Some of the jewelry I found this year so far

Testing The MineLab Excalibur Underwater Metal Detector

By Don Barthel

Make no mistake, the new Excalibur is the best yet, with improvements that include new coils, new headphones, and a modification of the lower staff. The electronics (BBS, simultaneous 17 discrete frequencies technology) remain the same, however. Other differences include color (dark blue casing), case-to-battery fit, and sealing changes. The test seemed to start off great. Before going to Kauai, Hawaii I went to a local beach and found a lady's 14K emerald & diamond ring. Well... not quite. The “emeralds” were Mexican jade, and the baguettes were not diamonds. What at first looked like a $300+ ring suddenly plunged to about $15 in gold! At least it's marked “14K.” Right after that, I dug an 8" piece of sheet metal and promptly cut my right thumb in two places. As a result, my detecting was terminated for over a week, until I arrived in Kauai.

After several hours of operation, the new headphones developed significantly lowered volume. However, since I was in a good spot and the Excalibur was still producing, I continued hunting. Ken Davico of Kapaa, Kauai, a superb professional detectorist, had recently pointed out that his new Excalibur 1000 really shines when working the cracks in the high iron content, black lava rocks. “By hunting in 'Disc' at minimum sensitivity,” he explained, “I can pick out the gold rings and coins. My two other brands of detectors cannot.”





Although I found no gold, my coin count ($26) and other finds— five silver rings, two earrings and a silver Madonna money clip— were above average. This success came despite much more competition from locals like Dave, and the fact that there were fewer tourists to generate targets. After concluding this round of testing, I contacted Minelab, and they checked out the unit at their Tempe, Arizona facility. After another eight hours of use, the stem developed a crack and separated just above the attach point on the coil. Since I have the older model Excalibur (and a new Sovereign XS), I thought I'd just switch parts. However, I discovered that, due to redesigning, interchange ability isn't always an option. Some parts from the older models just don't fit this new one.

To Minelab's credit, changing the lower staff to one piece solves a work-loose problem that I pointed out in an earlier Excalibur field test (June '97 W&ET). Also, everything I said in that report still goes: it's a great detector! I also made the suggestion to change the Pinpoint/ Disc switch so that it can be operated with the hand holding the machine, and that's still something I'd like to see. It's hard to switch back and forth if you're carrying or dragging a large scoop, especially in the water.



The new coils are great, although they don't slide through the water quite the same as the older model SeaSearch coil does. The new Excalibur is available with either a 10" or 8" coil. The 10" coil is a definite improvement, going slightly deeper and providing greater coverage and improved sensitivity. During testing, I compared the new 8" coil (actually 7-1/2") installed on my Sovereign XS to the 10" coil on the new Excalibur. (The electronics and operating characteristics of these units are vir-tually identical.) In moderately heavy mineralized sand, both coils would detect a nickel at 10" very faintly, although response with the 10" coil was a tad louder. In my “hunting” mode, I would probably miss both signals; but with the nickel 9" deep, I would probably catch both signals. In summary, the 10" coil has a slight edge in depth and a big edge in coverage. On the other hand, the 8" is much lighter. Both are highly recommended.

One thing you'll notice about the Excalibur is its weight, due to the 200' depth rating which dictates a heavy-duty casing, a hefty battery pack, and the weighted neutral- buoyancy coils. Because of this, you'll probably prefer to use it as a hipmount out of the water. Minelab doesn't offer a hip-mount kit, but there are a few aftermarket units available. The ones I've seen involve substituting a piece of tubing for the staff and tying the resulting shorter unit around the waist. If you are going to use your Excalibur out of the water, a waist or hip mount will be a welcome addition to your equipment. However, in the water, moving slowly, this detector is a joy to use as it's— really in its element. So, for the water, I recommend leaving it in stock form; and if swimming, utilize the supplied shorter lower stem piece.



The new headphones, another major change, feature a lower, more pleasing tone. These headphones will still come off in the surf, however. The cure is a stocking cap or dive hood over the whole thing; then you can bounce around in the surf as much as you want. Ed Grella of Eastern Detector Sales in Fairfield, Connecticut suggested I pass along the following tips from a phone conversation we had: The Excalibur talks! By that I mean that the target signals generated in discriminate mode are unique and communicate in four different ways:

1. They vary in length of the sound caused by the target's size and shape. A long sound may indicate an aluminum can, while a coin signal will be short.

