Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 20

Come and See – In Every Pattern and Promise: Jesus Christ in the New Tes...

Pledge of Allegiance

 

Marcus Aurelius on the Moral Path

 

Happy New Year 2026

 

Happy New Year 2026

 

The Thanksgiving Blessing Tree

 

Thanksgiving week is a natural invitation to pause, notice, and respond with gratitude. Here are some thoughtful ways to deepen gratitude to God and sharpen our recognition of blessings:

🌿 Ways to Increase Gratitude to God

• Prayer of Thanks: Begin and end the day with a short prayer naming specific blessings—health, family, opportunities, even challenges that helped you grow.

• Scripture Reflection: Read passages that emphasize gratitude (e.g., Psalm 100, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Alma 34:38). Let them shape your perspective.

• Gratitude Journal to God: Write daily entries addressed to Him, acknowledging both ordinary and extraordinary gifts.

• Acts of Service: Express gratitude by serving others—sharing food, visiting someone lonely, or offering encouragement. Service becomes a living prayer of thanks.

• Worship Through Beauty: Notice creation—sunrise, autumn leaves, laughter—and consciously thank God for the artistry woven into life.

🌟 How to Recognize Blessings in Our Lives

• Shift Perspective: Instead of asking “What am I missing?” ask “What have I been given?” This reframes even small things as gifts.

• Celebrate the Ordinary: A warm meal, a safe home, a conversation with a friend—these are blessings often overlooked.

• Remember Past Deliverance: Reflect on times God carried you through difficulty. Gratitude grows when we recall His faithfulness.

• See Blessings in Trials: Challenges often bring hidden blessings—patience, resilience, compassion. Naming these helps us see God’s hand even in hardship.

• Community Reflection: Share with family or friends what you’re grateful for. Hearing others’ blessings expands your awareness of your own.

✨ A Thanksgiving Practice

Here’s a simple ritual you could try this week:

1. Gather stones or slips of paper.

2. Each day, write one blessing and place it in a jar or basket.

3. On Thanksgiving Day, read them aloud as a prayer of gratitude.

It becomes a tangible reminder of God’s abundance.

🧠 Teaching Moments

• Young children: Ask, “What made you smile today?” or “What do you love that God gave you?”

• Teens: Invite deeper reflection: “What blessing have you overlooked?” or “How has God helped you grow?”

• Adults: Encourage naming blessings in disguise—hardships that led to growth or healing.

• To guide reflection, you can write a prompt on the back of each leaf:

  • “What did God give me today?”

  • “What challenge became a blessing?”

  • “Who am I thankful for?”

  • “What beauty did I notice?”

New Take on Colonoscopy Preparation

 

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

This Article

• Improved My Health1
• Changed My Life3
• Saved My Life

This is from newshound Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now, suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first, I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

On the subject of Colonoscopies...

Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!

2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'

3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'

4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'

5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'

6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'

7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'

8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'

9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!

10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'

11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'

12. 'God, now I know why I am not gay.'

And the best one of all.

13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'

This is the Law

 This is the law [@realDonaldTrump](https://x.com/realDonaldTrump is looking for:

18 U.S.C. § 2387 — Activities Affecting Armed Forces General

This statute makes it a federal crime to do any of the following with the intent to interfere with U.S. military operations:

1.Advise, urge, or attempt to cause:

•insubordination,

•disloyalty,

•mutiny, or

•refusal of duty

among members of the U.S. military.

2.Obstruct or attempt to obstruct:

•recruiting,

•enlistment,

•or general military operations.

3.Distribute written materials advocating any of the above.

This law does not require advocating the overthrow of the government — that is § 2385.

Section 2387 is specifically about undermining the functioning of the U.S. military

The Night Trump Ended the Socialist Illusion. What Really Happened with Zohran Mamdani

 

The Night Trump Ended the Socialist Illusion.

What Really Happened with Zohran Mamdani.

by Michael McCune

Most people watched that short clip and thought it was just a meeting. Trump standing beside Zohran Mamdani — the same young socialist who built his identity on insulting him.

But anyone who understands presence, pressure, and the truth men reveal in silence…

saw something very different.

The moment Mamdani walked into that room, the performance evaporated.

The fire he shows online was gone. The swagger dissolved. The persona he built to impress the mob couldn’t survive the quiet.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 — 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.

The villain here isn’t Mamdani the man.

It’s the illusion his movement depends on — the illusion of courage, conviction, and strength.

He climbed the socialist ladder by attacking Trump.

He earned status by mocking him. He rose on outrage.

But when the crowd wasn’t there?

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥.

That’s what a warrior notices — not the noise, but the moment the noise dies.

Trump didn’t need to confront him.

