Stars and Bars - Confederate History 1st National Flag

The First Official Flag of the Confederacy. Although less well known than the "Confederate Battle Flags",the Stars and Bars was used as the official flag of the Confederacy from March 1861 to May of 1863. The pattern and colors of this flag did not distinguish it sharply fom the Stars and Stripes of the Union. Consequently, considerable confusion was caused on the battlefield. [1]

The seven stars represent the original Confederate States; [1] 

• South Carolina (December 20, 1860), 
• Mississippi(January 9, 1861), 
• Florida (January 10,1861), 
• Alabama (January 11, 1861), 
• Georgia (January 19, 1861), 
• Louisiana (January 26, 1861), 
• Texas (February 1, 1861). 

Designed by German/Prussian artist Nicola Marschall in Marion, Alabama, and resembled the Flag of Austria, with which Marschall would have been familiar.[2][3] The "Stars and Bars" flag was adopted March 4, 1861, in the first temporary national capital of Montgomery, Alabama, and raised over the dome of that first Confederate capitol. Marschall also designed the Confederate army uniform.[3]

A monument in Louisburg, North Carolina, claims the "Stars and Bars" "was designed by a son of North Carolina / Orren Randolph Smith / and made under his direction by / Catherine Rebecca (Murphy) Winborne. / Forwarded to Montgomery, Ala. Feb 12, 1861, / Adopted by the Provisional Congress March 4, 1861".[4]

One of the first acts of the Provisional Confederate Congress was to create the Committee on the Flag and Seal, chaired by William Porcher Miles, a congressman and Fire-Eater from South Carolina. The committee asked the public to submit thoughts and ideas on the topic and was, as historian John M. Coski puts it, "overwhelmed by requests not to abandon the 'old flag' of the United States." Miles had already designed a flag that later became known as the Confederate Battle Flag, and he favored his flag over the "Stars and Bars" proposal. But given the popular support for a flag similar to the U.S. flag ("the Stars and Stripes" – originally established and designed in June 1777 during the Revolutionary War), the "Stars and Bars" design was approved by the committee.[5]

When the American Civil War broke out, the "Stars and Bars" caused confusion on the battlefield at the First Battle of Bull Run because of its similarity to the U.S. flag, especially when it was hanging limp, down on the flagstaff.[5] The "Stars and Bars" was also criticized on ideological grounds for its resemblance to the U.S. flag. Many Confederates disliked the Stars and Bars, seeing it as symbolic of a centralized federal power the Confederate states were seceding from.[6] As early as April 1861, a month after the flag's adoption, some were already criticizing the flag, calling it a "servile imitation" and a "detested parody" of the U.S. flag.[7] In January 1862, George William Bagby, writing for the Southern Literary Messenger, wrote that many Confederates disliked the flag. "Every body wants a new Confederate flag," Bagby wrote. "The present one is universally hated. It resembles the Yankee flag and that is enough to make it unutterably detestable." The editor of the Charleston Mercury expressed a similar view: "It seems to be generally agreed that the 'Stars and Bars' will never do for us. They resemble too closely the dishonored 'Flag of Yankee Doodle' … we imagine that the 'Battle Flag' will become the Southern Flag by popular acclaim." William T. Thompson, the editor of the Savannah-based Daily Morning News also objected to the flag, due to its aesthetic similarity to the U.S. flag, which for some Confederates had negative associations with emancipation and abolitionism. Thompson stated in April 1863 that he disliked the adopted flag "on account of its resemblance to that of the abolition despotism against which we are fighting."

Over the course of the flag's use by the Confederacy, additional stars were added to the flag's canton, eventually bringing the total number of stars on the flag to thirteen. This reflected the Confederacy's claims of having admitted Kentucky and Missouri into the Confederacy. Although they were represented in the Confederate Congress for the duration of its meetings, and had shadow governments made up of deposed former state politicians, neither state was ever fully controlled or administered by the Confederacy. The first showing of the 13-star flag was outside the Ben Johnson House in Bardstown, Kentucky; the 13-star design was also in use as the Confederate navy's battle ensign.