2. They vary in pitch (high or low) according to field density. I can hear about seven different pitches in the discriminate mode. Silver is at the high end; foil, thin aluminum pieces, etc. are at the low end. Iron is silent. Gold can be anywhere, depending on alloy content, (10-14-18K) and size. Most small gold rings give a low pitch, at or below that of a nickel.

3. They vary in tonal quality according to the strength and length of the targets magnetic field. By this I mean that the signal could be a buzzzzz or a beeeeep at the same pitch.

4. The signals vary in volume (loud or faint) according to target size and depth.

Click Here to purchase the Excalibur 1000



Finally, the discriminate mode signal can be a very distinctive combination of the above. Not many detectors “talk” in all-metal mode. The Excalibur does, using a single pitch. Nails are very distinctive. For example, a sweep of a lengthwise nail produces two beeps. A nail beep may sound fuzzy when starting &/or ending. Generally, all iron signals are slightly fuzzy at the beginning and end. A nail may start low and end up louder (beeEEP), or the other way around. It may have a r-r-i-IP type of sound. Very few non-iron targets r-r-ii- p. Still, always check a target in discriminate mode. One in 20 times you may be surprised with a good signal. Coins on edge will occasionally doublebeep.

I wish I could have had a Minelab Excalibur while nuggetshooting in Western Australia in 1984. You might think that the Excalibur is inappropriate for finding gold nuggets; however, you would be amazed at the tiny, BB-size targets I've chased around (with both the new 8" and 10" coils) because they were too small or the scoop. Also, the Excalibur handles heavy mineralization interference better than any other VLF detector. I've said for years that the BBS technology is capable of finding bigger nuggets deeper than current single-frequency machines. There have been many Minelab Sovereign BBS detector gold nugget finds in Australia, and some here in the States, too. (The Sovereign is a non-waterproof version of the Excalibur.)



I use the following set of rules to determine whether to dig a target when using the Minelab Excalibur on the beach or in the water:

After detecting a target in all-metal mode, switch to discriminate.

1. Obviously, if you get a good, loud signal in “discriminate,” dig.

2. In discriminate mode, if you get no change or reaction, but a steady threshold signal (following a faint signal in all-metal mode), dig a few inches and then try again. Actually, this is a sign that the target is a good one. Dig until you get close enough to get a reaction in discriminate.

3. Still, if the above allmetal signal is short, sharp, and positive, but the target still causes silence in discriminate mode, I dig it. Small gold rings will discriminate out if they are deep in a moderately mineralized environment.

4. If the target discriminates or nulls out (silent threshold), but the returning signal comes back lower in pitch, dig. A lower-pitched signal after a null will occur more often than a higher one. I dig the higher ones also. Again, this situation is caused by a uniquely mineralized environment, common in the Los Angeles to San Diego area.

5. If the signal in either mode is scratchy, crackles, or is just generally weird, I think “gold chain” and dig carefully. Usually it will turn out to be a small piece of foil or aluminum from a can. Bottle caps vary immensely in content, and the signal from one can crackle or be solid.

Ed, who lives on Long Island Sound, says that although the waves there seldom exceed 2', targets get exposed and buried regularly by sand movement in the Sound, just like anywhere else. There are plenty of tides and currents that move the sand around, transporting and covering targets. In that environment, for the deeper targets, he likes to hunt in discriminate mode.

These conditions are just the opposite from the situation in the San Diego area. In a heavy nail zone at La Jolla, for example, I sometimes hunt in discriminate mode. The Excalibur truly offers a wide range of detecting options to cover all the different in-ground environments. The depth of the discriminate mode, as compared with all-metal mode, varies from beach to beach. At La Jolla Shores, there is not much difference; yet 20 miles south at Imperial Beach, all-metal goes much deeper. Remember, it takes a particular frequency to penetrate a particular environment. That's why Minelab's 17-frequency BBS technology excels!



