Richie Gibson

Faith, family, friends

[Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree]

In September of 1814, America was once again in trouble.

The young republic was only thirty-eight years old. The War of 1812 had gone badly. British troops had marched into Washington, burned the Capitol, set the White House ablaze, and now turned their sights toward Baltimore. If Fort McHenry fell, the harbor would be open, the city would likely follow, and another devastating blow would be dealt to the fragile nation.

Amid this uncertainty, a young American lawyer named Francis Scott Key sailed under a flag of truce to the British fleet. He had come to negotiate the release of a friend, a physician the British had captured.

He succeeded.

The British agreed to free the doctor.

But there was a catch.

Because Key and his companions had seen too much of the British fleet and learned too much about its plans, they were not allowed to return to shore. Instead, they were detained aboard a ship in the harbor and forced to watch the coming battle from behind enemy lines.

On the morning of September 13, the bombardment began.

For the next twenty-five hours, British warships unleashed somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800 bombs and rockets upon Fort McHenry. These were the “bombs bursting in air” and the “rockets’ red glare” of the song—not poetic embellishments, but terrible realities.

Key stood on the deck through the endless day and the long, terrifying night. Every explosion lit the darkness for a fleeting instant before the smoke swallowed everything again. Somewhere beyond that wall of fire stood the fort. Somewhere beyond it flew an American flag if it still flew at all.

He could not see.

He could only listen.

As long as the guns continued firing, there was reason to hope. The British would not waste ammunition on a fort that had already surrendered.

Then, just before dawn…

The guns fell silent.

For the first time all night, there was only stillness.

It was the most frightening sound of all.

Had the fort finally fallen? Had the defenders surrendered? Had the flag been torn down in the darkness while no one could see?

There was nothing to do but wait.

As the first light of September 14 slowly pushed back the smoke, Francis Scott Key strained his eyes toward the distant fort.

Then he saw it. Not a British flag.

The American flag. Still there. Still flying.

That flag was no ordinary banner. Months earlier, the fort’s commander had commissioned a Baltimore flagmaker, Mary Pickersgill, to sew a flag so enormous “that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.” It measured roughly thirty by forty-two feet, carried fifteen stars and fifteen stripes, and was so large it had to be assembled on the floor of a brewery because no ordinary room could contain it.

That was the Star-Spangled Banner.

The very flag Key saw through the morning mist.

The very flag that still survives today in the Smithsonian.

Overcome by what he had witnessed, Key reached into his pocket, pulled out an envelope, and began writing. The words came from a heart that had spent an entire night fearing his country might disappear with the dawn.

He first titled the poem Defence of Fort M’Henry.

Within days it was printed and circulating throughout the country. Before long, people began singing it to a melody they already knew—an old British tune called “To Anacreon in Heaven,” originally written for a London social club. There is something beautifully ironic in that: America’s most beloved patriotic song borrowed the melody of the very nation it had just survived. It also explains why the anthem is so notoriously difficult to sing. It was never written for ordinary voices gathered in stadiums or school assemblies.

The song spread quickly and became one of America’s favorite patriotic hymns, but it would wait more than a century before receiving official recognition. Not until 1931 did Congress declare “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the United States.

[Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson]

This is surprisingly beautiful. @McConaughey lays out America’s 250th Birthday. Watch this and listen to the words.

This is powerful.

[Tom Ackerman @Ackerman1120]

HELLO, FOURTH OF JULY! #stlcards 🇺🇸
📻: KMOXSports 🎙️: Mike Shannon

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

Happy 4th of July everyone

[Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol]

🚨#BREAKING: A German soccer fan who flew to the USA but was fearful about coming because of news about criminals and people being mean...

...breaks down into TEARS, live on air saying he has FALLEN IN LOVE with America after a random man named "Bob" in Boston gave him a ride home after he was stuck at a game with no way back to his hotel

The German soccer fan's name is Sebastian, he said after meeting Bob, he extended his entire trip.

He said leaving America will hurt worse than watching Germany get knocked out of the World Cup.

"I fall in love with America. I'm sorry, it's just so emotional. Americans are not rude... if we are together, we can achieve great things."

