Speaking of Captains, we do have some GREAT ones.
Captain Keshel is a GREAT Captain.
We'll be reuniting this week in Michigan.
Until then, have a great day patriots!
Captain Keshel is a GREAT Captain.
We'll be reuniting this week in Michigan.
Until then, have a great day patriots!
I'm a cheerleader for ALL audit groups. If you have an effective audit group that isn't part of a "big channel" and you want a shout out, let me know.
Let's raise all boats!
Let's raise all boats!
Forwarded from Captain Keshel and Co. American Election Integrity HQ
If you think the national reaction to Biden’s Afghanistan is bad... wait until the public realizes he did not win Arizona.
The trap has been set for yours truly.
Read below the correspondence I received this morning.
What you may not know, is that I reached out to my superiors weeks ago as a courtesy, and offered to transition my courses into an online format in order to provide teaching services to my students, while also preserving the right to make the right health decisions for myself.
It appears this reasonable option has been declined.
"Hi David,
Welcome back to campus. I hope you and your family are well.
Per our conversation last week and subsequent statements reported to us by others from your social media, you are indicating that you have no intention of wearing a mask on campus. Here is the link to the expectations for the university community, which I acknowledge changes on a frequent basis as circumstances on the ground change.
Our current COVID-19 Policy
This communication is to encourage you to seriously re-think your approach. Wearing a mask is an NMSU Covid prevention policy directive issued for the health and safety of the entire campus, whether or not you personally agree with it. Refusal to comply will be a violation of such policy, which will support corresponding disciplinary/administrative action. Please reconsider; I ask that you follow university Covid prevention policy and protocols to avoid such repercussions.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
[redacted]"
Read below the correspondence I received this morning.
What you may not know, is that I reached out to my superiors weeks ago as a courtesy, and offered to transition my courses into an online format in order to provide teaching services to my students, while also preserving the right to make the right health decisions for myself.
It appears this reasonable option has been declined.
"Hi David,
Welcome back to campus. I hope you and your family are well.
Per our conversation last week and subsequent statements reported to us by others from your social media, you are indicating that you have no intention of wearing a mask on campus. Here is the link to the expectations for the university community, which I acknowledge changes on a frequent basis as circumstances on the ground change.
Our current COVID-19 Policy
This communication is to encourage you to seriously re-think your approach. Wearing a mask is an NMSU Covid prevention policy directive issued for the health and safety of the entire campus, whether or not you personally agree with it. Refusal to comply will be a violation of such policy, which will support corresponding disciplinary/administrative action. Please reconsider; I ask that you follow university Covid prevention policy and protocols to avoid such repercussions.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
[redacted]"
Forwarded from Follow the Data with Dr Frank
“NDA”
A non-disclosure agreement means that what you hear in a protected setting may not be discussed outside that setting unless it is already publicly available.
I know it is frustrating for you folks out there, but one of the first things that Col Waldron said when we met in the “war room” with the red team was, “Everything said in this room stays in this room.”
Despite this, there were leaks. Big ones. And obviously, Josh Merritt was one of them. This is not debatable. He is quoted in the the Washington Times, and was captured on tape in two interviews with Pete Santilli.
In the beginning, it was startling to me how rapidly our offenses were being countered, but it makes more sense now that we know there were leaks.
The saying, “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” was ringing in my head throughout the event, as our fluid battle plans were constantly being countered almost before they were being launched.
I had never met nor heard of “Spyder” before this event, but was initially impressed by his various exploits when he relayed them to me. I have nothing personal to say negative about him, but he obviously violated the trust and confidence of his foxhole buddies.
He was removed by the leadership Wednesday morning of the event, once it was confirmed that he was a leak.
He was not the only leak.
The leadership was prepared for these sorts of things, and various Ops were running the entire time to mitigate them. I was impressed by the professionalism and expertise of my teammates.
Of course, I was disappointed that we did not accomplish everything we had originally intended.
But I’ve been repeatedly re-learning something important in the preceding months: it is God’s timing, not ours.
Every time I see a plan “fail,” I look back at it and am amazed that the ultimate outcome is actually better than my planned one; I could not have planned it better myself.
So, each day I re-imagine myself as a leaf on the river, flowing where God has planned.
I am in good hands.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
—Romans 8:28
A non-disclosure agreement means that what you hear in a protected setting may not be discussed outside that setting unless it is already publicly available.
I know it is frustrating for you folks out there, but one of the first things that Col Waldron said when we met in the “war room” with the red team was, “Everything said in this room stays in this room.”
Despite this, there were leaks. Big ones. And obviously, Josh Merritt was one of them. This is not debatable. He is quoted in the the Washington Times, and was captured on tape in two interviews with Pete Santilli.
In the beginning, it was startling to me how rapidly our offenses were being countered, but it makes more sense now that we know there were leaks.
