The first service was held in the Sanctuary on September 23rd at 9am. The dedication of the new sanctuary took place on the weekend of September 30th thru October 1st in 2006, when the congregation celebrated a delayed festival for Saint Barnabas, as the summer season drew to a close. Please drop by for a visit, if you are in the Dunwoody neighborhood !!! For those of you who do not know, Saint Barnabas is the patron Saint of Nice and Dunwoody became a new city in 2008.

June 11, 1141: The choir of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, dedicated to the first Bishop of Paris (258AD), is consecrated in the presence of King Louis VII (King Loys VII "le Jeune" CAPET of France). This is the birth of the French gothic style, perhaps best exemplified at Chartres, which was rededicated (1260) after being rebuilt due to a catastrophic fire (June 10, 1194). Naissance de l'art gothique à Saint-Denis -- Saint-Denis is one of the premier places to be buried, if you're a French ruler.
 
As you may recall, Louis VII's young bride was Aliénor d'Aquitaine, and by this marriage he absorbed the title of Aquitaine. Eleanor married second Henry II Plantagenêt, the future King of England, after being divorced (March 21, 1152) by her first husband the King of France, an additional claim in future French / English disputes about the rightful rule of Aquitaine, specifically, and the French Kingdom, generally. It is well established that English King Henry II (and his progeny) descend in some portion from the migrating peoples of Troy, so perhaps fair Eleanor, like Helen, could be said to have inspired in some measure the jealous revenge of competing Empires. Henry and Eleanor had a falling-out later in life (Lion in Winter) and she was imprisoned by Henry until his death in 1189. She stayed in forced seclusion in a convent for several more long years until her son, Richard Cœur de Lion, became King of England and delivered her from her banishment. http://www.discoverparis.com/ArticleSite.cfm/PageID/91325600 Of interest, however, two of the daughters of Louis VII by his second wife (Constance of Castille) married their cousins who were English Kings, and eventually the Capet line would ally itself to England through the the marriage of Isabella “the Fair” CAPET of France (a.k.a. Isabel She-wolf) to her English cousin -- you know her from the movies as the close friend of William Wallace, a braveheart.

In 1317 France adopted Salic Law, which banned women from succession to the throne, thus preventing Isabella from becoming a Queen of France. She was already married to English King Edward II and upon her father's death could have united England and France under one rule. Sometime thereafter (1324), the King of France summoned Edward II to Paris to pay homage for Edward's lands in France; but Isabella persuaded Edward to send her and their son (also named Edward) instead, so she could visit her father. While in Paris Isabella started a rather public love affair with the rebel Sir Roger I MORTIMER (1st Earl of March), who had escaped from the Tower of London.

Fair Isabella refused her husband's offer of forgiveness and heartfelt pleas for her safe return to England and his protection. She came back, somewhat later in September 1326, with said MORTIMER and an army in train. They defeated and deposed her husband. She then put her son on the throne as Edward III. Isabella and MORTIMER (whom she married) eventually had Edward II murdered. They tried to rule through the young King; but, Edward III, feeling remorse for having played a part in overthrowing his father, had MORTIMER executed for regicide instead. Isabella, in turn, fled to Scotland, where she traveled with Lady Garioch (a.k.a. Christian BRUCE, sister of King Robert I the BRUCE of the Scots) and with Isobel, Countess of Buchan (A.D. 1296-1358). Now this Isobel hailed from Clan MacDuff (she the sister of the Earl of Fife, who in his absence crowned the Bruce King in 1306). Isobel left her husband, the Earl of Buchan, to fight for the Bruce, a cause of which her husband did not approve. The Earl went as far as to issue a warrant for her capture and death. Captured by Edward and taken to England, the Isobel suffered imprisonment in a small cage for four long years. She afterwards retired to convent life. http://www.lothene.demon.co.uk/others/womenscot.html Likewise, Edward III signed a death warrant for these three women. Isabella was captured and imprisoned in a convent by her son. A sad ending to the reign of the King.

All this is just the prelude to a hundred plus years of war (1337 to 1453), Poitiers and Ste. Jeanne d'Arc. Oh ! By the way, the Mortimer titles and land were restored during the 100 Years War. Roger de Mortimer, 4th Earl of March became, as fate would have it, the presumptive heir to the British Crown, as the most direct descendent of Edward III. His son Edmund, indeed would have been King, had another revolt not intervened. Edmund Mortimer died in Ireland as Earl of Ulster (1425) [A century earlier, the Bruce married Elizabeth de Burgh (died October 26, 1327), daughter of Richard de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (d. 1326)]. Because he left no issue, the Earldoms of March and of Ulster and all his estates, passed to his nephew (his sister Anne de Mortimer's son by another heir of Edward III), Richard Plantagenet. He later became the 3rd Duke of York, who was nevertheless styled "Earl of March", as was his son. This same son became, in 1461, King Edward IV and the Earldoms became extinct, absorbed by the Crown. -- why I think Shakespeare had some comment about all this, too. As Edward says in the play Henry VI, part 3; ... I challenge nothing but my dukedom, As being well content with that alone [Act 4, Scene 7].

June 11, 1735: In London, Georgia's Trustees decided to build a new town and fort at the mouth of the Altamaha River -- the colony's southern boundary -- and that the next colonists sent to Georgia would go there. In 1736, James Oglethorpe chose St. Simons Island (which lay immediately south of the mouth of the Altamaha) as the site Georgia's new settlement. It was to be named Frederika in honor of the king's son, Frederick, the father of George III. Fort Frederica and its adjacent town were to become a thorn in the side of the Spanish in Florida, a last straw leading to an all-out war. Francis Moore was one of several Georgia colonists who kept a journal. He recorded a military ruse on June 18, 1735:

"Mr. Oglethorpe, with seven Horses and Men upon them (which were all we had) went down to the Sea-Point, that the Spaniards might see that there were Men and Horses there. At his setting out a number of Cannons were fired, which they also could hear at Jekyll Island. When he arriv'd at the Point the Independent Company was under Arms, being drawn up in one line at double Distances, to make them appear a larger Number to the Spaniards, who lay upon Jekyll Island. The Independent Company saluting him with their Cannon, managing them so as to seem to have many more Guns by reloading."

from Our First Visit in America: Early Reports from the Colony of Georgia, 1732-1740, (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1974), p. 153.

One of the Trustees of Georgia at its founding, John LaRoche, was the son or brother of Peter Crothaire né LaRoche (see also http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/tdgh-nov/nov10.htm) Another relation, of a later generation, Isaac LaRoche, was born in Savannah. He became a merchant-farmer in Richmond County, Georgia. Records indicate that his father (also named Isaac) was a soldier in the American Revolution. Isaac's wife, Elizabeth, was also the granddaughter of Donald MacKay, who as a child first settled at New Inverness (Darien Ga.) in January 1736.

How is this relevant to Frederika ??? James MacKay was killed or captured (and then killed by the Spanish or the Native-Americans employed by them) at a battle where many of the settlement, including friendly Creeks, died (Moosa June 15, 1740). This incident was one of many in the Spanish British relations, begun by a Spanish sneak-attack on November 14, 1739, during which the Spanish beheaded their surprised victims. -- see A recollection by Oglethorpe about the event. Donald, James' son was orphaned at age 8, overcame his disadvantages. He would became a rich merchant and land owner, eventually acquiring much of St. Simons Island. It was his company, a partnership with James Spalding, that removed (recycled) the tabby buildings at Fort Fredricka after it was no longer needed to defend against the Spanish. Donald died at an early age, his estate being one of the first big contested cases of its kind in the Georgia Colony, when the executor refused to pay a portion of Donald's legacy to Sarah, Donald's daughter.

Sarah MacKay was raised by the MacIntosh and Spalding families. She would marry an Augusta merchant (an immigrant from London), John Oliver, who fought with the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Indeed, he reportedly provisioned his own company out of his own fortune. Their daughter, Eliza Sophia MacIntosh OLIVER would marry a second generation Augusta merchant and farmer named Isaac LaRoche, he being related to one of the Georgia Colony's Trustees.