He didn’t need to raise his voice.

He didn’t have to “win.”

He simply held the center of the room.

And Mamdani adjusted. His posture softened.

His presence shrank. His fire dimmed.

This wasn’t unity. It wasn’t reconciliation.

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲.

A man who performs for applause will always collapse in front of someone who doesn’t need it.

The socialist movement survives on the appearance of courage. But when you remove the mob, you remove the courage.

Millions saw it.

The rising star of the socialist Left folded the moment he had to stand alone.

Not because Trump humiliated him — but because Trump didn’t have to.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥.

A warrior understands this instinctively:

When the center is steady, everything unstable falls away around it.

Trump walked out with something more valuable than agreement.

He walked out having shown America the difference between presence and performance.

And that clarity is the kind of hope this country has been starving for:

Strength without anger.

Leadership without theatrics.

Truth without illusion.

USA Armed Forces Medley [Including Space Force) [For Events]

The Declaration of Independence

 

The Declaration of Independence

"The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in human history and every citizen of the United States has the privilege of enjoying its benefits every day. Does that seem like a strong statement? The Declaration of Independence is one of the most prominent efforts by human beings to stand up in the face of tyranny and proclaim that every human being has God given rights to be free, to be protected and to pursue their lives the way they want to.

The Declaration was written by the rebelling Founding Fathers of the United States to declare their independence from the rule of Great Britain. Before its creation, most human beings lived under kings or dictatorships of one form or another. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence said, "Enough!" And changed the history of the world.

Did you know that you are a direct beneficiary of the Declaration of Independence? You may have never considered it, but the Founding Fathers of the United States have given you an opportunity that few people have ever had in human history and that is the opportunity to be free. The Founding Fathers did not want to live under the oppression of tyrannical dictators. They believed that God made each person to be free, to have his own conscience and to be free to make his own choices in life.

The English King and Parliament had put many unjust restrictions and laws on the American colonists, such as abolishing their local legislatures, forcing them to house soldiers on their own property, resisting the appointment of judges and other officials who disagreed with England, putting military authority in power over civilian authority, restricting their ability to trade with foreign countries, conducting sham trials of government officials accused of wrongdoing, levying taxes without their consent and a host of other issues.

The Founding Fathers tried for many years to get England to amend its ways and reason with them. Finally, when England wouldn't respond, the Americans decided that it was right to cast off the yoke of bondage the English were putting on them so they could live in freedom.

The American founders had very strong beliefs about the sanctity of human choice and human conscience, meaning that each person should have the choice to believe what he wants to and not be forced into anything against his will.

Today, we live in freedom because of the principles these Founders believed. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to choose our own leaders, freedom of the press, freedom to choose where we can work, who we marry, where we live and many, many other freedoms. We can follow our own dreams, instead of living for the will of the latest dictator.

If you have never read the Declaration of Independence before, you really should read it to get a basic understanding of American freedom and the reasons behind the Revolutionary War."

Republicanism and the Administrative State

In Federalist 39, James Madison writes that the nation must adopt and maintain a republican form of government, for “no other form would be reconcilable with the genius of the people of America.” As Madison points out, the decisive feature of republican government is that it “derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people.” If the people do not ultimately rule, the country can’t have self-government.

As simple as this definition seems, Madison is here applying one of the nation’s foundational principles, stated in the Declaration of Independence: because all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights, governments must derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Madison goes on to explain in Federalist 39 how the first three articles of the U.S. Constitution arrange the federal government to follow republicanism:

Republicanism and the Administrative State

Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 19: Times That Try Men’s Souls

We the People Must… Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America

 

We the People Must… Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America

I republished an article this past Monday, one that discussed the importance and significance of the oaths of office our government officials take when they step into their government positions. But, as I was thinking about it more today, I became more convinced of this simple reality: the oath of office is meant to stir us, “we the people”, into the realization that our government doesn’t protect and defend government, the country, liberty or even the people-IT protects and defends the Constitution above all else.

We the people must first be convinced of this reality before any government official will care to be convinced of it. It’s the passion and reverence of the people for the Constitution, the law outside of government, that empowers the law outside of government and motivates those in government both to know and follow this law.

Why take an oath to something that you know those who hired you have no consideration or respect for? How much power does such an oath hold?

Truly. What better way to destroy the power of something or someone than to destroy the respect for that something or someone?

There is no need to destroy the Constitution if one can destroy the citizen’s respect and reverence for the Constitution. What government official would fight to confine her own power if she knows her citizenry has no care to see her power confined?

