Sunday, June 05, 2011

Palin, Revere, and Truth

it cannot hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does at least make the reassuring claim, that where it is inaccurate it is at least definitively inaccurate. In cases of major discrepancy it's always reality that's got it wrong. ~ Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
You've got to respect Sarah Palin's self-confidence. She knows that if there is a conflict between history and what she believes, it is history that's got it wrong.
According to Palin, in 1775 Paul Revere rode through the Boston countryside ringing bells and shooting guns to warn the British not to try to take to take American guns.

According to history, Paul Revere was tasked with warning Sam Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them and on the way he stopped to knock on doors and rouse the Sons of Liberty militia to action. Revere encountered the British at one point but outran them and escaped without shouting a single warning.

After warning Adams and Hancock, Revere and two others continued riding on arousing the militia. On this ride Revere was captured by British troops. While a pistol was being held to his head, Revere confessed his actions and told the British that the militia had been warned of their movement and would be ready to fight.

After holding Revere for a while they took his horse and left Revere on foot. Revere ran across a pasture and graveyard to again reach the house where Adams and Hancock had been where he helped hide John Hancock's trunk. (Paul Revere's own account)

Palin continues to insist that her version is more aesthetically pleasing than the historical accounts and, hence, is the more truthy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You need to account for the fact that English is not her first language and truth is not among matters of importance to her...Given the number of people that idolize her for her inability to honor the truth and for her frequently brainless comments, there really is no hope for this country. We are plummeting into a sewer filled with people like this.