The Excalibur's narrow double-D coil is very good at separating good targets out of an iron-contaminated area. With a fore-to-aft, 1" wide detecting field that extends straight from the front of the coil to the back, it's like a vertical butcher knife blade. In my opinion, a conventional inverted cone-shaped concentric-would coil's field cannot separate close targets as well. Also, the double-D field's rectangular shape (looking from the side) covers more than twice as much ground volume than the concentric coil's cone-shaped field with each side-to-side swing. Minelab's double-D coils are more expensive to manufacture and also incorporate a built-in transmitter.

The bottom line is, you get what you pay for!

DON BARTHEL is the author of The Beach Hunter's Guide, from Beginner to Pro. Detecting since 1972, he says “Now with the computer age and the lightning-fast advancement of detector technology, it's even more enjoyable!

The Loss And Salvage Of The 1733 Treasure Fleet

www.atocha1622.com/TreasureQuest/THE%20LOSS%20AND%20SALVAGE%20OF%20THE%201733%20TREASURE%20FLEET.htm

A Few Simple Coin Cleaning Tricks

Some Coin Cleaning Methods

From Jonathan (UK) :

It feels great to clean coins with stuff from around the house as it's sort of 'free' but often it really doesn't do the job, especially when the coin may be fragile, rare, etc.
The choice of best cleaning agents depend on what environment the coin has come from and what the over-lying layer is composed of. I can only speak from experience of coins from standard soil found in the UK which varies from sandy / peat / clay based. A specialist cleaning material based upon a 10% Sodium Hexametaphosphate / 90% good old water is excellent for soaking and will dissolve / loosen most deposits in a matter of minutes. Clean bronze / silver objects separately and take the coin / artifact out regularly to inspect removal of deposit and aid with soft bristle brush (old toothbrush). Once most of the calcium based deposits have come off I like to let the item dry. Bronze can then be brushed lightly with bristle brush and either dipped in molten micro crystalline wax or given light wipe with olive oil / petroleum jelly. This seals the surface to stop oxidation that is found (esp. 'bronze disease' on bronze / copper coins) and enhances the surface patina color. If the surface details are very slight on any type of coin (usually lowers value so no harm..) I rub with abrasive pencil eraser to lighten raised details to stand out from darker background. Silver coins can have final cleaning with neat trick (esp. good on medieval hammered coins from Europe)- take aluminum cooking foil, lay coin on flat piece of foil, spit (I kid you not!!) on coin and fold foil over to cover coin. Hold coin gently between finger and thumb and wait until heat generates (chemical reaction with surface deposits) you may also notice smell of rotten eggs. Do not leave too long or coin may be damaged - a little at a time is always best when cleaning. GENTLY wash and rub coin between finger and thumb and any legend details should stand out bright and shiny against a slighter darker background. I sometimes enhance the toning by application of very small amount of black shoe polish / wax then rub off again.

Sorry so long but hope that may be useful.




From Andy Sabich:

We used these methods on several coins we found with great results.

I picked up an interesting trick from a fellow treasure hunter in Spain when my family and did some detecting there last summer on Roman sites. He works for the University and knows many of the archeologists there and what they do is one of the following:

1. Soak the coins in distilled water and then put them in the freezer. The water will have gotten into the dirt and the ice crystals expand and break the dirt apart. Several repetitions will be needed to completely remove the dirt; however, it does not damage the coin.

2. Spread a layer of Elmers white glue over the coin with the coin laying on a piece of wax paper. Let the glue dry and then pull it off the coin. Again, a layer of dirt will be pulled from the coin without damaging it. It will require several tries to clean it completely.


The Mayors Cleaning Method

For getting black tarnish off silver and also works well on nickels.
You need to go to the grocery store and pick up a box of Arm & Hammer washing soda
(not baking soda) available in the laundry detergent dept. Take a sheet of aluminum foil and fold it
into a strip about 2 inches wide. Place it in the bottom of a glass container and place the coins on top of it. Put a couple tablespoons of the washing soda over it and pour in boiling water till its covered with about an inch of water. When it stops fizzing take the coins out and rinse with water, or to shine them up nicely rub with a paste of baking soda and water.

