callender (who had been imprisoned under the Sedition Act), Callender expected a government appointment as a reward. When Jefferson refused, Callender turned against him, revealing their correspondence and long-standing rumors about Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings. Jefferson later described the betrayal as “base ingratitude” and downplayed his financial support as charity.

[Jocko Willink @jockowillink]

"I shall never forget that beach...one dead soldier in particular who caught my eye. I wonder about him. What were his plans never to be fulfilled, what fate brought him to that spot at that moment? Who was waiting for him at home?"
— Corporal William Preston
D-Day

[InfantryDort @infantrydort]

I always think of Eisenhower on June 6th. I think of the men in the breach too. But inevitably my thoughts always trace back to him and the fact that he was really just a spectator on that day in 1944.

Meticulous planning and preparation. He pored over every detail with painstaking precision. His nicotine and caffeine consumption off the charts.

His staff, rowing like heroes to be sure. But on D-Day, all Ike could do is watch the pucksters move icons on a map amidst the feverish clicking sound of reports coming in.

But his ability to manage the fight in that moment? Negligible.

I think that’s the difference between his generation of general versus GWOT. We plan in the modern age, sure. But not always well.

Modern leaders in the back of their mind always know they can use instant communication to make adjustments at the highest levels on the fly. A general can become a squad leader in seconds. Micromanagement is often ubiquitous.

It is so difficult to take an appetite suppressant to just let the force fight.

Ike had little choice once the wheels were in motion though. And maybe that’s the lesson. Plan, prepare, let it consume your very soul up to the moment of execution.

But when you cry havoc and slip your dogs of war, let them hunt.

Because if you as a leader, have done your job, they will never disappoint you.

[Barbarian Herodotus @BBHerodotus]

On D-Day, 82 years ago, Teddy Roosevelt Jr. earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism.

“For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After two verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall, and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed, and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strongpoints and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France”

American Hero 🇺🇸

[John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad]

As a conservative living in one of the most liberal towns, here’s what Americans actually agree (at least in private):

Taxes are too high.

Tariffs are confusing but probably better than taxes.

Battleships are awesome.

The Bill of Rights.

Wokeness has become exhausting.

Congress is broken.

Canadians are no longer nice.

Criminals must be deported.

Mentally ill don’t belong on the streets.

Crackheads don’t belong on the streets.

Taxes are worse than tariffs.

All women’s HR departments are exhausting.

Veterans are awesome.

Veterans with Nazi tattoos are not.

DC shouldn’t be the wealthiest city.

The American flag is cool.

Fewer abortions are a worthwhile goal.

Genital mutilation of kids is not.

Low IQ people should not be in positions of authority.

A full half of the nation has a below-median IQ.

Anti-Americanism from Europeans is exhausting.

Techbros aren’t as smart as they think they are.

Elon probably is.

There is a higher power.

The Bible is worth reading.

True evil exists in this world.

Normal white dads are pretty cool if you think about it.

Too many people go to college.

Too many Chinese go to our colleges.

Communism is bad.

We should not subsidize NATO (including Canada’s) defense.

America is the greatest nation on Earth.

Mexico is a cartel state.

Legal immigration is good in moderation, but we probably need to pause and reassess.

Endless wars are stupid.

The Iran war has only lasted a few months.

Fraud is out of control.

Biden was not mentally fit to be President.

Men should not be allowed in women’s sports.

Girls should not be allowed in the Boy Scouts.

We don’t really care about Hormuz.

Karl Marx is responsible for more misery and death than Hitler.

Muslim nations don’t have LGBTQ+ rights.

Former CIA officers, admirals, and generals shouldn’t be in politics.

Military standards matter.

Pornography has gone too far.

Venezuela and Cuba are failed states.

Naval officers should not wear camouflage.

This is a republic, not a direct democracy.

Voter ID isn’t a bad idea.

Freedom of speech is good.

Trump isn’t actually a Nazi.

The NYTimes and WAPO are biased.

Journalists shouldn’t be biased.

Pete Buttigieg should have spent more time on roads and less on politics.

Foreign lobbyists should be kicked out of congress starting with China but yes also Israel.

The Trump 1.0 and Biden presidencies were disappointing.

The SHIPs Act.

DC is cleaner and safer today.

Pentagon journalists are crybabies.

The environmentalists went too far.

Nobody cares about the three-fingered toad that’s delaying construction projects.

Teachers should be paid more.

Teacher unions suck.

Reshoring manufacturing is a good thing.

Japan and South Korea are better allies than the EU.

The vast majority of Americans are not racist.

We should do more than build casinos to help Native American tribes succeed.

Land acknowledgments are a waste of time.

Many PhDs are clueless… especially Tom Nicholas.

The healthcare system needs to be radically simplified.

This nation has too many dumb laws.

Kids should spend more time outdoors and less time on social media.

Trade schools are good.

Epstein didn’t kill himself.

The EU is in no position to give us morality lessons.

We have no idea if AI will be good or bad but probably both.

The Yankees are the best team in sports history.

But mostly… taxes are too high because Congress and the media are broken and corrupt.

Jesus Christ loves Hunter Biden.

[US Oil & Gas Association @US_OGA]

82 years ago today, D-Day heroes scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc

42 years ago, President Reagan honored them:

“These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.

These are the men who took the cliffs.

These are the champions who helped free a continent.

These are the heroes who helped end a war.”

Courage still inspires.

[DOW Rapid Response @DOWResponse]

.@SECWAR “Eighty-two years ago today, the survival of Western civilization hung in the balance. The dark forces had swept across Europe.

Hitler boasted that his “Atlantic Wall” was impenetrable—but our enemy made a fatal miscalculation:

They vastly underestimated the fierce, unbreakable will of the AMERICAN FIGHTING MAN.”

[Betsy’s Ghost 🇺🇸 @2Blows]

@iamrodneysmith Congratulations! 🇺🇸😎

[alex kershaw @kershaw_alex]

It's D Day. 4,427 Allied soldiers died today so that generations not even born, like mine, could grow up in freedom. See more at https://t.co/EEg00P06y6

[Barbarian Herodotus @BBHerodotus]

Don’t let their sacrifice be in vain. Uphold the values of the home they fought and died for.

[Voices of WW2 @VoicesofWW2]

D-Day: Invasion of Normandy [Real Footage in Colour]