June 11 (at 8am local time), 1798: Napoléon Bonaparte, on his way to Egypt to shoot off the nose of the Sphinx, took the island of Malta. We've been looking for it since. Actually, viticulture explains it all. Viticulture is one of Malta's most ancient branches in the sector of agriculture. Because of it's strategic position Malta was the center of a thriving wine trade throughout the time of the Roman and Byzantine empires. http://www.lapasserelle.com/lm/pagespeciales/anglicistes/malta/maltapeasants.html and http://www.visitmalta.com/us/visitmalta_newsletter9.html

It was a logical conquest to protect Napoléon's flank. The Maltese citizens initially favoured the takeover of the island, because the French ended the Inquisition, the use of judicial torture and rights of privilege based on birth. But the troops quickly fell out of favour, when they stripped the churches of relics, paintings, gold and silver. The Maltese soon rebelled because the great leader left insufficient defensive troops, and they generally held off the French until the British arrived in September 1800. Whereupon, Malta became a British Protectorate. The British fleet entered Grand Harbour, marking the start of a century and a half of British rule: http://www.visitmalta.com/en/timeline/history_of_malta_good/the_british_in_malta.html

June 12, 1817: Today, Lothar von Faber is born in Stein, Germany. He and his brother, Eberhard, built a family pencil business in Germany. It became a global manufacturing company. His brother Eberhart Faber immigrated to America and founded the Faber American pencil company. The Faber pencil company in the USA still is owned by the Faber family, eventhough the German business was divested many years ago.

June 12, 1880: Baseball’s first perfect game. The southpaw, left-handed Lee Richmond of the Worcester, Massachusetts {Ruby Legs}, pitched a game in perfect perfection -- a 1-0 (shutout) of the Cleveland Spiders in a National League game. Fifty-nine years later (June 12, 1939), the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, N.Y., on the 100th anniversary of the day Abner Doubleday supposedly invented the sport. Three years earlier (1936), the Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb of Banks County, became the first baseball player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. By the time of the Hall's official dedication, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson had joined Cobb as the first members honored in the new facility. June 2, 2010, a Detroit player missed his chance to become part of this history when a bad call at first plate stole his perfect game (last out last inning). Do you know who this was ? Unbelievably, two perfect games had been pitched up to that date in the 2010 season, which represents 10% of all the modern-era games (over 100 years). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_game

June 12, 1987: President, Ronald Reagan, visits Berlin on this day in history. In a speech in front of a closed Brandenburg Gate at 2:20pm he begins his discourse on freedom. During it, he remarks, Es gibt nur ein Berlin ... General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner: This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality. Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom. Reagan was right; his critics were wrong, very wrong and easily misled by the propaganda of the socialist left across the globe. http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/wall.asp

From July 17 until August 2, 1945, a conference was held by the victorious powers who had defeated Germany. Truman, Churchill and Stalin met at Cecilienhof castle at Potsdam near Berlin. The Potsdam Agreement, to a far greater extent than that of Yalta, determined the shape of post-war Europe. Among other important decisions, they reached an agreement on how to divide the defeated country between them: Not only was Germany parted in four zones (French as well), but the capital of the Third Reich was divided into four sectors, with the Russians getting almost half of the city, which became East Berlin, while the Western Allies shared the other half into three sectors, which became West Berlin. During the following years Bonn became the capital of West Germany, and on October 6, 1949 the Russian occupied zone became the country of East Germany, a country with a truly grand new name, calling themselves The German Democratic Republic, with East Berlin its capital. We could travel freely from West to East, which we often did, as almost everyone had families in the Eastern part of Germany and East Berlin. Technically West Berlin belonged to West Germany, although geographically it was located in the center of East Germany. Anyone wanting to travel from West Berlin to West Germany by road or rail, had to pass through East German check points. In the early post war years these check points were under the control of Russian military personnel.

From the Web Archive; the only place where you can find this first-hand account of November 1989 -- http://web.archive.org/web/20000818152426/www.mynetcentral.com/historyweb/wall.html -- Schloß Cecilienhof is in the northern portion of the 72 hektar Neuen Garten im Potsdam, close to the Jungfernsee. It was the last palace built by the Hohenzollern dynasty (William II).
 
June 13th -- PATRON SAINTS INDEX, a CALENDAR of the SAINTS: To wit -- Anthony of Padua, Aquilina, Augustine of Huy, Damhnade, Felicitas, Felicula, Fortunatus, Gérard de Clairvaux (Bernardus' close confidant and elder brother), Gyavire, Lucian, Peregrinus, Rambert & Triphyllius http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/day0613.htm

From Life and Times of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, A.D. 1091-1153 (by James Cotter Morison @ p.230): ... not command my grief, though I could control my tears ! As it is written, I was afflicted, and I kept silence. But the suppressed anguish struck deeper root within, and has become more bitter, as I perceive, from not being allowed a vent. I own I am conquered. Let it go forth, as I cannot endure it within. Let it go forth before the eyes of my children, who, knowing my affliction, will bear more leniently with my complaint, and give me a sweeter consolation.

You know, my children, the reasonableness of my sorrow — you know the lamentable wound I have received. You appreciate what a friend has left me in this walk of life which I have chosen — how prompt to labour, how gentle in manner ! Who was so necessary to me ? To whom was I equally dear ? He was my brother by blood, but more than brother by religion. Deplore my misfortune, I beseech you, who know these things. I was weak in body, and he sustained me; downcast in spirit, and he comforted me; slow and negligent, and he stimulated me; careless and forgetful, and he admonished me. Whither hast thou been torn from me, whither ! hast thou been carried from my arms, O thou man of one mind with me, thou man after my own heart ? We loved each other in life: how are we separated in death ! O most bitter separation, which nothing could have accomplished but death ! For when wouldest thou have deserted me in life? Google Books

June 13, 1777 -- Marquis de Lafayette: American Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de Lafayette, lands near Charleston, South Carolina, in order to help the Continental Congress in its efforts through General George Washington to train the army. Charleston was the only port available to him, because of concerns with occupying British forces. Lafayette would return to the United States at the request of Congress for a Grand tour some 50 years later, this time landing at Savannah in March of 1824. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-670. His arrival created a sensation, unlike any other the city had seen. On March 19, 1825, at age sixty-seven General Lafayette disembarked from a steamboat to the salute from the Chatham Artillery and the cheers of the crowd. His journey took him to Augusta and then on to the Georgia capital, then at Milledgeville, where he arrived on March 27th. He met first with Revolutionary War veterans; finding the man who helped carry him off the battlefield at Brandywine, where he had been wounded. Georgia Governor Troup hosted the General at an outdoor Barbeque supper on the grounds of state capitol building. Some 39 years later General Sherman would also pay a visit, stay at the Governor's home (one of the most important examples of Greek Revival architecture in America), and blow up the Georgia armory, seriously damaging the capitol next door. Monuments to both these events can be found today on State Capitol Square.

The present building is a replica of the original. It is now home to Georgia Military College. The ground floor is home to the Old Capital Museum. Milledgeville is the only city in the nation, besides Washington, D.C., designed to be a capital city. The capital was removed to Atlanta in 1868. The fourth capital of Georgia (1804-68) is now the Baldwin County seat of government. http://library.gcsu.edu/~sc/localhistory/FAQs/statecapital.html

Less than 120 years after Lafayette's visit, on June 13, 1944, the US Army would consider the Beachhead portion of the Normandy Invasion complete as of this day. http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/100-11/100-11.htm Lafayette we are here, once more.
 
June 14, 1736: James Oglethorpe directed the Trustees' surveyor, Noble Jones, to draw up a plan for a new town, to be named Augusta, located where the navigable stretch of the Savannah River ended. The name honored the spouse of Frederick, son of King George II. According to the journal of Trustee proceedings, maintained by the Earl of Egmont, the new town was created for the convenience principally of inland traders and merchants.

June 14: The life and accomplishments of Joseph the Hymnographer, also known as Joseph of the Studium, are celebrated this day in the Western Church (April 3rd or 4th in the East). Born to Christian parents in Sicily (circa 810AD), Joseph fled Sicily due to the Saracen (Moslem) invasion of the island, like so many others of his time. He became a monk at Thessalonica, later joining the monastery of the Studium in Constantinople. Joseph once more had to flee, leaving Constantinople in 841 to avoid further torture at the hands of an iconoclast emperor, Leo the Armenian. He was captured, however, on his way to Rome by Muslim pirates, who were a constant threat to shipping then and for another 1000 years. Because Joesph was Christian, under Islamic custom, he was sold into bondage, spending several years as a slave in Crete. But what they meant for evil, God meant for good and he ministered to other captives. He eventually escaped and returned to Constantinople, where he established a monastery. Because he opposed the Iconoclast emperor Theophilus, he suffered exile once again, this time to the greek colony Chersonesus in ancient Tauris (today near Sevastopol in the Crimea). Later he became Bishop of Salonica, possibly after a third exile.