Diggin History #36 - Old abandoned school site in the woods metal detecting

The Legend of Chief Namekagon's Lost Silver Mine

After the old Indian was found dead near Marengo Station people believed the secret of the mine's location died with him...but did it?  www.atthecreation.com/chief.namkag/%20silver.mine.html

New York Treasure Hunters - Take Note!

Although not strictly a New York Treasure Hunting site by any means, This Russian dude has EXTENSIVE Experience hunting some of the best spots to swing a Metal Detector in the WORLD!! I really love this site, I think you will to ... Check it out!  metaldetectingworld.com/detecting_in_usa.shtml

Metal Detecting the Beach after Hurricane Bill OcMd Aug 23 2009

silver coins sales are stronger than ever

If you like Silver Eagle Bullion coins as much as I do, check this out ... www.numisone.com/piraino

New Hampsire Gold Panning Tips and Locations for Finding Gold

Yankee Gold!!

The Lost Gold Bars Of Camp McKinney

Our story began on a clear August morning in 1896 as George McAuley climbed into a buckboard at Camp McKinney’s, a dusty little B.C. gold mining town. McAuley, co-owner of the famous Cariboo Amelia mine, was visiting for a few days from Spokane, Washington, and had decided to make the journey. On the floor boards behind him, concealed in saddlebags, were three gold bars with a combined weight of 656 ½ ounces. This represented the monthly clean-up of the mine, which, after delivery to Midway, was trans-shipped to the San Francisco mint. Forgoing the customary precaution of an armed guard, McAuley headed the buckboard up the dusty single street between unpainted frame buildings and out of town. The date: Tuesday, August 18, 1896.As he rounded a turn near McMynn’s Meadows, about two or three miles from Camp, he jerked his team to a sudden stop. Barring the road, Winchester at the ready, stood a masked bandit. The robber motioned for McAuley to throw down the saddlebags. McAuley, who may have been reckless for leaving town without an escort, wasn’t completely stupid. Though armed, he could see the obvious disadvantage of arguing with a loaded rifle, and promptly threw down the bags. "Now drive on and don’t turn back," warned the robber. Whipping the team to a gallop, he proceeded down the trail for about a mile, where he found a spot wide enough to turn the buckboard, and hastened back to Camp to spread the alarm. When McAuley’s partner, James Monahan, was notified of the robbery, his first act was a quick check of all the mining personnel. Everyone was accounted for, Monahan then sent McAuley for the Provincial Police stationed at Midway, while he organized a posse and headed for the scene of the robbery. A superficial search of the site and surrounding woods failed to unearth any new leads, however, and they returned to town. Later that afternoon Constables William McMynn and Isaac Dinsmore arrived at Camp McKinney and, after asking some routine questions, were taken to the actual scene of the robbery. It was Dinsmore who apparently discovered the empty saddlebags which had been missed by the previous searchers. They also unearthed "some soda biscuits, apples, some raw fresh eggs, part of a bottle of whiskey, and a bottle half filled with water." This was reasoned to be the robber’s good cache as he waited in ambush. These articles shed no new light on the mystery, however. There was nothing substantial to go on, and for some time a lull developed in which no new leads were uncovered. Because of the isolation of Camp McKinney (it could be reached by only two roads), it was deemed impossible for a robber to flee the area. Yet, the general feeling now was that he had a clean getaway. Rewards totaling $3,500 were then posted by the mining company, $2,000 for the arrest and conviction of the guilty party, and $1,500 for the recovery of the bullion. The reward money again stimulated interest, and it wasn’t long after that the Company received their first big break. It came in the form of a letter addressed to Monahan, and was later published in the November 14, 1896 issue of the Grand Forks Miner. It read: I met a man in a saloon in Oroville at about the end of May. We fell to drinking together and he told me that his name was Matthew Roderick, from Spokane, that he was very hard up and on his way to get the bullion from Camp McKinney, an easy job, he said. He had a gun, a Winchester I think, and was going to stage a holdup. He liked the way I held my liquor, said I’d be one with a cool head and wanted me to come in with him on the job. I didn’t want to. Roderick said he was a dead