The erosion of even the idea of constitutionalism should be of great concern for those of us in America who desire limitations on government power. Consider this quote from the book, The Concept of Constitution in the History of Political Thought, discussing the origins of the idea of constitutionalism:

This should be a heavy quote for anyone invested in preserving the United States Constitution. This indifference in the masses is precisely what suffocates and slowly kills any power the Constitution or even the idea of constitutionalism hold. Without a citizenry passionate for and educated about the critical importance of the Constitution, indifference will germinate and grow. And as indifference grows in the masses, indifference or “lack of respect” grows in the chamber halls of government itself.

Which one causes which? Is government attempting to destroy all respect for the Constitution in the citizenry and the citizenry is complying? Or has the citizenry simply lost respect and therefore the government does the same? Perhaps in a mixture of both; but we can only control our actions and our choice to refuse indifference.

Perhaps the root of the indifference is that few, if any, Americans truly understand why a Constitution matters, much less why it should be followed. Few know the true consequences of life without a Constitution. Many, from all different political persuasions, feel in their guts that it should be followed, but few can articulate why. And that simple lack of understanding is all that’s necessary to allow indifference to set it. (There are even some who wish for the Constitution to be violated, not understanding the dire consequences such violations breed.)

And this lack of understanding comes from a place of ignorance. And perhaps the ignorance comes from a place of indifference, leaving us in a destructive feedback loop that has no escape. We’re indifferent because we’re ignorant and we’re ignorant because we’re indifferent.

And as that feedback loop continues the endlessly rotate, the power of the Constitution continues to wane, like a dying star clinging to its last embers.

Yes, I’m sure much of this ignorance has been perpetuated intentionally by those in power to keep themselves in power to avoid having to limit their power. But, fundamentally, we were the ones who first put them in power and we’re the ones who keep them in power. If we truly wanted to break out of our endless feedback cycle, we could. We’re the employers after all. But we must first identify and face our indifference to the Constitution and our ignorance of the Constitution. Without facing reality, we can’t begin to repair what’s broken.

Spread these articles on the Constitution far and wide, my friends. I’ve seen that the embers of passion lying dormant in the hearts of so many Americans can be stoked into a raging flame if given the right tools and information. I’ve heard from many individuals who have been enlightened to the reason why our government must follow the Constitution and all it took to spur into action was a brief escape from their feedback loop–a breaking of ignorance.

Friends, we must not assume that the Constitution will survive without a citizenry bent on fighting for its survival. We must face any and all indifference and ignorance that we still allow to live within ourselves or those around us and we must fight to rectify that which is broken."

Because, I ask. If we don’t, who will?

By C. McMasters Ph.D.

The Liberty Belle

Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 18: Human Nature: Good or Evil?

The Founding Fathers. Without them, there would have been no United States of America.

 

The Founding Fathers

These military leaders, rebels, politicians and writers varied in personality, status and background, but all played a part in forming a new nation and hammering out the framework for the young democracy.

Without them, there would have been no United States of America. The Founding Fathers, a group of predominantly wealthy plantation owners and businessmen, united 13 disparate colonies, fought for independence from Britain and penned a series of influential governing documents that steer the country to this day.

All the Founding Fathers, including the first four U.S. presidents, at one point considered themselves British subjects. But they revolted against the restrictive rule of King George III—outlining their grievances in the Declaration of Independence, a powerful (albeit incomplete) call for freedom and equality—and won a stunning military victory over what was then the world’s preeminent superpower.

The Founders proved equally adept later on in peacetime. When the federal government tottered under the Articles of Confederation, prominent citizens met anew to hammer out the U.S. Constitution, overcoming major areas of disagreement between large and small states and Southern and Northern ones to form a stable political system. Showing foresight, they included a Bill of Rights, which enshrined many civil liberties into law and provided a blueprint for other emerging democracies.

There’s no official consensus on who should be considered a Founding Father, and some historians object to the term altogether. On the whole, though, it’s applied to those leaders who initiated the Revolutionary War and framed the Constitution. Here are eight of the most influential characters in America’s origin story:

*George Washington

Before he fought against the British, George Washington fought for the British, serving as a commander in the French and Indian War. A prosperous Virginia farmer who owned hundreds of slaves, he came to resent the various taxes and restrictions being imposed on the colonies by the British crown.

Once the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, he was placed in charge of the Continental Army and quickly suffered a near-disastrous defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn. More defeats followed—all in all, Washington lost more battles than he won. Nonetheless, he kept his ragtag troops together even through a freezing winter at Valley Forge and, with the help of his French allies, was able to expel the British by 1783.

Washington then returned to Virginia intent on resuming his career as a farmer. But he was persuaded to re-enter politics as head of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, believing that a stronger federal government was needed to preserve the nation. In 1789, Washington was overwhelmingly elected the first president of the United States. He is aptly known as the “Father of His Country.”