One of the great liturgical poets and hymnists of the Byzantine Church, Joseph is credited with approximately 1,000 works. Some 200 hundred of the canons found in the melismatic canons of the Menaion are primarily his work. The general menaion is a book of services common to the festivals of the church and different orders of the Saints. A very complete, full example of one of these can be found at: http://www.mari.org/JMS/april99/Aquilina_the_Martyr_Saint.htm. A canon is a highly structured and disciplined literary form, poetic, metrical. Each day of the week has a particular theme that the canon develops. Joseph is the major contributor to the weekday canons of the Paraklitiki, a sacred work (or the large Oktoichos), providing the material for Vespers, the Midnight Office, Matins and the Liturgy for most of the year from the Sunday of All Saints to the beginning of Lent. Of these 96 canons assigned to weekday Matins at least 56 are by The Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer. The canon of the Akathist is also attributed to him. The service books for Great Lent and Easter, the Lenten Triodion and the Flower Triodion (also called the Pentecostarion) are almost totally the work of the Studite monks, among the most famous of whom is Joseph the Hymnographer.

Joseph died in 886 (or 883), most say of natural causes. But, before the end, he shared in a great missionary enterprise, for during his time in Constantinople he was among those who inspired the first missionaries to the Russ (Russia). Indeed, some say he was among the many honored men of the church banished to the Crimea, who died there in exile. The Feast of All Saints of the Crimea is December 15th. see also http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0614.htm

Verse 4, Hymn #322. "And Wilt Thou Pardon, Lord". Translated by John M. Neale, (1818-1866).
Text From: THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (1941).

Happy Birthday -- June 14, 1775: Today is the birthday of the U.S. Army. The Continental Congress first sponsored a muster of troops on this date. A new constellation rises, a new emblem is created for a new nation on the birthday of our Flag in 1777: http://LaRocheUSA.org/FlagDay.htm -- one of our oldest pages (from an earlier Website), still kept up to date.

June 14, 1846: Thirty-three U.S. settlers in the Sonoma Valley in Northern California rebelled against Mexican authorities in what is called the Bear Flag Revolt. They proclaimed the Republic of California. Wagonmaster William B. Ide, leader of the Bear Flag Party, was urged to loot the Mexican stronghold. Instead, in a paraphrase of Joshua's speech, Ide said: Choose ye this day what you will be! We are robbers or we must be conquerors. Although the U.S. already had declared war against Mexico in May, word had not reached California. In July word arrived and Commodore John Sloat raised the Stars and Stripes over the American Customs House in Monterey, and three days later it flew over the Sonoma Plaza.

William L. Todd, nephew of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, designed a flag for the Bear Flag Revolt and placed upon it the words California Republic. With rusty nails and blackberry juice he painted a grizzly and a star on white cloth. The lower red border was said to come from the flannel petticoat of Nancy Kelsey, who sewed the flag. The Bear Flag Revolt got its name from the presence of a grizzly bear on the standard proposed for the independent California. Interestingly, on this date in 1989, the late President Ronald Reagan (and former Governor of California) received an honorary knighthood from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, about six months after leaving office.
 
June 15, 1215: At Runnymeade in southern England (a meadow called Ronimed), King John signed the Magna Carta. It is often cited as a fundamental document in the development of English, later-British and American constitutional government, although one can argue that it was signed at knife-point (i.e. under duress), applied only to a limited class of titled gentry ("Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, Earls, Barons, and to all freemen of this our realm") and was later repudiated, if not by word, then by deed. A modified Magna Carta became part of the Common Law of England in 1297, by and through a statute called Confirmatio Cartarum [25 Edw. I]. See also http://www.herodote.net/histoire06150.htm This is the time of half-fictional Robinhood, Ivanhoe (19th Century romantic novel character by Walter Scott) and the historic Richard, Cœur de Lion, whose heart is still, at Rouen.

On this date in the 13th Century AD, just a few years later: The name of the Danish flag, Dannebrog, means banner of the Danes. It occurs first in a Danish text in 1478. In the Dutch armorial gelre published a century before (1370-86), a red banner with a white cross is seen next to the coat of arms for Danish King Valdemar IV. http://crwflags.com/fotw/flags/dk.html The legend of the flag is made from whole cloth, as Dannebrog fell from the skies on June 15, 1219, into the waiting and expectant arms (more or less) of Valdemar II, during his Estonian campaign. The flag symbolized a divine approval of the conquest. With this blessed standard in hand, the Danish sovereign won the battle at Lyndanise near Reval (Tallinn). This, in any event, is the explanation Danes prefer to give in order to tell the origin of the their national flag. http://www.ambwashington.um.dk/en/  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Denmark -- There are other post-modern theories, too.

When it comes to freedom of speech, the liberal-left should not sacrifice its values one inch to those who seek censorship on religious grounds. But the right to freedom of speech equates to neither an obligation to offend nor a duty to be insensitive. If our commitment to free speech is important, our belief in antiracism should be no less so. Neither the cartoons nor the violence has emerged from a vacuum. They are steeped in and have contributed to an increasingly recriminatory atmosphere shaped by, among other things, war, intolerance and historic injustices.

from The Nation—Gary Younge, as republished at: Yahoo News

The party line, that the Prophet may never be depicted is only truth for a sect within the Muslim community. Indeed, in Iran such depictions exist; but, one could understand that any likeness runs the risk of being disrespectful, which alone in turn is an executable offense in some Muslim jurisdictions. I now tread very lightly in announcing my own discovery of the public image, sponsored by the government of the United States -- from the Editorial Page of Wednesday's, February 8th, edition of The Wall Street Journal a few years ago.

Overhead, along all four sides of the Supreme Court Chamber, are sculpted marble panels, the work of Adolph A. Weinman. Directly above the Bench of the Supreme Court of the United States are two central figures, depicting Majesty of the Law and Power of Government. The group at the far left represents Safeguard of the Rights of the People, and Genii of Wisdom and Statecraft. The far right group represents the Defense of Human Rights. To the right is a procession of historical lawgivers including: Menes, Hammurabi, Moses, Solomon, Lycurgus, Solon, Draco, Confucius and Augustus. They are flanked by figures symbolizing Fame and History. To the left are later historical lawgivers including Napoléon, John Marshall, William Blackstone, Hugo Grotius, Saint Louis, King John, Charlemagne (Karl der Große), Mohammed and Justinian. Figures representing Liberty, Peace and Philosophy appear at either end. On the back wall frieze is the familiar Justice with the winged female figure of Divine Inspiration, flanked by Wisdom and Truth. At the far left the Powers of Good are shown, representing Security, Harmony, Peace, Charity, and Defense of Virtue. At the far right the Powers of Evil are represented by Corruption, Slander, Deceit, and Despotic Power. from http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/butowsky2/constitution9.htm Much more detailed discussion: http://members.tripod.com/~candst/histlaw.htm. Back in 1997, when fanatical hatred of the West was better concealed, the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (now deceased) refused to remove the offending image; however, as a concession he did change Court literature about the figure from Mohammed the founder to the Prophet of Islam.

NOTE: On the history of this depression-era artwork, the best place to go, if you have a pdf reader, is: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/north&southwalls.pdf where you will see a clear image of the one whom one is not permitted to depict. Thus, before a complaint is lodged, perhaps we should chip this image off the frieze, much in the same way that the Taliban removed the ancient image that offended their religiousity, so that everyone may remain happy. And, we do not heighten the risk of destruction of the U.S. Supreme Court building. One also could argue that the President of Iran, as a measure of good faith in recognition of our voluntary efforts, ought to lead the effort to burn the images that are in his country's museums and libraries. This would be a good example for tout le monde on how tolerance can be achieved by fire. Edict of Milan (Mediolanum), 313 A.D. -- "We have also conceded to other religions the right of open and free observance of their worship for the sake of the peace of our times, that each one may have the free opportunity to worship as each pleases".