shot and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I revealed what passed between us that night. "We went to Camp Mckinney where we both got work. After we had been working three months, and nothing happened, I left for Trail Creek late in August. After I’d been there three days I read an account of the robbery of the Camp McKinney bullion in the Spokesman Review, so I thought I’d better let you know about Roderick." Armed with fresh information, Monahan did some quick checking and soon verified the fact that a man named Roderick had been in the mine’s employ at that time. He also learned that Roderick was far from being a model worker. Each week after collecting his pay he would indulge in one of the frequent poker games held at Cameron’s Saloon. He never left the game until he was broke, often ignoring his shift for two or three days in the process. Roderick had lived in a small cabin on the outskirts of the town. On the day of the robbery, and for a few days previous, he had been absent from work suffering from back ailment. Several days after the robbery he had decided to return to his Seattle home to recuperate. The miners, feeling sorry for the ailing Roderick, had passed the hat and collected $84 for his passage home. Those who recalled seeing him leave were convinced he had taken only a blanket with him. In those days it was recognized as a sign of respectability for a man to travel with his own blankets. Further investigation revealed several old whiskey bottles in a dump behind Roderick’s cabin bearing the same label as those discovered near the scene of the robbery. This, and other clues indicated that Roderick was their man. The Cariboo Mining Company promptly enlisted the aid of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Washington to keep Roderick under surveillance. They had no difficulty locating him as he was listed in the Seattle directory as a civil engineer. The Pinkertons even had a lady operative move in next to Rodericks. In neighborly chit-chat she eventually learned that, since returning from British Columbia, Roderick had paid up some back taxes and had taken out a $3,000 insurance policy, a neat trick for a man who left Camp McKinney under the charity of the miners. Certain Roderick was their man, and convinced that he had only managed to smuggle out the smaller bar (worth $1,600), they continued their vigilance. Then one day, unaware that the information would lead to his eventual death, Mrs. Roderick announced that her husband was preparing to leave on a business trip "one that will make us rich," she said. Unconscious of his being followed, Roderick traveled by train to Loomis, Washington, where he purchased a gray saddle horse and rode north for the B.C. boundary. Matthew was apparently returning for his stolen loot. The town was a fever of activity in preparation for his arrival. Armed men were positioned at strategic vantage points around Bald Mountain, guarding every approach. Tom Graham, and an Indian called Alexine (or Long Alex), were hidden at the forks of the Sidley and Fairview Roads. From this vantage point they commanded an excellent view of the surrounding countryside. That evening, October 26, 1896, the suspect was observed making his way up the dusty mountain road toward them. Alexine was immediately dispatched to town to give the alarm. Two Provincial Constables, Louis Cuppage and R.W. Dean were in Cameron’s Saloon with Superintendent Keane when the Indian burst in with the news. Arming themselves, they set off down the trail. It was then about 10:00 P.M. Outside, thick clouds obscured the moon in what was reported as being "one of the blackest nights of the year." The small party had been walking about a mile when they perceived an object on the road, however the utter darkness made it impossible to distinguish what the object was, so they continued cautiously. After walking a bit further they heard horses hooves approaching. The men stopped and waited, the blackness engulfing them. Suddenly Keane was heard to ask, "Is that you Matt?" There was a death-like silence for perhaps a half a minute, after which the night was shattered by a loud shot. Dean, fearing Roderick had felled Keane, fired his rifle at the dark figure of a man he had glimpsed in the flash of the preceding shot. His shot was expended for nothing, however, for it had been Keane’s weapon that had spoken earlier. His bullet had entered Roderick just below the left chest, penetrated the heart, and lodged in the back muscles. Dean’s bullet had been fired at the already dead, falling body of Roderick. Roderick’s