The saying, “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” was ringing in my head throughout the event, as our fluid battle plans were constantly being countered almost before they were being launched.
I had never met nor heard of “Spyder” before this event, but was initially impressed by his various exploits when he relayed them to me. I have nothing personal to say negative about him, but he obviously violated the trust and confidence of his foxhole buddies.
He was removed by the leadership Wednesday morning of the event, once it was confirmed that he was a leak.
He was not the only leak.
The leadership was prepared for these sorts of things, and various Ops were running the entire time to mitigate them. I was impressed by the professionalism and expertise of my teammates.
Of course, I was disappointed that we did not accomplish everything we had originally intended.
But I’ve been repeatedly re-learning something important in the preceding months: it is God’s timing, not ours.
Every time I see a plan “fail,” I look back at it and am amazed that the ultimate outcome is actually better than my planned one; I could not have planned it better myself.
So, each day I re-imagine myself as a leaf on the river, flowing where God has planned.
I am in good hands.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
—Romans 8:28
Forwarded from Follow the Data with Dr Frank
People are asking me about Professor Clements' role in all the hubbub last week.
From my perspective, he was a valuable contributor, and I enjoyed meeting a foxhole buddy face to face.
He admits that he misjudged Josh Merritt, and is trying to mitigate any damage that resulted.
And he has been attempting to correct the error. Give him credit.
If people aren't making errors, then it is unlikely they are making progress either.
People who acknowledge their errors improve their credibility with me.
From where I sit, I think Professor Clements is the real deal. A fellow patriot.
From my perspective, he was a valuable contributor, and I enjoyed meeting a foxhole buddy face to face.
He admits that he misjudged Josh Merritt, and is trying to mitigate any damage that resulted.
And he has been attempting to correct the error. Give him credit.
If people aren't making errors, then it is unlikely they are making progress either.
People who acknowledge their errors improve their credibility with me.
From where I sit, I think Professor Clements is the real deal. A fellow patriot.
I have taken no joy in being deceived and betrayed.
I'm heartsick.
I love people. I want to see the good in them. However, when I have discerned incorrectly, and people relied on my discernment, I must take responsibility for it.
A "Spyder" is clever. It weaves a web around its prey. It is patient. And when it believes its prey is caught, unable to move, it feeds.
God saw the trap laid by the "Spyder."
The "Spyder" has now been flushed out and is in a trap of his own creation.
The "Spyder" is frantically scurrying to anyone that will listen, trying to lay more webbing. It's too late.
Judas Iscariot went down in the history books.
So will the "Spyder."
God knows the future. I trust in His infinite wisdom to cover his people even when they cannot see the traps set by the enemy.
Make no mistake.
The Cyber Symposium was divinely saved by God.
The enemy dug the pit. They fell into it.
The enemy rolled a stone. It rolled back on them.
I'm heartsick.
I love people. I want to see the good in them. However, when I have discerned incorrectly, and people relied on my discernment, I must take responsibility for it.
A "Spyder" is clever. It weaves a web around its prey. It is patient. And when it believes its prey is caught, unable to move, it feeds.
God saw the trap laid by the "Spyder."
The "Spyder" has now been flushed out and is in a trap of his own creation.
The "Spyder" is frantically scurrying to anyone that will listen, trying to lay more webbing. It's too late.
Judas Iscariot went down in the history books.
So will the "Spyder."
God knows the future. I trust in His infinite wisdom to cover his people even when they cannot see the traps set by the enemy.
Make no mistake.
The Cyber Symposium was divinely saved by God.
The enemy dug the pit. They fell into it.
The enemy rolled a stone. It rolled back on them.
Forwarded from LadyDraza
If anyone is interested in watching a video of a detailed explanation of how I began evaluating the data and what I see in the numbers, one of the groups I spoke with put the video of the discussion up here: https://rumble.com/vkh96p-ladydraza-pid-cruise-control-north-dakota.html Now, that I understand how the data was controlled, I do not even need to do the percent extension any longer to see the trends in the data. You can just see it on the visual plots how the votes correlate and how the percentage is controlled.
Rumble
LadyDraza PID Cruise Control North Dakota
This interviewer had some of the best questions I've received to date. We talk about many things, but mostly the concept of nullification in the event of federal overreach, and the legal avenues available to restore the rightful president to the White House. Interview starts at about the 13 minute mark. https://rumble.com/vl9m2t-faith-courage-and-legal-remedies-with-david-clements.html
Rumble
Faith, Courage, and Legal Remedies with David Clements
Faith, Courage, and Legal Remedies with David Clements FREE OR PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP: https://bit.ly/3reDC7C BUY GOLD: https://bit.ly/37HjsdR BUY A SAT PHONE: https://bit.ly/3B1SviM www.AmericanMediaPeri
Many of you have reached out to me expressing your concern for my job situation, and want to help.