June 15, 1752: Ben Franklin, assisted by his son, confirms that the energy of lightening is the same electrical force observed in static discharges, which were captured and stored in crude capacitors of the time. A shocking discovery, which fortunately, helps make him a legend in France, rather than a french fry. His status in the Royaume, helped the American cause during the War, but caused some consternation among his diplomatic partners, who thought his ways a bit too wild for a man of his many years.

June 15, 1776: The citizens of Delaware declared their independence from two countries this date, from England and from Pennsylvania with whom the Colony had been forced to share a royal governor. The original Colony in Delaware was established under Swedish jurisdiction (1637); however, when the Dutch sent troops to Delaware in 1655, technical Swedish sovereignity over New Sweden came to an end. Never-the-less, a Swedish and Finnish presence remained very much in evidence. In fact, Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant (Nova York) permitted the Scandinavian colonists to continue to be a Swedish Nation, governed by a court of the local's choosing, free to practice customary religion. This Swedish Nation organized its own militia, retained existing land rights and traded with the native people. This colony continued independent until 1681 when an Englishman, William Penn, received his charter for Pennsylvania, which included the three lower counties that comprise present-day Delaware. http://www.colonialswedes.org/History/History.html

June 16, 1755: The British Army captured Fortress Beauséjour. Now called Fort Cumberland, it played a leading role in the expulsion of the French emigrés from New France, as the new English governor uprooted most of the Acadians of Nova Scotia. It was the 'Grand Derangement' (a Great Exile) and the Acadian population (some 10,000 people) was deported to points all across the settled continent (to destinations like Maine, Boston and Louisiana), in order that the British might consolidate its political hold on the former French lands. Some managed to escape the deportation and came to Iles-de-la-Madeleine off mainland Quebec in the St. Lawrence River. As in any forced removal, many died. The Longfellow poem Evangeline is based on this displacement.

June 16, 1815: Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte marched into Belgium to find himself confronted by two allied armies, which he tried to split apart. On June 16th, a French attack at the crossroads called Quatre Bras (depicted in a painting by W.B. Wollen) badly mauled the British. Yet French forces failed to rout their enemy or to retain control of the crossroads. Although also badly beaten at Ligny that day, the Prussian army was permitted to retire intact. Both armies would face Napoléon two days later, with a different outcome. British and Prussian troops under joint command of the Duke of Wellington thus defeated Napoléon at the Battle of Waterloo. They did not permit their enemy to withdraw and fight another day.

The French elite troops of the Imperial Guard had worn bearskins to appear more intimidating. Afterwards, Great Britain would utilize tall bear skin hats for soldiers stationed at the Tower of London, those charged with ceremonial duties or placed at the royal residencies. Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington became a hero. Napoléon was finally gone, he would die on a remote island in exile. http://www.linternaute.com/histoire/motcle/582/a/1/1/waterloo.shtml The disputes that had plagued British / French relations from the 17th Century, and before, were at an end. In a hundred years, they would be allied against the Prussians.

June 17, 1775: The confrontation lasted less than 2 hours and was one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary War. The British captured Breed’s Hill on their third attempt, but suffered over 1,000 casualties (226 dead and 828 wounded) -- versus about 440 for the Americans (140 dead and 301 wounded). Patriot General William Prescott allegedly told his men, Don't one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes !

Yes the Battle at Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed’s Hill near Boston. It is doubtful that the American side carried any flag into battle. If it did so, then the banner was more probably red like the New England flag (above). The existence in history books of a blue Bunker Hill flag (left) is thought to arise from a hand-coloring error in an illustration in a flag identification book dating from 1710.

Le 17 juin 1885: La Statue de la Liberté arrive à New-York. Le navire français Isère, parti du port de Rouen deux mois plus tôt, arrive à New-York, avec à son bord la statue appelée la Liberté éclairant le monde. Symbole de l'amitié entre la France et les États-Unis depuis l'indépendance américaine, cette statue de bronze de 46 mètres de haut est l'oeuvre du sculpteur Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi à Colmar, son armature de fer a été conçu par Gustave Eiffel. L'ouvrage est stocké dans 210 caisses. Le socle, à la charge les Américains, n'étant pas achevé, la statue ne sera inaugurée qu'en octobre 1886. http://www.linternaute.com/histoire/motcle/2700/a/1/1/statue_de_la_liberte.shtml

Our European Allies, a continuing saga - June 18, 1940: On this date during World War II, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, This was their finest hour. Charles de Gaulle, future president of France, broadcast to his nation from London, urging freedom-loving french to rally to him in the fight against Hitler. He had responded to the new (pro-German) Vichy government's call for an armistic with the Nazis -- Le maréchal Pétain prononce à la radio une allocution mémorable: « C'est le cœur serré que je vous dis aujourd'hui qu'il faut cesser le combat ... »

Philippe Pétain at 84 years old was, in French eyes, the hero responsible for vanquishing the Germans in the Great War. He was named Président du Conseil (après la démission de Paul Reynaud). Much of France would become occupied by Nazi forces. Soon after the armistice the new government was installed at Vichy. In July 1940 the National Assembly gave him strong authoritarian power, ending the République. The slogan Work, Family and Patriotism, devised by Pétain, were the words -- national socialism, under German direction, was the method.

In French: Philippe Pétain, 84 ans, le vainqueur de Verdun et l'un des derniers maréchaux survivants de la Grande Guerre, est nommé président du Conseil, après la démission de Paul Reynaud. La moitié de la France étant occupée par les Allemands, il demande aussitôt l'armistice et installe son gouvernement à Vichy. En juillet, l'Assemblée nationale lui donnera les pleins pouvoirs. Pétain mettra alors fin à la République et instaurera, sous la devise "Travail, Famille, Patrie", un État nationaliste et autoritaire, dominé par les Allemands. http://www.linternaute.com/histoire/motcle/164/a/1/1/petain.shtml

While on this date (June 18, 1940), the Soviet Union's occupation of the Baltics was completed in efficient style -- Hey you, keep your head down!.

For the renegade Soviet intrusion into the German sphere of influence, Stalin (a man of steal) compensated Germany with a payment of 7.5 million gold dollars, which is a whole lot more in today's dollars, euros or pounds. John Kay (at age 4) and his mother fled Soviet-occupied East Germany, an event recounted in a song on the album Steppenwolf Seven. His family resettled in Hanover, West Germany, where Joachim Krauledat (his given name) listened to AFRS radio before his family immigrated to Canada in 1958. http://www.answers.com/topic/steppenwolf-band

June 18, 1945: William Joyce, known as “Lord Haw-Haw,” was charged in London with high treason because of his English-language wartime broadcasts on German radio. Although Joyce was born in the USA (brought up in Ireland), he became a German citizen in September of 1939. Unrepentant to the end, he was executed in January 1946, his body dumped into an unmarked grave. On the same day Joyce was charged (June 18, 1945), U.S. General and future President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, received a tumultuous welcome in Washington, DC. He addressed a joint session of Congress. Eisenhower went on to meet President Harry S. Truman. Just a day later (June 19, 1945), millions of New Yorkers would turn out to cheer General Eisenhower, who received a hero's parade down Broadway. For a while Truman and Eisenhower became fast friends, but politics soon ended this over-familiarity.

June 19, 1717: The Carolina Proprietors granted Sir Robert Montgomery the territory between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers to create a new province, which he proposed be named the Margravate of Azilia (a "margravate" was a military colony along the German border). [Click here to read text of land grant.] Montgomery, however, could not raise money or attract colonists for Azilia. The plans for a buffer colony on Carolina's southern frontier died.

June 19, 1732: At age 70, Lady Eleanor Wall Oglethorpe died in London. She was born in 1661 in Ireland, but at age 17 became a maid-servant to Madam Carwell in the court of Charles II of England. In 1680, Eleanor -- or Ellen, as she was known -- became head laundress to the king. In her new post, she was given lodging at the rear of the palace -- opposite the quarters of a young major in the Dragoons, Theophilus Oglethorpe. Before year's end, the two were married. Their union produced a series of ten sons and daughters beginning with Lewis in 1682 and ending with James Edward in 1696. After the death of Charles II and the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Theophilus and Ellen went to France to be with the deposed James II. By 1696, however, they reconciled with England's new monarchs -- William and Mary (James' daughter) -- and returned to live permanently in their County Surrey estate in Godalming.