rifle, which Keane later testified had been aimed at him, was found to contain a rag stuffed in the muzzle. But it, and the pistol recovered from the body was covered with rust, indicating they had just been unearthed. A small amount of money was also found on the body. Under Roderick’s coat was discovered a special vest with two pockets, one under each armpit, large enough to accommodate the two large gold bars. There was no sign of the bullion, however, and it was believed that Roderick was returning to the secret cache when he was killed. A coroner’s inquest into Roderick’s death, held at Camp McKinney on November 11, 1896, decided it was a case of "justifiable homicide," and exonerated Keane of all blame. Regardless, he was brought to trial in Vernon in June, 1897 on a manslaughter charge, and found guilty. However, the judge, Chief Justice McCall, said: "You have been found guilty in a technical and legal sense," and sentenced him to one day in jail, which Keane had already served, and he was thereby released. Roderick’s death left many unanswered questions, and the author, in an effort to determine first the validity of the story, and secondly if the treasure does exist, began to sift through most sources of information. That the robbery took place, and the gold bricks were never recovered, is a matter of record and undisputed fact, although it was generally believed that Roderick had managed to smuggle out the smaller bar. However, there are some discrepancies. Despite reports by various writers that the McKinney bullion shipments were "shrouded in mystery" and "escorted under armed guards," this simply was not the case. Two newspapers of the period make that all too clear. The Grand Forks Miner, August 22, 1896, wrote: "These shipments have been made regularly for months past, and the public always knew within a day or two of the exact time at which they would pass through, so the only surprise created by the holdup is that it had not happened before." And the September 5, 1896 issue of the Province dispelled all rumors of an armed guard when they wrote: "The robber’s success is not in any way a cause for surprise. What is astonishing is that some enterprising scoundrel had not had a try at ‘raising the wind’ at the expense of so small an amount of labor or difficulty. Ever since gold was first produced from the Cariboo Mine, bullion had been carried out as if it were of no more value than so much yellow bacon, without the slightest care or precaution being taken to guard for its arrival at its destination." So much for the reported secrecy and security. Another point which many writers seem to disagree on, is who actually drove the buckboard on that fateful morning 100 years ago, McAuley or Keane? For the record, it was McAuley, as verified by the same issue of the Province. "Mr. G.B. McAuley, of Spokane, secretary of the Cariboo Mining Company, was ‘held up’ by a masked robber on his return from the mine in charge of three gold bricks." Some writers claim that candles, matches and goggles were taken from Roderick’s body shortly after his death. Acting on this, they suggest that he buried the bullion in one of the numerous old water-filled shafts. This could not be confirmed, but it seems highly unlikely that Roderick would go to such elaborate measures to hide gold when he was pressed for time. It seems more likely that he would bury it in a convenient, safe spot between the scene of the robbery and the town. One thing is puzzling, however. Roderick’s rifle and pistol, rusty and dirt-covered, were definitely buried. It seems odd that he would bury weapons in one location and the gold in another, when it would be more convenient to inter them together. If this was so, and not realizing he was under suspicion, Roderick may have planned to visit the town for a day or two before retrieving the treasure on his way out. Or perhaps he was indeed on the way to recover it when fatally shot. All this is supposition, of course. But the robbery did take place, and the gold has never been recovered. And at today’s prices the two remaining gold bars are worth over $190,000. Camp McKinney is deserted now. Even the ghosts have gone. Only a few piles of decaying lumber and an occasional log cabin mark its passing. A dusty, but good, gravel road leads to it from Rock Creek and passes through what was once its main street. Somewhere around here are two gold bars worth $190,000. They are probably buried in a shallow hole, and should be easy to detect with a good metal detector. However, getting close enough to detect them may be another question.