References

1. http://www.usflag.org/history/confederatestarsandbars.html
2. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1134?printable=true
3. https://archives.alabama.gov/marschall/german.html
4. https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/22/
5. Coski, John M. (2005). The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem. United States of America: First Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01722-1.
6. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/declaration-causes-seceding-states
7. https://web.archive.org/web/20140127072956/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/the-birth-of-the-stainless-banner/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Bonnie Blue Flag - Confederate History Flag of Secession

The “Bonnie Blue Flag” (also known as the "Lone Star Flag") is often linked to the Confederacy. However, the flag had its origins long before any southern state seceded from the Union. The first recorded use of this flag was in 1810 when it was used to represent the Republic of West Florida, a republic of English speaking inhabitants of southern Alabama, Mississippi, and portions of Louisiana east of the Mississippi River who rebelled against the reign of Spanish government and overthrew Spain’s provincial Governor de Lassus at Baton Rouge. The republic lasted barely three months, dissolved after the annexation of Louisiana’s portion of the disputed land to the United States territory. (1)

Next to "Dixie's Land," perhaps no other song was as well loved by the Confederate soldier as "The Bonnie Blue Flag." Written by Harry Macarthy (1834-1888) and sung to the old Irish tune "The Irish Jaunting Car," the song lays out the order of secession of the States that went on to form the Confederacy.   The first flag of the Confederacy was a single white star on a blue background. This song, especially popular in the South during the early years of the war, counts out the eleven seceding states one by one.  (2)

In May 1862, Union forces entered New Orleans and the city became one of the first occupied territories in the South during the Civil War. From May to December 1862, General Benjamin Butler ruled over the city. His legacy is marked by his severe social policies. General Order No. 40 states that “Any person who has in his possession...any property of any kind or description whatever, of the so-called Confederate States...shall be liable to imprisonment and to have his property confiscated.” With this order, owning or singing one of the most popular songs of the period became an act of treason. Arrest records from New Orleans papers reveal that men and women were regularly arrested for singing “Bonnie Blue Flag,” and were charged with a range of penalties, from a fine to time in the workhouse to a full pardon. (3)

The Bonnie Blue Flag (4)

by Harry McCarty

We are a band of brothers, and native to the soil
Fighting for our liberty, with treasure, blood, and toil,
And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears the single star

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

As long as the Union was faithful to her trust,
Like friends and like bretheren, kind we were and just
But now when northern treachery attempts our rights to mar
We hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

First, gallant South Carolina nobly made the stand,
Then came Alabama, who took her by the hand
Next, quickly Mississippi, Georgia and Florida
All raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears the single star

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

Ye men of valor gather round the Banner of the Right,
Texas and Louisiana, join us in the fight
Davis, our loved President, and Stephens, statemen rare
Now rally round the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears the single star

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

And here's to brave Virginia! The Old Dominion State
With the young Confederacy at length has linked her fate
Impelled by her example, now other States prepare
To hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

Then cheer boys, raise the joyous shout
For Arkansas and North Carolina now have both gone out
And let another rousing cheer for Tenneessee be given
The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag has grown to be eleven

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star

Then here's to our Confederacy, strong we are and brave
Like patriots of old, we'll fight our heritage to save
And rather than submit to shame, to die we would prefer,
So cheer for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears the single star

[chorus] Hurrah! Hurrah! for southern rights Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star


References

1. http://www.washingtonartillery.com/Def.htm
2. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/civil-war-music-bonnie-blue-flag
3. https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/806
4. http://www.loeser.us/flags/bonnie.html

My Dream and the Next Chapter of My Life

This is one big dream that will take much time and effort to realize...