At the time of Sir Theophilus' death on April 10, 1702, Ellen was left to raise the seven children (although some of their daughters had continued to live as Jacobites in France). In Ellen's final years, all of her children were dead or in France except for James Edward, who alone was left to care for his mother (perhaps a reason why he remained unmarried). Her death, however, changed the life of her 35-year-old son, who by now was a member of Parliament. James Oglethorpe devoted his life to making the Georgia Colony a reality. In the fall of 1732, James personally led the first shipload of colonists to America -- and the rest is history.

June 19, 1786: An American hero and general of the Revolutionary War, Nathanael Greene died at his Mulberry Grove plantation near Savannah, Georgia. Eight months earlier, Greene and wife Catharine had taken residence at the plantation, which was a gift from the state legislature for his victorious campaign against British forces in the southern theater of war. At age 44, General Greene suffered from an over-exposure to the Georgia sun, passing on to his greater reward. In a second tribute to the war hero, the Georgia legislature would create Greene County in 1786.

In one sense, Nathanael Greene's early demise later would lead to the War Between the States. In 1792, his widow, Catherine, hired a young Yankee, named Eli, to tutor her children at Mulberry Grove. There he invented the cotton gin. It made growing short-fiber cotton possible, which led to the establishment of a cotton economy throughout the South. In turn this led to a perceived need for slaves, which intensified sectionalism and ultimately split the American Nation. Eli Whitney also invented the concept of interchangeable parts, giving the North a leg up on the manufacture of materials for war. [For more information on Nathanael Greene click here and here.]

The Statue of Liberty arrived at its permanent home at Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor on June 19, 1885, aboard the French ship Isère. A gift in friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, the 151-foot-tall statue was created for the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. Designed by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (Bartholdi Colossus) and officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World, the Statue of Liberty has symbolized freedom and democracy to the nation and to the world for over 120 years. The statue is constructed of hand-shaped copper sheets, assembled on a framework of steel supports designed by engineers Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. For transit to America, the figure was broken down into 350 separate pieces and packed in 214 crates. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun19.html; Contemporary report

June 20, 1628: The Clan Mackay (motto: Manu Forti - with a strong hand), a Scottish clan from the country's far north in the Scottish Highlands, has roots in the old province of Moray. The traditional seat of the Mackays was at Castle Varrich (14th Century). Clan MacKay fought under William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge (1296) to vanquish the English. The clan served with Robert Bruce (1314) at the Battle of Bannockburn. Several hundred years of inter-clan warfare follows. Even as James of Scotland becomes King of England, the clans still are fighting against British foes. On June 20, 1628, Chief of Clan Mackay, Donald, became Baron Reay (of Reay) in the Peerage of Scotland by Charles I, which Donald supports during the English Civil War (as a result Lord Reay died in exile in Denmark in 1649). At Fort Fredrika (St. Simons Island, GA), 100 years later, a group of Highlanders led by Charles MacKay from Durness (Diuranais) Scotland help James Oglethorpe ambush invading Spanish forces in July 1742, thereby securing control of Southern Georgia (north of the Altamaha River) for the British Empire.

From The Correct History of Clann MacAoidgh (The Clan Mackay), Dr. Gary Mckay (1999). http://www.geocities.com/mckyrbnsn/mclinks/gary1.html:

Around 710 A.D., three separate tribes leave Ireland from a region known as Dalriada and land in what is now known as Argyll and the southern Hebrides. One of the tribes is known as the C'nel Lorne, the progenitors of Clann MacAoidh (son of Hugh). The C'nel Lorne are descended from Ædh, grand-son of the Irish King N'iall. In the 12th Century, the Mac Ædh/Mac Æd/Mac Heths (all variations of the Gælic pronunciation of the time) become a virtual separate kingdom around the Moray Firth on Scotland's middle north eastern coast; but, within 100 years, a series of losses causes a migration north and west into the Highlands into the region of the Strathnaver (Cape Wrath at the north coast to Caithness {Keith} border). To finish, Clann M'hic Aoidgh is one of the most famous and certainly oldest of the true Gælic Clanns.

If you are blood-related to Clan MacKay, then you may count King Niall of Ireland, King David of Scotland, and of course, Macbeth as your relations. A history of Scotland is HERE. Interestingly, Niall's once took Saint Patrik hostage, and his great-great grandson is Saint Columba. One may include in his list of descendants today the British Royal family. Research suggests as many as 1 in 12 men in Ireland ( and up to 3 million worldwide) descend directly from Niall, bolstering the oft-cited claim that the ancient warlord founded a dynasty that dominated Ireland for centuries. National Geographic News

June 20, 1661: On this day, a fleet of canoes carrying Westo, or Chichimeco, native raiders descended the Altamaha River to attack and destroy the Spanish mission to the Guale of Santo Domingo de Talaje near present-day Darien, GA. The survivors from the mission fled to Sapelo Island and later re-established a town on the north end of Saint Simons Island. The Westo / Chichimeco, armed with muskets from Virginia and (later) South Carolina traders, preyed for the next two decades on Spanish missions in Georgia and other native villages in search of slaves they could capture and sell to the British for inter alia more weapons.

It is a little known fact that the Spanish rulers established more missions along the Georgia and Florida coasts than they did along the Pacific Coast of California (and at an earlier time). A short explanation and list of Georgia missions can be found: HERE -- A Coastal Map: HERE. Santa Isabel (Mission Santa Isabelle de Utinahica) was different — a spartan, tenuous foothold in the vast unexplored interior — linked to the coast 100 miles away by a wild river and overland Indian trails. Mission Santa Isabelle probably was staffed by a single friar. His flock, the Utinahica tribal unit, were one of a dozen or so native chiefdoms in the Southeast at the time, a part of the Timucua people, who are the ancestors of the modern Creek nation. The exact site is unknown, but it is somewhere between the Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers at the point where the streams merge to form the Altamaha, about 150 miles south of today's Atlanta (near Jacksonville in Telfair County). http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=220&sid=800473

June 20, 1793: Eli Whitney applied for a patent for his new invention, the cotton gin. The patent was granted in March 1794, and Whitney and a partner began manufacturing gins. The invention was very successful, but their business sense was not as keen. Instead of outright sale of gins, they proposed a fee system where cotton crop planters paid Whitney's partnership the equivalent of 40 percent of the cotton ginned. Planters balked, and because the cotton gin was of fairly simple design, other companies began offering copies. The partnership failed, but the cotton gin went on to change the economic and political history of the South.

As an example -- Georgia merchant, planter (ROSNY Plantation), politician and lawyer, ROBERT WATKINS, began cotton ginning. In 1796, Robert published the following announcement in the Augusta Chronicle (July 16, 1796): "MACHINE FOR CLEANING COTTON BY ROLLERS. The subscriber begs leave to inform the cotton planters of Georgia and South Carolina, that he has constructed a machine for cleaning cotton by rollers, which he will lay before the public, in the following manner:

Six __??__ or shares will be allowed for each county in this state and South Carolina, at 60 dollars per share; as many persons as __??__ may be concerned in a share, and the purchasers shall have the privilege of making as many as they think proper; but all the machines belonging to a share, may be kept in one place only, and within the limits of the county for which the share is taken. After the first of September a model of this machine may be seen at Petersburg, and after the 12th of the same month, at Augusta. Three or four disinterested persons of respectability will be appointed, at both places, to view the operation of the machine, and if they adjudge it competent for cleaning cotton in the most expeditious manner without injuring the staple, the purchasers must pay the money before they can see it.