THIS IS THE AMERICA I KNOW!!!!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Clay Travis @ClayTravis]

What a game. Cape Verde gave us a heck of a ride. Argentina advances 3-2.

[Anthony Sain @SainAsylum]

I grieved over Ja Morant getting traded from the Grizzlies back in January so watching people process it all at one time right now is understandable but frustrating cuz a mfer tried to tell mfers what was ultimately about to happen and what the trade would look like ever since then lol (and honestly even before then)

I screamed from the mountain tops on all of my platforms - my daily podcast, the J&J Show 929 Radio, Grizz Beat on Grind City Media, news interviews - everywhere - about what at that point had become inevitable

It's hard being a fan when you're also super close to the situations involved. I've been close to this team for almost 13 years now and sometimes I wish that I was still solely a fan in the stands, facebook groups or on twitter so I could just say "Nah man these folks are dumb! How do you trade Ja?!"

Those days were the best lol

His trade return was a honest reflection of what his value had become - regardless of how we feel emotionally about it. The market dictates your value and they weren't lying.

Perception is REALITY

I will just end with this.

It was time.

The Grizzlies have shown an abundance of grace and patience with Ja and he needed to get away from the place that elevated him to a position and mantle that he honestly was not prepared for

Stardom has a cost that everyone is not equipped to pay

With Love And Respect I Wish 12 The Best Going Forward - Not just on the court but as a man and as a father first

[kayk @kaykkyak]

@250YearsAgoLive

[Chris Vernon @ChrisVernonShow]

LEGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[John Martin @JohnMartin929]

IT WAS ALWAYS CAM BOOZER

[TSA @TSA]

If you’re visiting for a very large sporting event & you happen to discover RANCH while you’re here… pls pack it in your CHECKED BAG on the way home.

Thank you.

[Mike Stone @PastorMikeStone]

If @SenWarren shared her $67M and lived on the $285K (itself a great salary) every public school teacher in her state could receive a $900 bonus and she would still make more than 3x the average salary of those teachers.

#YouGoFirstSenator

[Memphis Redbirds @memphisredbirds]

A FOUR @LennysSubs LONGBALL GAME FOR JOSHUA BÁEZ!!!!!

IT SIMPLY CANT GET BETTER!!!!

#LennysLongball

[Bad Hombre @Badhombre]

Every dollar Elon Musk has made is traceable. Every product sold, every service rendered, every government contract awarded, every share of stock bought or sold. It’s all on the record.

You, on the other hand, haven’t built a company, invented a product, or created anything people willingly pay for. You’ve spent the last 14 years collecting a $174,000 Senate salary.

Yet somehow you managed to buy a luxury D.C. condo, a $4 million Victorian mansion in Cambridge, and saw your net worth balloon by 150% to $12 million. Everyone knows where Musk’s money came from. The same can’t be said for yours.

[Martin Varsavsky @martinvars]

When I give my savings to @elonmusk they multiply. When I give them to you and all of the US government, they disappear.

[Michael Scotto @MikeAScotto]

Sources: The Milwaukee Bucks will add Vince Legarza & Brad Jones as assistant coaches. Legarza was an assistant with Mike Budenholzer on the Suns & Bucks. He & Taylor Jenkins both worked together under Budenholzer on the Hawks. Jones was an assistant for Jenkins on the Grizzlies.

[Clay Travis @ClayTravis]

Five days after the LA election, Spencer Pratt falls to third place and a woman who hardly anyone voted for in person, Nithya Raman, totally dominated in mail voting to come in second. No one with a functional brain believes these results.

[julian j javier @DrJJJavier]

90 years
old @25JulianJavier celebrating the @Cardinals Fans all
the way from hometown of San Francisco Dominican Republic

[Dani Wexelman @DaniWex]

This past weekend at Busch is the most incredible example of an authentic viral moment that brands dream of. What Manager Oli Marmol did after that moment was high level IQ & EQ. He & the team are earning back the fans one moment at a time & his commitment showed in that gesture

[Derrick Goold @dgoold]

“As close to the majors as I’m going to get.” — one of the #sfasu players says before Masyn Winn hands him a signed bat as thanks for creating a raucous (and shirtless) vibe at Busch Stadium this weekend.

#stlcards #cardinals