With the selling of my last house and the leaving of my job as well I am in a very unique situation in that I now have the freedom to do pretty much anything. With this freedom comes the possibility of dreaming. The American Dream is to own a home; it is a dream that I have had and plan to have again. However unlike last time I have more options than I did. The options come in the form of more life experience to define what I do want and more money, at least at this moment, to start building with.

Idealistically I am looking for a sweet spot of housing/land prices and job market. 

I learned with the last house that cornering myself with a particular wage, which includes a particular job, just is not conductive to low stress. This is a lesson that I had learned from my parents and watching them struggle as I was growing up, but had not realized exactly how one gets into this position. Armed now with the information of how one gets into the position of needing a certain wage, aka job, or at least how I ended up there last time I am aiming to reduce the chances of it happening again.

This rolls into the job market and housing/land price sweet spot I am looking for. My goal is an area with a thriving, even if it appears to have high turn over, job market that I can purchase housing at a price that literally any job will do. What I mean by any job is minimum wage 32 hours a week or about $200 per week with an annual income of $10,400. That's not to say I won't look for better job opportunities or better pay, but that I am setting my minimum income requirement to that level and by doing so restricting the cost of the housing solution purchased to that level.

There are other factors that will pay into the final decision as well. Such as the neighborhood environment; Crime Rates, Appearance, etc. While I don't particularly care about who I live next to, I do recognize the danger of living alone in particular types of environments. Then there are certain political or moral views that I hold dear and my refusal to give money to those who oppose them. Even if that money is in the form of taxes.

The House Itself

I am human just like everyone else reading this blog. Which means that If I have the space I will fill it. So acknowledging this fact along with the desire to not live with others I am limiting my living space to around 800 square feet. My last house I had lived in for just about 9 years was 1,275 square feet and oh my did I have a lot of unneeded stuff that I had to figure out what to do with when it was time to move. Prior to listing the house I had limited my living area to only the master suite and living room, so I know this house size range will be just about right.

Building wise I am leaning towards something with a high efficiency rating, if I am going to build. To date I have looked at the Earth Ship Building, Sand Bag Building, Micro House, Compacted Earth Building, and Passive House Building designs. While I love the Earth Ship concept the most, on the practical side it does not quite measure up. Each of the Building Styles definitely have their place, but Passive House would be an easier modification for contractors/engineers to accommodate me on. A Passive House Building is also a building that I can build if I so choose. Earth Ships and Sand Bags are beyond my physical abilities due to the significantly higher labor requirements. The reality is that I will more than likely end up with a "mongrel" house that incorporates building styles from the different ones I know of based on the location of the house I get.

Another consideration I will have to account for is making the house suitable for disability. This requirement is do to my knee randomly, ok my pushing my luck sometimes, becoming difficult to use. When the knee is being difficult I have found that the disabled bathrooms are a god send, so this is information that will need to be included into my plans as well.

The Land

In order to garden I will need land. My folks are currently doing what is called row gardening on a quarter acre; Row Gardening is planting in rows. My prior experience is that of french intensive or square foot gardening, At my last house I had designed, with help from a book by Tom MacCubbin, a landscape that was not just visually appealing, but also productive. It is my goal to do the same at the new place, only with the above mentioned "kitchen" set in the middle-ish. Think something like the pleasure gardens of the castles of old. Another reason for square foot gardening is due to the random limits my knee places on me. A square foot garden plot is generally only 4 feet wide/deep making it easy to tend from the edges. Square foot gardening also allows for more food production per square foot of land than row gardening.

One thing I learned was that I do not like to interact with my neighbors when I am tending my garden. So for me to have a garden and be happy while tending it I will need enough room to erect some type of visual barrier around the perimeter of the property. My leaning at this time is for this barrier to be a shrub or bush type that produces a fruit or other consumable, but we will see.

Because I like to garden, am wanting to be able to put away the food produced, and the longest shelf life I know of is canning this means that I will need an out door kitchen of some type. Having grown up on acreage in Florida with the 2 state "birds" being mosquitoes and flys this "kitchen" area will be under cover with some type of bug screen.