This machine is easily constructed; any persons knowing how to use common carpenter's tools, is capable of doing the wood work, and almost any smith can, by having patterns, make the iron work with ease-- the whole expense of making one is very trifling; two or three persons are sufficient for attending one of any size. -- ROBERT WATKINS"

At the same time, Longstreet was working on his machine. "The most famous manufacturer in Augusta was the merchant William Longstreet. By 1788 he and Isaac Briggs obtained a patent for exclusive use of their steam engine. Four years later he had a working model of the machine. It could be used for operating saw mills, grist mills or even for propelling a boat. It ran without wheels, cogs or cranks, and was capable of 45 stokes per minute. With a few weeks of tinkering, his little engine could do 155 strokes per minute. If only he could figure a use for it ... When he heard about Eli Whitney's cotton gin, Longstreet adapted his engine to a gin of his own design and claimed that it was superior to Whitney's. To vouch for his gin, he appointed a blue ribbon committee consisting of George Walton {kin to Robert, both kin to this Webmaster}, John Course, ROBERT WATKINS, Thomas Cumming and John Catlett. Robert Watkins, honestly stated that Longstreet's machine was no better than other gins. Longstreet's real interest was to put his engine on the water ... After years of effort, the inventor succeeded in actually propelling a boat on the river [in 1808]." from Story of Augusta, Edward J. Cashin, The Reprint Company Publishers, Spartanburg, SC (August 1991): Hardcover reprint of the volume originally published by Richmond County Board of Education, Augusta, Georgia ©1980

In the small world department, a descendent of Mr. Watkins married a descendent of one of the MacKay's of New Inverness Georgia and Fredrika. Thus, I may claim King Niall as one of my great greats.

June 21 ca. 406: June 21 is Saint Alban's day. Legend, more than historical certainty, attests to the martyrdom of Alban in Mainz {Mayence}. He is said to have died by decapitation during an attack by the Vandals in about 406. He is sometimes confused with another St. Alban a martyr of England from an earlier period (the English Saint Alban was, along with saints Julius and Aaron, one of three converts who lost their heads overlooking the Roman town of Verulamium, province of Britannia).

The first structure dedicated to Alban (im Döllwang etwa zwölf Kilometer südlich von Neumarkt and about 20 miles north of Ingolstadt) was begun in 1074AD at the behest of Bischof Gundekar II von Eichstätt. The Kirche was im Bau on and off for another 800 years. It still remains, whereas the Benedictine Monastery Church of St. Alban, later serving one of the oldest parishes in Köln, was destroyed by allied bombing during World War II. The ruins have been left standing in the northern portion of the Kölner Altstadt, citi-centre of Cologne, as a reminder of the horrors of war. The first structure dated from the Frankish period in a Roman cemetery. Several more were built on the site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Alban's_Abbey,_Mainz

The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, designed by German architect Oswald Mathias Ungers, is an easy ten-minute walk away from the river, in the very heart of old Cologne. The elegant but severe museum cube, faced with basalt lava and sandstone tuff from the Eifel hills nearby, is bordered by the ruins of the Gothic church of St. Alban and the Gürzenich, a trade center dating from the 17th century that was enlarged after World War II (with an annex by architect Rudolf Schwarz).

Rome was not plundered in a day: Who can question the action of the Holy Ghost ? Especially when it took five ballots. It would be presumptuous to do so; but, to assume that the decision made is the work of the Spirit, is itself a position taken in shifting sand. It appears to this observer that the progressive powers and prelate principalities, which have set adrift the Episcopal Church, USA for the last 30 years or more (as they have tried to do in many other denominations), continue to determine policy, unabated by declining numbers and undaunted by the good counsel of others in the Anglican Communion. In reply to the frequent query: “Will you leave the Episcopal Church in the light of its apostasy ?” leaders in the American Anglican Council (AAC) and of the Anglican Communion Network (ACN) usually reply: “The Episcopal Church has left us. We have not left it. Thus we are going nowhere, for we are where we should be.” http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4288 [a call to radical orthodoxy -- Further they {the reformers} use and treat the 1979 Book as though it truly were The Book of Common Prayer and The Formulary for them]

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Rev. John Danforth said: “If we can't hold ourselves together, it's hard to see how we can [be] a force to hold the world together; and, if we can't exchange the peace with one another, it is hard to explain to [other] people how we purport to be agents of [His] peace.” http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060618ecusa.shtml Who can question that thought ? So it is unsurprising that the outside world views all of this as they would a football match during the World Cup, if their home team is not out on the field.

While it is true that some bishops of the Episcopal Church have more in common with a crystal-gazing Californian housewife than George Herbert, it is also true that Anglican dioceses in the developing world have been hijacked by poisonously bigoted Bible-bashers [in the US one might say Bible-thumpers]. from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml

The head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams has said, in a statement on June 19th, the day after Bishop Jefferts-Schori’s election as the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, “she will bring many intellectual and pastoral gifts to her new work and I am pleased to see the strength of her commitment to mission and to the (United Nations’) Millennium Development goals.” However, he noted also that “her election will undoubtedly have an impact on the collegial life of the Anglican Primates; and it also brings into focus some continuing issues in several of our ecumenical dialogues.” http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/41/50/acns4157.cfm

For “the actor in a sacramental act, the validity of the sacramental act is not dependent on the holiness or qualities of the actor,” Jefferts-Schori has explained. To think otherwise she states is the “heresy of Donatism.” Compare and contrast the views of another Bishop: “It’s Gnosticism to think that you have new hidden information no one else has,” saying “the vast majority of Anglicans have not accepted the concept of the ordination of women as bishops and the vast majority of Catholic Christians around the world don’t accept women’s holy orders at all. To think that she is going to educate people ... [against] what the Catholic Church has believed for over 2000 years is feminist hysterics.” http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=2195 The bidding war is on. see generally http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4292 It is a reflection of our age; at its core is a pagan heart that assumes it has the ultimate revelation.

Hera, the greek mother-goddess name means protectress. It is related to the word “hero,” which originally meant a “defender or protector.” In contrast “heresy” is generally thought of as “an opinion of private men different from that of the catholick and orthodox church [Samuel Johnson].” It derives from Old French heresie, earlier from the Latin hæresis, meaning a “school of thought, philosophical sect.” Often used, the Latin hæresis is employed by early Christian writers to mean an “unorthodox sect or doctrine.” The word is in Greek, hairesis, “a taking or choosing,” It derives from haireisthai “take, seize,” of earlier unknown origin. The Greek koinos was used in New Testament books and the forms of haireisthai are used to refer to the Sadducees, Pharisees {Scribes}, and even the Christians, as sects of Judaism. In the English Bible translations, however, the English word used is usually sect. The meaning “religious belief opposed to the orthodox doctrines of the universal [Catholic] Church” evolved in liturgical latin in the Dark Ages.

This discussion is no academic exercise. Money and Power are at stake. For instance, look at what has happened in Savannah. Founded in 1733, with the establishment of the Georgia colony, Christ Church (Anglican tradition) is the longest-life, continuous parish in Georgia. Early rectors include the English evangelists John Wesley and George Whitefield. Although the greek-revival structure (looks a lot like Église Saint Pothin in Lyon) is much later (1838), Christ Church still is located on its original site on Johnson Square (28 Bull Street). A great experience recounted, well-written and moving: http://stevenfuller.blogspot.com/2009/03/church-experiment-12-christ-church.html. Unfortunetly, if the Presiding Bishop gets her way (au chemin de l'honneur) this congregation will lose its church. So choose this day, whether the Episcopal Church is protecting the union (and body) or has become a pagan philosophical sect. see generally http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=h&p=6 and Joshua 24:15

June 21, 1919: In protest against the unexpected and harsh conditions in the proposed Treaty of Versailles and against the continuing naval blockade of his nation, German Chancellor Scheidemann resigns. Also in protest, sailors of the interned German fleet scuttle their 50 warships in the harbor, at Scapa Flow. Note: The United States Senate declined to ratify the Versailles treaty and the USA arranged a separate treaty.

June 22, 1807: The British demand to search an American military vessel, which demand was declined. The British man-of-war Leopard fired upon, then boarded the U.S. frigate Chesapeake. James Barron, the American commander, was convicted following a court-martial for this incident. The tribunal found Barron unprepared for action. This incident, along with a few others, led to War in June of 1812. A little-known side-bar: Stephen Decatur, a judge in the military trial, died in a duel some eight years after that war began. The survivor of the duel was James Barron.

The county seat of DeKalb County GA is Decatur, Georgia. It was named for American hero Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), a distinguished officer of the U. S. Navy, perhaps best remembered for his saying: Our country, in her [relations] with foreign nations may she always be right; but our country, right or wrong. Also well known is his daring raid (1804) to burn the U.S. frigate Philadelphia, which had been captured by moslem pirates and held at Tripoli harbor. He later served with honor in command of the warships USS United States and USS President during the War of 1812. Commodore Decatur's success against the North-african pirate-states (Barbary States of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli -- June 30, 1815) won for him a premier place in the pantheon of American heros. For more background history go here and / or here. The town of Decatur GA was incorporated on December 10, 1823.