Finding HMS Ontario's grave - thestar.com

Finding HMS Ontario's grave - thestar.com

Metal Detecting - Digging a Coin

Some good practical tips!!!

Metal Detectors Podcast!!

This is a pretty cool site I found today, check it out!
danhughes.libsyn.com/index.php?post_category=treasure

What Is The Threshold For Revolution?

Several years ago we witnessed a strange and unexpected event between a dog and a cat. A fairly good sized German Shepherd spotted a much smaller, black house cat and broke into a dead run after the cat. The cat, startled by the dog and now instantly charged with adrenalin, struck off down the street as fast as he could go, in a black blur.

Now a dog chasing a cat is hardly news, but it was what the cat did that drastically altered the outcome of the chase. About a few seconds into the chase, the cat, without regard to the consequences, suddenly turned 180 degrees and planted five sharp claws on the dogs nose as the dog, trying to stop, ran into the cat. The dog turned tail and bolted up the street, yelping in pain, as he fled into the distance. The cat simply decided it had had enough and “esplained” it to the dog (bully), by punctuating his message of displeasure with the weapons with which nature had armed him.

The episode brought to mind our current dilemma. The dog (bully government) has been “chasing” the cat (the American people) for the last 80 to 100 years and the “cat” has yet to turn 180 degrees and punctuate its message of displeasure on the “dog”, with the weapons with which nature and our constitution have armed us.

It took over 150 years (1620 to 1775) for the colonials to grow tired of the British government and turn on them, no matter what the consequences. Their brave, courageous and some say fool hardy actions, gave birth to a unique kind of freedom, at great cost. The British were many, heavily armed, outfitted and organized. The colonials were poorly armed and disorganized ….. in reality an unruly, unregulated and untrained militia.

Throughout the battles and skirmishes during the revolution, many feared that victory would never be theirs to celebrate and defeat would come with even greater injustices, intimidation and retribution on the colonials, at the hands of the King’s men. Some say providence turned the tide. Other’s say the French, who hated the British and helped the Americans because of it, snatched the King’s victory right out from under his Generals’ noses. Perhaps both are right.

But like the dog chasing the cat, the difference that characterized the American Revolution was what the Americans did. They had finally had enough and “esplained” it to the British (bully), by punctuating their message of displeasure with the weapons with which nature, bravery and courage had armed them.

We may rightfully ask, what, in the instance of the cat being chased by the dog, caused the cat to turn on the dog, even though the dog was five times the size of the cat? And along the same lines, what was the catalyst that caused the colonials to turn on the British, even though the colonials were much smaller in number, armament and training? We believe that the catalyst is of the same substance from which heroes are born on the battlefield and it finds its roots in two human emotions, anger and self preservation. Anger and self preservation are the motivation for a corresponding response to any threat.

It was the cat, without regard to his own life, who turned on the dog. It was the colonials, without regard to their safety and security, who turned on the British because they stepped outside of the main stream, the rational and the accepted to overcome their fear. They resisted abusive authority, no matter what the cost. The cat turning on the dog was a form of individual heroism. The American revolution came in the form of collective heroism.

Not a single living, two or four-legged organism (don’t know about micro organisms, plants and trees) on Earth likes to be pushed around, chased or bullied. They in fact, have an all-consuming desire to be free. In most cases, the natural reaction to bullying is anger and results in either fight or flight, depending on how nature has armed them.

Our situation in America is different, however. Because of the undaunted bravery of the colonials and the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, we do not have to resort to violence to “esplain” it to the bully. We need only use the tools with which nature has armed us, our intellect, high morals and values, along with the foundation of liberty embedded in our Constitution and we will reverse the destructive path we are currently taking into abject socialism and ultimately, enslavement.

Today, the American people are still capable of collective heroism and the challenge to abusive authority, just as they were during the birth of our freedom some 233 years ago. We see the growing signs of that emerging heroism almost every day now. That those in government are becoming aware of this rising tide, is evident by their irrational panic to pass more controlling legislation before all Hell breaks loose.

Let us emphasize that there is no other country like America and there are no people like the American people, anywhere on earth. Freedom is burned into their souls and as the cat who turned on the dog, the brave ones, the collective American heroes, will not let freedom die, no matter what it takes to preserve it.

So we say to those who oppose individual liberty, the gift from our creator, we are right and you are wrong, because freedom is right and slavery is wrong. We also say to those who work to tear down America’s liberty, sovereignty and its moral and ethical values, let the games begin. In the end, we have no doubt that we shall prevail, just like we prevailed on the day that freedom was born when “….. a shot was fired, a shot heard ’round the world”.

Stand steady and strong. Tyranny and corruption will be challenged on all fronts. The threshold for a peaceful American revolution is at hand.

~ The Author ~
Ron Ewart is the President of The National Association of Rural Landowners and may reached for comment via email at r.ewart@comcast.net.

Tons of Silver: a tale of a lost silver mine

Tons of Silver: a tale of a
lost silver mine

Maroon News - The Loomis Gang And The Ghost Of Wash Loomis

Maroon News - The Loomis Gang And The Ghost Of Wash Loomis