Life Style

For the long term health of my body and maintaining my knee I need to look to a life style that is active, but gentle and very scale-able. By having a garden I have included a scale-able work load that will keep me fit and engaged as well as rendering food for myself. By producing my own food I become less dependent on stores; however without a well the cost of the food is actually higher, so a well is a must. Food is a big motivator for me. In addition to the gardening I am also hoping to start up an at home workout routine using resistance bands and one of those "yoga trapeze" looking "outfits". If the way my body is reacting to the activity at my folks farm is any indication the inclusion of a workout routine is something that is in the future for now, but goals are good.

Another aspect that I will have to keep in mind is my weight. While at this time I am about 35% body fat at almost 200 pounds, this is something that needs to be maintained. The activity required for gardening will help to curtail weight gain as well as the production of food at home reducing the amount of processed foods consumed. One of the courses I took to maintain my Personal Trainer status was on nutrition, I highly recommend all individuals to take a course on nutrition. The course highlighted that the best way to maintain and improve your body composition is through diet. The biggest contributor to being over weight is processed foods and an over reliance on meat both of which are very calorie dense foods. While a strict vegan or vegetarian diet is just not for me, incorporating a lot of their thought processes in my life will be happening. Some would say this is more of a European diet that I have in mind.

As per what I have been told, I am hitting that normal phase in life when I am becoming more interested in my chosen religion. This means that I am also looking at ways in which to incorporate my religion into my life without it being glaringly obvious that it is; I do like subtle. Which is almost the exact opposite of who I am according to some who know me. Everyone has their invisible friends and invisible forces they have faith in behaving in certain beneficial manners; I am no different.

With any luck I will be able to work for myself as well. With a goal income of $10,400 per year it is feasible that I can. Currently I am looking at the Cottage Industry as a possible means to fulfill this. I have an inclination for a few different cottager industries; selling honey, homemade pasta, and dried herbs. The most likely to start first is going to be the dried herbs as these will be a natural by product from using companion planting to control pests in my garden. Shortly after depending on a few variables either selling honey will be next or homemade pasta.

So that is my dream, only time will tell if I get to live it.

Passive Houses

NOTE: I am not a building professional in any sense of the meaning of the term. This is a research and educational document for myself.

A random click on a random YouTube Video sent me down a rabbit hole on Passive Houses. The short explanation of the Passive House concept is to significantly reduce the energy needed to maintain desirable conditions inside a structure using advanced building technology. The concept or origin of Passive Houses is from Germany.

One of the items used in the YouTube Video that caught my attention was the use of tape to secure and ensure the Water Restrictive Layer and Air Barrier Layer is sealed.(1) Of the, I don't know how many, videos I have watched of building various structures I did not recall the use of taping to seal these layers prior to finishing. Another interesting difference I noticed in the YouTube Video was the use of a Service Cavity.

Building Techniques Used:

1. Highly insulated building envelope (2)
2. High performance triple glazed windows (2)
3. Elimination of thermal bridges (2)
4. Continuous air sealed layer (2)
5. Heat recovery ventilation (2)

Highly Insulated Building Envelope - 5 Sections

The Building Envelope includes the walls, roof, floor, windows, and doors. 

Water Shedding Layer (1)

This layer is the outer most layer and its primary function is to prevent water from entering the building structure.

Water Restrictive Layer  (1)

This layer is directly behind the Water Shedding Layer. The Water Restrictive Layer's job is to restrict the amount of water able to gain access to the structures behind it. Conventional construction uses tar paper; in the YouTube Video (1) that caused the rabbit hole dive into the topic they use a particle board type of material.

Insulation Layer (1)

The Insulation Layer is the layer that has the buildings insulation in it and in the Passive House design mentioned in the YouTube this means 2 inch by 10 inch lumber on the exterior walls (1).

Air Barrier Layer (1)

The Air Barrier Layer prevents heat loss or gain through the movement of air into or out of a building.