June 23, 1683: English Quaker William Penn, an advocate of peace and religious toleration, signs a treaty with Natives of Pennsylvania. Voltaire said the agreement was the only treaty never sworn to and never broken. The treaty was with the Lenni Lenape, a name that belongs to the Algonquian language family, a tribe which we have called the Delaware. http://www.delawaretribeofindians.nsn.us/ see also A legend about the Leni Lenape

The name DELAWARE was given to the people who lived along the river that in turn was named after Lord Thomas Leighton WEST, 3rd Lord de la Warr, one-time governor of the Jamestown {Virginia} colony. The name Delaware later came to be applied to almost all Lenape people. In their language, LENAPE (len-NAH-pay) means something like The People. The Lenapi were among the first Natives to come in contact with the Europeans (Dutch, English, & Swedish) in the early 1600s. The Delaware often are called the Grandfather tribe for its role as a peacemaker, settling disputes among rival tribes. Also known for fierceness and tenacity as warriors, the preferred path became peaceful relations with other tribes and the new strangers to the land.

June 24th: During the reign of the French King Clovis, the annual summer-solstice pagan event became a religious celebration of the birth of Saint John the Baptist, who is known as the Precursor of Christ, the light of the world – thus the link with the solstice and the bonfires. The festival of Saint-Jean-Baptiste had particular importance for France. The King of France would light the bonfire in the nights of June 23 and 24 in Paris. Once in America, those of French heritage continued to celebrate, by then in a very pious, religious festival with processions, such as in the streets of Quebec City. St-Jean Baptiste became the patron saint of French Canadians as a result of the centuries of recognition and influence from the time of early colonization (1615). http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/gfaol/resource/Canada/StJean.htm

The Christmas Eve issue (2008) of The Wall Street Journal had an article in the last section about the chapel at the Église St-Jean-Baptiste (Picture on the page that is HERE). It begins by saying that Bourbourg is a town typical of the region, which until now was not alone a reason to get off the road from Calais to Dunkerque to visit. The attraction featured involved the intersection of sculpture and architecture, a merger of beauty and functionality, the work of Anthony Caro.

June 1348 (10th or 24th): Saint George was adopted by Edward III as principal patron of the king's new order of chivalry, the Knights of the Garter. An old story recounts that while the King was dancing with the Countess of Salisbury at a magnificent court ball, the lady lost her garter. As Edward III retrieved it and handed it to her, he noticed several people smiling and indulging in remarks. Becoming angry, he exclaimed in French: Honi soit qui mal y pense (Dishonour be to him who thinks evil of it). Then, he added that he would make the little blue garter so glorious that everyone would wish to wear it. This tale may or may not be true; yet, the Order was founded by King Edward III with its emblem being a dark blue garter, edged in gold, on which are printed the French words that the King spoke.

Some of the founding members include # 1 Edward, Prince of Wales. Known since 1569 as the Black Prince. The hero of the battles of Crécy and Poitiers, he died in his father's lifetime; # 2 Henry (Plantagenêt), styled of Lancaster. Earl of Derby, afterwards Duke of Lancaster, he served in the wars against the Scots, the Dutch, and French, Admiral of the Fleet and Steward of England -- An earlier Henri Plantagenêt was Henry II, King of England; # 3 Thomas (Beauchamp), 3rd Earl of Warwick, Marshal of England, he fought at the battles of Crécy and Poitiers; # 4 Sir John de Grailly, Vicomte de Benanges et Castillon, Captal (i.e. Governor) de Buch, he fought under the Black Prince at Poitiers.

St. George's Day is celebrated on April 23rd, so, in a sense, this is England's national holiday. In modern times, Saint George was chosen by Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, to be the association's patron. On Saint George's Day, scouts are instructed to remember their Promise and the Scout Law. In the handbook Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell recounted that the Knights of the Round Table had adopted Saint George as their patron because he was the only one of all the saints who had been a horseman.

In addition to being the Patron Saint of England (Cry God for Harry, England and St. George ! [Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1]), George is the Patron Saint of Aragon, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece. He is the Patron Saint of Catalonia, where legend has it that, after killing the dragon, he gave the princess a red rose and, as a result, on April 23rd it is traditional (especially in the City of Barcelona) for men to give their sweethearts or wives a red rose and the lady in question reciprocates the gesture with the gift of a book. He is also the Patron Saint of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (where he is second in veneration only to Saint Mark), as well as being the Patron Saint of the State of Georgia. http://www.novareinna.com/festive/georgeday.html

Saint George is the traditional patron of the Orthodox Church. Constantinople (now pronounced Istanbul) has been the center of the Eastern Christian Church since Constantine moved the Roman capital there in the 4th century. To this day, the city remains the home of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who is recognized as the first among equals of all Orthodox spiritual leaders. The Orthodox Patriarchate was briefly headquartered in the Church of the Holy Apostles in the 15th century, but that office soon was transferred to the Theotokos Pammacaristos Church (now Fethiye Mosque). It remained there until 1586, when it moved to St. George Church. The building of Saint George had been part of a monastery before it acceded to the Orthodox Patriarchate. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-orthodox-patriarchate-st-george.htm

June 24, 1497: John Cabot in the ship Matthew discovers North America, securing England's claims to the New World. He is from Genoa, but is sailing for the English King, Henry VII. He sets a big foot in Canada, eh. http://www.herodote.net/histoire06240.htm

He was a man of vision, too. John Cabot sought to reach Asia by sailing west across the north Atlantic. He estimated that this would be better than the longer Columbus route. In England, Cabot received the backing which Spain and Portugal had refused him. The merchants of Bristol agreed to support his scheme. They had sponsored probes into the north Atlantic from the early 1480s, looking for possible trading opportunities. Some historians think that Bristol mariners might even have reached Newfoundland and Labrador before Cabot arrived on the scene. English King Henry VII hired John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) to explore the New World for England. That is all we will really know.

It is a mystery what Cabot found on his first successful voyage and even when the discovery occurred, other than to say sometime during June-July 1497 he landed somewhere along the coast of what today is a Canadian province. There is simply no surviving first-hand account of what happened. Cabot would disappear on his last voyage for the English, in search of Japan. http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/cabot.html -- a fascinating tale told here !!!

The Berlin Airlift begins June 26, 1948

June 24, 1948: West Berlin, Germany, physically located entirely within communist-held East Germany, was isolated completely from the Western world on this day. Joseph Stalin, premier of Soviet Union, who had already cut rail and road access to the city for three months, now blocked all ground and water entry. He cut electric power to the Western sector. Within a few days, the great Berlin Airlift began. U.S. planes flew up to 13,000 tons of goods per day into the city for the next 10 months. Stalin lifted the blockade on May 23, 1949. Berlin--Retracing the Cold War begins at: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/european_travel/6745. See also USAFE Berlin Airlift Web Site; more here too. The organization of CARE was involved in the process of giving humanitarian aid, in the face of Soviet domination.

More Choices -- June 25th: It is sometimes difficult what to choose, if anything, about a day in history. Surely there is something worthy to ponder about every day; but, then one must always ask why ? On June 25, 1876, George Armstrong Custer and the 265 men under his command lost their lives in a skirmish with thousands of native peoples. The Battle of Little Big Horn, often referred to as Custer's Last Stand, concerns several different actions that took place that day in close proximity to one another.

A guerrilla movement in South Korea (ROK) had been quashed, after two years of extensive conflict. Is it coincidence that on the same date in 1950, what has become known as the Korean War began when North Korean troops (DPRK) crossed the 38th parallel at 11 places ? The Security Council of the United Nations called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and asked the DPRK troops to head back north. At the end of June 1950, the DPRK had taken Seoul and threatened complete dominance of the theater. It was not until July 8th that General Douglas MacArthur became supreme commander of the opposition alliance and the tide turned. Yet even then, it took some effort to get organized, as by September 8th, at its farthest advance, North Korea held most of the Korean peninsula, except for a UN beachhead around Pusan in the southeast. By October 31st the counter-offensive had reached Manchuria and the Chinese border. Intervention by the Peoples Republic (the PRC had a million volunteers to through into the fight) pushed back. The Allied advance retreated to the 38th parallel, where the stalemate that we have today ensued. The war still goes on after 60 years -- in 2010 North Korea sunk a South Korean ship. The US cautions restraint.