*Alexander Hamilton

A poor, illegitimate orphan, Alexander Hamilton emigrated as a teenager from the British West Indies to New York. Rising to prominence as an aide-de-camp to Washington during the Revolutionary War, he became an impassioned supporter of a strong central government.

After attending the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he wrote the majority of the highly persuasive Federalist Papers, which argued for the Constitution’s ratification. Washington then tapped him to serve as the first U.S. treasury secretary, a position he used to push for the creation of a national bank. Later immortalized on the $10 bill, Hamilton was killed in an 1804 duel with his bitter rival Aaron Burr, the sitting vice president.

*Benjamin Franklin

Early America’s foremost Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin was a skilled author, printer, scientist, inventor and diplomat despite a formal education that ended at age 10. When not designing bifocals, harnessing electricity, playing music or publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack, he worked constantly on civic projects to improve his adopted city of Philadelphia.

In the beginning stages of the American Revolution, Franklin was appointed to the five-member committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. He then traveled to France, where he secured French assistance for the war effort and helped negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the official end to the conflict. Just prior to his death, Franklin served as a sort of elder statesman at the Constitutional Convention.

*John Adams

A distinguished Massachusetts lawyer, John Adams became a relatively early proponent of the revolutionary cause. Just like Franklin, he served on the committee that wrote the Declaration of Independence, journeyed overseas to secure French military aid and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris. He chaired other key committees as well and even found time to draft the Massachusetts Constitution (which is still in use).

After about 10 years of diplomatic service abroad, Adams returned home in 1788 and subsequently became vice president under Washington. Following Washington’s two terms, he was then elected president, serving from 1797 to 1801. In a striking coincidence, Adams and his friend-turned-rival-turned-friend Thomas Jefferson both died on the same day, July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

*Samuel Adams

The second cousin of John Adams, Samuel Adams was a political firebrand who drummed up immense opposition to British policies in Boston, a hotbed of the resistance. Believing that the colonists were subject to “taxation without representation,” he joined the Sons of Liberty, an underground dissident group that at times resorted to tarring and feathering British loyalists.

Adams likely planned the 1773 Boston Tea Party, and in 1775 his attempted arrest helped spark the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War. Unlike many of the Founders, Adams was staunchly anti-slavery. He signed the Declaration of Independence and went on to serve as governor of Massachusetts.

*Thomas Jefferson

Well educated and prosperous, Thomas Jefferson was a Virginia lawyer and politician who came to believe the British Parliament held no authority over the 13 colonies. In 1776, he was given the immense task of writing the Declaration of Independence, in which he famously declared that “all men are created equal” and “that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights,” such as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (A lifelong slaveholder, he did not extend these concepts to African-Americans.)

As secretary of state under Washington, Jefferson clashed constantly with Hamilton over foreign policy and the role of government. He later served as vice president to John Adams prior to becoming president, himself, in 1801.

*James Madison

A close friend of Jefferson’s, James Madison likewise grew up on a Virginia plantation and served in the state legislature. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, he proved to be perhaps the most influential delegate, developing a plan to divide the federal government into three branches—legislative, executive and judicial—each with checks on its power. This plan, which was largely adopted, earned him the moniker “Father of the Constitution.”

Madison next co-authored the Federalist Papers and, as a U.S. congressman, became the driving force behind the Bill of Rights. He was elected president in 1808 after serving as Jefferson’s secretary of state.

*John Jay

Not nearly as recognized as his major Founder cohorts, John Jay nonetheless played a pivotal role in the creation of the United States. A lawyer, he originally preferred reconciling with Britain rather than fighting for independence. Once war broke out, however, he wholeheartedly joined the side of the colonists, serving, among other roles, as a diplomat to Spain and linking up with Franklin and Adams to negotiate the Treaty of Paris.

Upon returning to the United States, Jay served as secretary of foreign affairs under the Articles of Confederation and authored a few of the Federalist Papers. In 1789, he became the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and six years later he was elected governor of New York.

*Additional Founders

Many other figures have also been cited as Founding Fathers (or Mothers). These include John Hancock, best known for his flashy signature on the Declaration of Independence; Gouverneur Morris, who wrote much of the Constitution; Thomas Paine, the British-born author of Common Sense; Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith whose “midnight ride” warned of approaching redcoats; George Mason, who helped craft the Constitution but ultimately refused to sign it; Charles Carroll, the lone Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence; Patrick Henry, who famously declared “Give me liberty, or give me death!”; John Marshall, a Revolutionary War veteran and longtime chief justice of the Supreme Court; and Abigail Adams, who implored her husband, John, to “remember the ladies” while shaping the new country."