Air barrier products may take several forms:

• Mechanically-attached membranes, also known as housewraps, usually a polyethylene-fiber or spun-bonded polyolefin, such as Tyvek is a generally accepted moisture barrier and an air barrier (ASTM E2178). (4)
• Self-adhered membranes, which are typically also a water-resistant barrier and a vapor barrier (4)
• Fluid-applied membranes, such as heavy-bodied paints or coatings including polymeric based and asphaltic based materials (4)
• Closed-cell medium density spray-applied polyurethane foam, which typically provides insulation as well (4)
• Some open-cell spray-applied polyurethane foam that are of high density (4)
• Boardstock, which includes 12 mm plywood or OSB, 25 mm extruded polystyrene, etc. (4)

Moisture Barrier Layer (1)

The Moisture Barrier Layer also called a vapor barrier (or vapour barrier) is any material used for damp proofing, typically a plastic or foil sheet, that resists diffusion of moisture through the wall, floor, ceiling, or roof assemblies of buildings to prevent interstitial condensation and of packaging. Technically, many of these materials are only vapor retarders as they have varying degrees of permeability. (4)

Service Cavity (1)

Instead of having the services, other wise known as electric cabling and water lines, in side of the insulation later; the Passive House Building Standard has a separate layer dedicated to them that is also insulated (1). A service cavity makes a certain amount of sense as it keeps you from having to penetrate the insulation layer to run or repair your services. This allows you to maintain the integrity of the building envelope much better than having the services ran in the insulation layer while possibly increasing the ease to repair said services.

Definitions

Water resistant and waterproof

Often refer to penetration of water in its liquid state and possibly under pressure (4) Under pressure, the water exploits butt joints, lap joints, nail holes, and other openings to flow inside (3). Even without wind, some water will migrate through tiny gaps to the back of siding through capillary action, the way water is siphoned up a stalk of celery.(3) This is true of brick, wood, and stucco, as well as the newest composite materials. (3)

Damp proof 

Refers to resistance to humidity or dampness. Permeation of water vapor through a material or structure is reported as a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR). (4)

Resources

1. https://youtu.be/Hz6qomFM_dw
2. https://www.phius.org/what-is-passive-building
3. https://inspectapedia.com/BestPractices/Water_Barriers_Exterior.php
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

RICO Act

RICO law refers to the prosecution and defense of individuals who engage in organized crime. In 1970, Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in an effort to combat Mafia groups. Since that time, the law has been expanded and used to go after a variety of organizations, from corrupt police departments to motorcycle gangs. RICO law should not be thought of as a way to punish the commission of an isolated criminal act. Rather, the law establishes severe consequences for those who engage in a pattern of wrongdoing as a member of a criminal enterprise. (1)

RICO allows for prosecution of all individuals involved in a corrupt organization. For mob prosecutions, that means that the government can go after top leadership as well as the hit men and capos. And RICO established much enhanced sentences, as well. John L. Smith described the impact of RICO in an article for the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "After RICO, mob families began to crack under the very real threat that members and associates could be indicted en masse for a wide range of criminal activity. ... [E]ven the strongest stand-up guy would have trouble fading the 20-year (and more) sentences that began accompanying RICO convictions." (2)

Criminal RICO

To violate RICO, a person must engage in a pattern of racketeering activity connected to an enterprise. The law defines 35 offenses as constituting racketeering, including gambling, murder, kidnapping, arson, drug dealing, bribery. Significantly, mail and wire fraud are included on the list. These crimes are known as "predicate" offenses. To charge under RICO, at least two predicate crimes within 10 years must have been committed through the enterprise. The crimes must be committed through an enterprise. (2)

RICO criminalizes three activities:

1. Using illegal income to acquire, establish, or operate an enterprise; (3)
2. Acquiring an interest in such an enterprise; and (3)
3. Using an enterprise to collect a debt. (3)

References

1. https://www.hg.org/rico-law.html

2. https://www.justia.com/criminal/docs/rico/

3. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1237/rico-laws

Expectations - Rambling

We all have expectations, of ourselves, of others, of life. Some are good at having realistic expectations, others not so much.