Charles Messier (June 26, 1730 - April 12, 1817): The great nebulæ discoverer and cataloger Charles Messier had a long life and accomplished much. He almost discovered Halley's comet, but due to a math error by another, he was looking somewhere else. However, he did find another comet on August 14, 1758, which he followed and carefully observed with telescopes until November 2, 1758. During these observations (on August 28, 1758), he discovered another comet-like patch in the constellation called Taurus. Evidently, it turned out that this patch was not moving, not a comet, but a nebula. He measured its position on September 12, 1758, and it later became the first entry, M1, in his soon-to-be famous catalog. Moreover, this objéct later turned out to be one of the most interesting objects in the sky, the remnant of the supernova of 1054, now commonly called the Crab nebula. It was also this first discovery of a comet-like nebula that triggered Messier to both look for comets with telescopes (thereby inventing comet hunting, a new discipline of astronomy in those days) and to compile his catalog of nebulous-like objects which might be mistaken for comets.

The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and 4 years later, this culminated in the Year of Terror in France, 1793-1794. That year, the French King Louis XVI was guillotined on January 21, and Messier's friend, Assembly President Bouchart de Saron, on April 20, 1794, shortly after he had calculated the orbit of Messier's comet discovered on September 27, 1793, and Messier could notify him secretly that he had found the comet on the calculated path. The terrorism ended when finally Robbespierre himself was guillotined on July 27, 1794. During this time of unrest, Messier lost his salaries and pension, and had to ask for a loan even for oil for his lamp. His family lost its estate during 1793. Messier left France for Italy, but returned to Paris in 1795. http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/biograph.html

June 27th - a follow-up: The UN Security Council, during the temporary absence of the Soviet representative, who could have vetoed the whole idea, asked members of the United Nations to furnish assistance to the Republic of Korea (ROK-South Korea). The U.S. at once intervened to help stem the illegal North Korean advance that had begun on the 25th. The President ordered the Air and Naval Forces to go to the immediate aid of the South Koreans. He also sent the fleet to Taiwan, in order to keep things cool there. http://www.isop.ucla.edu/eas/thisweek/06-27.htm see also http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/koreav1.htm Actual hostilities occurred from June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1953. Interestingly, in 2008, on this day, North Korea blows up the cooling tower of one of its nuclear facilities alleged to be used for nuclear bomb making. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/world/asia/28nuke.html Most in the media rejoiced at this action as showing North Korea's sincerity about Peace in our Time.

In the morning of the 27th (1950) in Texarkana, Texas, employees at the Red River Arsenal saw an unidentified bright aluminum-colored objéct silently dart across the sky (7:50am local time), heading due south -- a mystery never solved.

June 28th -- A busy date in history, indeed: In 1119, a battle at Sarmada (Syria) saw Emir Ilghazi defeat the French Crusaders. The massacre led to the name of the battle, ager sanguinis, Latin for "the field of blood." Just a few survived, including Walter the Chancellor (of Antioch), who later wrote a first-hand account of the slaughter. The Serbs would lose their independence to the Turks on this day in 1389, blaming the Albanians (a sin never forgiven, which continues in the penance imposed on Kosovo today). In 1914, Arch-Duke Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungary Empire, would be killed in the Balkans (Sarajevo) by Serbian nationalists, leading to the First World War. Exactly five years later (1919) at Versailles, the Allies would impose terms and conditions on the Germans that would lead to the next World-wide conflict. Indeed, Marshall Foch (Head of Allied Forces) is reported to have remarked that the treaty was not one of peace, but only an Armistice for twenty years. Hitler would later relish the change in circumstances by imposing his peace on the French Nation in the same place (June 25, 1940); but, today in Nazi history (June 28, 1934), Hitler would fly to Essen to attend a wedding. But, this is just a prelude to what will be known as the Night of the Long Knives (30th June), which decapitates the SA. http://www.linternaute.com/histoire/jour/28/6/a/1/1/        http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/france_40.htm By the way, the Serbs aligned with whom during WWII ???
 
June 28, 2009: Pope Benedict XVI has announced that scientific tests (carbon 14) may confirm what Catholic tradition has always held, specifically that the body of the Apostle Paul lies under the papal altar in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The announcement was made today in the basilica during the homily of the First Vespers of the Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul, which brought the Pauline Year to a close, a year that celebrated 2,000 years since the birth of the Apostle of Tarsus. http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=3371

June 29, 1721: On Saint Peter's feast day, some eleven years before the Georgia Colony was established, Johann De Kalb was born in in Hüttendorf, Germany. In 1777, De Kalb accompanied the Marquis de Lafayette (Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier) and a group of French soldiers to America to fight the British. The Continental Congress made De Kalb a major general in the Continental Army. Major General Johann Kalb, Baron De Kalb, fatally wounded in battle at Camden, South Carolina, died in 1780. In 1822, the Georgia General Assembly recognized the contributions of this Revolutionary War hero by creating DeKalb County. Two sites with information about these two men and other foreign born patriots, who came over to support the American cause: http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/volunt.htm -- http://revgen.tripod.com/mg.html

French army trained, the Baron de Kalb came to America with earned rank and a title. Yet, he was not a Baron by birth. Born of country farming stock, soon he realized that one goes nowhere in the French Army without a title. So Monsieur Baron De Kalb fought with the French during the French Indian War. He was eager to join the American cause against the British; yet, when captured by the British, as he lay dying, it is said that he was treated with profound respect and given top-rate medical treatment in the field.

June 29, 1995: The U.S. Postal Service released a set of 20 Civil War commemorative stamps. Three of the stamps featured Georgia-related subjects: Stand Watie (Georgia-born Cherokee native and Confederate general), General Joseph E. Johnston (who commanded most of the Confederate defense during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and who later was Confederate commander for Georgia and the Carolinas), and General William T. Sherman (who in 1844 as a young Army officer was stationed in Marietta for six weeks, but is better remembered for his fiery march through Georgia 20 years later).

June 30, 1785: After a short and unexpected illness, Georgia founder James Edward Oglethorpe passed away at age 88⁺. At his side was Elizabeth, his wife of 41 years. His death came at Cranham Hall, an Essex estate inherited by his wife prior to their marriage. Only 100 feet away from Cranham Hall is the Parish Church of All Saints, where the Oglethorpe family had maintained membership for four decades. Not only was the general's funeral service held here, but a burial vault for the church's most famous parishioner was created beneath the floor at the center front of the church.

Two of the Georgia Trustees were Thomas and John LaRoche, were they also his kin ? John is clearly French, but what of Thomas ? Lady Eleanor Wall's father was Richard WALL of Rathkenny in Tipperary and her mother, Catherine [de la] ROCHE. Her father was Lord Roche, but which one and from where. Anyone have any good Leeds ? It is said that she was born in Ireland, so one might think she is from that line, upon which Sir Walter Raleigh and his Queen took revenge. In support is : http://www.savannahtourismmagazine.com/1GPSTour1.html.

June 30, 1908: An explosion near the Tunguska River in Siberia instantly vaporized much of what occupied some 300 square kilometers, an area that encircled the impact site of an estimated 60 meter diameter stony meteorite. Because the site was remote, it was many years before the first research expeditions were made into the area http://www-th.bo.infn.it/tunguska/

A year later on the other side of the world, another explosion of sorts, when 35,000 Baseball fans help to dedicate a new Sports Stadium. The largest assemblage ever gathered at any Ball Park to date, anywhere, enjoyed ideal weather conditions and impressive ceremonies, including concerts by two (count 'em two) marching bands. Brief speeches, as one might expect, preceded the game. The Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the Chicago Cubs, when Forbes Field opened on June 30th (1909). http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/oakland/ -- Oh, by the way, Pittsburgh celebrated its 250th year in 2008.

More Flags -- Flag Day

A Search Function for Website Users, from Everywhere
 

Search WWW Search 67.199.41.216 

Dunwoody Trail Historical Weather Conditions
January February March April May June July August September October November December	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994
Grenoble France		Frankfurt Germany	More Overseas Conditions

 
Current Newsletter
 
© 1999-2007 HightowerTrail.com, © 2008-2010 LaRocheUSA.org -- All rights reserved
Last updated: le 01 Juin 2010
o918 EST -- wlaroche.ee73@gtalumni.org