Is Anybody There?

[warblerab]

"Does anybody see what I see?" Yes Mr.  Adams, I do!

[postaldragon123]

OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!

[ZeitgeistWI]

The only patriots left in our nation are not politicians or Democrats or Republicans or from the left or the right, they are the people of our nation. Not hyphenated Americans but AMERICANS joined in one struggle to preserve our union and the ideals that founded our nation. If you can go without labelling yourself as anything other than American, you too can be a patriot and God knows, we need patriots now. Protect our liberties, protect freedom and our nation be an American again!

[netcinema]

Oh No! A Zeitgeist!!! Ruuuunnn!

[CassandraMotou]

mchngwa63: True, but it still applies today, does it not? I know many, on both sides of the proverbial fence, who seem to have lost the ideals that inspired this song and others. John Adams was right when he said that our government would tear itself to pieces with partisanship.

Flowbee79: Fantastic montage, this. Well done.

[Flowbee79]

You're right

[Flowbee79]

Go Obama

[chachi09321]

GO REPUBLICANS

[Pfisiar22]

I think most Republicans need a refresher course on what America is.

For most of them, I think, America exist only to serve Christian fundamentalists.

[comvic20]

I don't think you know many republicans then. I am a lifelong conservative republican who is not scared by fundamentalist rhetoric, but who isn't swayed by it either. We ALL do well when we think of ALL as Americans, not just those we agree with. This is perfect in its sentiment - That all are proud of what we can be and sometimes are - and that despite our severe disagreements we can still come together as AMERICANS. I love this song!!

[blondbmshll04]

you can picture John McCain singing this about oil indepedance

[Flowbee79]

Not really. McCain is not exactly the guy I see when listening to this, but rather John Adams himself or rather the spirit he espoused for his countrymen through his work, brilliance, and character. Kind of like a guiding spirit overseeing the United States or rather the American of today, man or woman.

[mercrono]

It's so easy to imagine Ron Paul singing these exact same words today, excepting the comments about England, of course. It is entirely fitting that John Adams' championing the ideals of the American Revolution against all odds would be placed against the background of today's mainstream political leaders. Is anybody there, indeed.

[blondbmshll04]

I agree with you

[cnldcg8480]

I agree too

[MacrossSD]

You can keep your "I love mah America" simplistic country songs -- THIS is the real deal in terms of patriotic songs.

"I see Americans -- ALL Americans

Free forever more!"

Thanks for the beautiful vid, Flowbee!

[dave777blaster]

who dares believe a rag tag army of farmers beat the mighty British at the height of their power.and even though the treaty with King George

all dictated by King George who's terms were met by your groveling forefathers.I see clear can you ,if you do not then go read the original treaty with King George.and then tell me of your audacity to think different than I.IRS ,FED are the instruments to pay your tally to Merry old England .there is no slave more enslaved than one that thinks he is free

[Flowbee79]

Anyway, yeah, at the behest of someone in the Nixon Administration or someone who was friendly towards the Administration, the TV channel that was showing the movie nixed that scene, because Nixon saw the parellels between conservatives then and conservatives of his time, that it mocked his base. Nixon worked for the HUAAC, so attacking a piece of art just on its content, rather than just changing the channel, was a natural reaction for him. I am glad he at least saw the parallels.

[rcibnmd]

Did you see the complete version on AMC on July 4th? I didn't realize so much of the movie was cut out after Nixon's screening.

I always wondered why 'Cool Cool Considerate Men' was on the soundtrack but not in the movie.

I was reading today how Salt Peter is actually made. It's a disgusting process:

Gather together a pile of cow dung and drain urine over it for a year, collect the dried crystals and refine it to gunpowder.(And John was complaining about finding a few "pins" haha) Rich

[Flowbee79]

Yeah, I've seen the complete movie version about 5 times. I love that movie. Oddly enough, I am not a fan other the "Cool Cool Considerate Men" scene anyway. I think it's a little unfair to say that Dickinson and all his ney-sayers were motivate solely by their wallets. Dickinson made a respectable argument in real-life. He thought the Mother Country had over-stepped her bounds, but he wanted alterations not seperations. He did actually command a unit of Am. troops after the Declaration.

[rcibnmd]

"for I have crossed the Rubicon..let the bridge be burned behind me..."

I always wondered what Adams was referring to.

"Crossing the Rubicon" is a popular idiom meaning to go past a point of no return and refers to Julius Caesar crossing the river in 49 BC deliberately as an act of war.

Just an FYI. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Rich in NYC

[Flowbee79]

That is indeed what Adams was referring to or the parellel that he was calling on. I wanted to find a picture of Caesar actually crossing the rubicon, but I thought, in their own strange way, when the Continental Army crossed the ice-choked Delaware in December, in a move that could have been observed or discovered by the Hessian had they been better prepared and mobilized, that did seem like a definate "crossing of the Rubicon" on the part of the rebels to the eyes of the British.

[Flowbee79]

Continuing: It might have seen that because by that time in the war, the British and Hessians were very confident that the rebellion was soon to end. The Americans had just gone through a crushing defeat in the New York Campaign, which was just a series of upsets. Washington's unorthodoxed, sly escape from Long Island was possibly his best military action of that campaign. So, when the Americans quite audaciously cross the Delaware, and attack a garrison of very well-trained....

[Flowbee79]

though momentarily befuddled Hessians (an excellent piece of timing for the Americans) it is not only a strategic victory, but it is a clearcut political message to the British, and also to their French rivals, that this is definately a fight that Washington and his army are not backing down from; that they will keep swinging and striking wherever and whenever possible. It is a victory that follows the Declaration of Independence, and is itself an active declaration.

[Flowbee79]

Sorry to make the explanation so long. I just wanted to explain why I thought that imagery was applicable.

[rcibnmd]

Oh I think your choice for an image is perfect! And very well thought out on your part. Insightful. Nice job!

I recommended my friend see this on July 4th and she was moved at your show. Again...KUDOS! ( :

Rich

[dj1159]

HAPPY 4th of July,

I love this song Truely a great moment in the musical.

[Flowbee79]

If anyone looks at the face of Ben Franklin, the man just underneath the armpit of the speecher's raised hand, from 0:22 to 0:29. I highly belief that the face is modelled after Howard Da Silva, the character actor who played Ben Franklin in the movie version of 1776, co-starring William Daniels and Ken Howard.

[scoobar22]

yeah thet does kind of look like him ...alot

[Flowbee79]

The only thing I regret is the second picture, of the diverse teenagers. They are diverse in race and sex, but not physique. They are all thin, and all seem to be sporting GAP or OLD NAVY or some big brand name clothing. Probably is a photograph of a GAP or OLD NAVY add. But it is a trivia complaint, and otherwise it was the best picture I could find.

[suydam23]

My fav song from the play ~ Thank you & Happy 4th!!!

[rcibnmd]

HAPPY 4th of JULY YouTubers!

[rcibnmd]

Your slideshow fits perfectly.

Again....NICE JOB!

[rcibnmd]

I am here. I care!

BRAVO on the post.

The song always gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it.

John Adams actually wrote fortelling fireworks, pageantry, pomp and parade celebrating our country's birth.

May God Bless Our Great Nation.

Rich

[PrussianSunsets]

Amazing.

[Flowbee79]

Thank you all.