Right now I feel that I should be writing some seriously deep philosophical pieces, yet all I get from my brain is ....

Truth is I am tired. Very Very Tired. And I have been working on this tired for years. Constantly finding the energy, means, whatever was needed to get the job done. Kicking the proverbial can down the road just a little farther, digging deeper and finding more water in a well that had gone dry.

13 Years at a job that has ultimately destroyed more relationships than made for a house I owned for 9 years. However that sacrifice is also affording me much. I have had a materially comfortable life for most of that time, even if I was not able to participate in Life as I would have liked. Now That the house has sold and the job is ending the sacrifices made could allow me the ability to leverage them to a better life.

One of the biggest things the motorcycle accident February 16, 2018 did was give me time to think, to breathe. One of the biggest things my soon to be gone job does not afford me much of is time and space to think, to breathe. I can honestly say I now understand the Phrase "stop and smell the roses." It is this understanding that has me chaffing quite a bit as the days at my soon to be former job count down.

My hope with this new start on life and the harvest of the prior years is to set myself up so that I am not beholden to a job or a pay rate, but rather any job with sufficient hours or pay will do. Maybe with a little luck I will also be able to have my own business and with a little more luck that business can be something that feeds my soul rather than leaving me a haggard mess.

It is the understanding of what owning a "successful" business does to a person that has allowed me to work this soon to be former job. But my definition of success is different and more importantly I know it now at least. Success for me is not the fancy nor the expensive. Success for me will be the ability to go and do those things that feed my soul, while being able to provide the basics for myself.

But I get the drive for the expensive stuff, it is a trap, but I get it. The more expensive stuff you have or the more money you have the bigger the divide between what is uncomfortable and what is comfortable. The longer between the need to live hand to mouth, yet many would be probably surprised at how much those who have "money" are close to having less. Not to mention how much less they really have.

One thing I learned from working my soon to be former job, is that those who I work for will rarely, if ever, know what it is like to have a real friend. Those who I have worked for really only have alliances. The bad thing is that this mentality has spilled, as it is prone to do, over into those who have less. More and more I see people building alliances based off of the perceived value of a person based on what they have that is immediately needed, than true long lasting friendships.

Friends and Injury

I wasn't quite sure what to title this one...

There is that old saying/adage that to some effect says that you know who your friends are when  you are at your lowest. I have some awesome friends. I have learned the validity of that saying many times over in the last bit of time.

What I didn't realize, and know a lot of people probably don't realize, is that we start to dismiss people when they are recovering. We see them get to a certain point and seem to say "ah they can take it from here." The friends I have kept in my life haven't.

Something else I also realized is that healing comes in phases and hills and valleys.

You have the very first phase, the one when you have a health care team working to get you healed ... to a certain point. That point is the point in which further contact is not needed, because you are at a point in which you have reached maximum possible recovery based on their medical standards. Most health care providers will happily see you past this point, but are also willing to not see you.

Then you have the second phase, it is still quite obvious there is something not quite right here and you need help. This is probably the easiest phase, ironically. Here you are healed enough that you can pretty much function on your own, but not quite and it is obvious. This phase is easiest because you can function on your own and others constantly ask or volunteer to help because it is still obvious that you need help. Also typically by the time you get to this phase the injury is still fresh and new in everyone's minds, your support network isn't tired yet.

The next phase, which is where I am now I think, you pretty much can appear "normal" with some slight aberrations or abnormalities, but this differences are with in what people consider acceptable. So for the most part people forget that you do have non normal limits, some of this is also my fault in that I do not like to show how difficult some things are for me.

It is this last phase that I think is where people get stuck and where those outside the experience of the injured often apply negative labels. It would be easy to get stuck here, as an injured person, because I have most of my ability to function normally back and can either think my way around the rest or have the means to pay for someone to do it.