If you feel strongly that what I am experiencing is unconstitutional, illegal, and immoral, please feel free to let my dean, department head, and upper administration know that you stand with me.
Please be civil and fact based.
University President John Floros: floros@nmsu.edu; 575-646-2127
University Chancellor Dan Arvizu: darvizu@nmsu.edu; 575-646-2035
Provost Carol Parker: parker55@nmsu.edu; 575-646-2594
Dean of the Business College Jim Hoffman: jhoffman@nmsu.edu; 575-646-4083
Finance Department Head Ken Martin: kjmartin@nmsu.edu; 575-646-3201
If you feel strongly that what I am experiencing is unconstitutional, illegal, and immoral, please feel free to let my dean, department head, and upper administration know that you stand with me.
Please be civil and fact based.
University President John Floros: floros@nmsu.edu; 575-646-2127
University Chancellor Dan Arvizu: darvizu@nmsu.edu; 575-646-2035
Provost Carol Parker: parker55@nmsu.edu; 575-646-2594
Dean of the Business College Jim Hoffman: jhoffman@nmsu.edu; 575-646-4083
Finance Department Head Ken Martin: kjmartin@nmsu.edu; 575-646-3201
Forwarded from Follow the Data with Dr Frank
“Cyber Experts”
Late afternoon of the end of the first day of the Cyber Symposium, I dropped in on the cyber guys... I speak their language, and I was anticipating that they would have lots of questions.
I knew they would be disappointed that they had initially received such a small sampling from the PCAPs, because I was too. I explained to them what was going on, and assured them that our intent was to get them the complete picture by the third day.
*I wanted the PCAPs too...*
In the interim, we had given them forensic images of voting machines from Mesa and Antrim Counties.
One of them said, “Now, I hate you Dr Frank, because now I’m gonna be up all night.” They are like raw meat to lions for these guys.
It was as though we had been mining for gold, and stumbled upon diamonds. Forensic images are far better than PCAPs.
As late as Wednesday evening, it was still our intent to deliver the PCAPs, and our team was preparing a new 7Tb slice for them. Some things had been prepared in advance, but there were technical difficulties and the red team was demanding a different approach.
Of course, now you know of the assault on Mr Lindell and the poison pill Op that was in place which changed our plans at the last minute.
Several positive things resulted, one of which I had not thought of in advance. I had been thinking of the cyber guys as adversarial... there to prove that the PCAPs were not from the November 2020 election and win the five million dollars.
Instead, most of them are true patriots, stepping up to serve their country. I was inspired by their devotion and impressed by their skills.
So, yes, the PCAPs are delayed, and we will have to be patient while things work themselves out.
But our team of patriots just got bigger, and this is the beginning of something remarkable.
Late afternoon of the end of the first day of the Cyber Symposium, I dropped in on the cyber guys... I speak their language, and I was anticipating that they would have lots of questions.
I knew they would be disappointed that they had initially received such a small sampling from the PCAPs, because I was too. I explained to them what was going on, and assured them that our intent was to get them the complete picture by the third day.
*I wanted the PCAPs too...*
In the interim, we had given them forensic images of voting machines from Mesa and Antrim Counties.
One of them said, “Now, I hate you Dr Frank, because now I’m gonna be up all night.” They are like raw meat to lions for these guys.
It was as though we had been mining for gold, and stumbled upon diamonds. Forensic images are far better than PCAPs.
As late as Wednesday evening, it was still our intent to deliver the PCAPs, and our team was preparing a new 7Tb slice for them. Some things had been prepared in advance, but there were technical difficulties and the red team was demanding a different approach.
Of course, now you know of the assault on Mr Lindell and the poison pill Op that was in place which changed our plans at the last minute.
Several positive things resulted, one of which I had not thought of in advance. I had been thinking of the cyber guys as adversarial... there to prove that the PCAPs were not from the November 2020 election and win the five million dollars.
Instead, most of them are true patriots, stepping up to serve their country. I was inspired by their devotion and impressed by their skills.
So, yes, the PCAPs are delayed, and we will have to be patient while things work themselves out.
But our team of patriots just got bigger, and this is the beginning of something remarkable.
Forwarded from Follow the Data with Dr Frank
“Poison Pill”
A poison pill Op is where you plant something strategically that allows you to damage your opposition.
At the cyber symposium, we discovered that we had infiltrators in key positions, with access to the data we were about to distribute.
We knew we had FBI agents on the floor of the symposium gathering intel.
We discovered late Wednesday evening that there were warrants issued, ready to be exercised on the following day.
It is illegal to distribute classified information, and suspect computers can be confiscated and distributers can be arrested.
There was a credible threat, and military folks treat credible threats as actual threats.
(Gosh, I love our military guys...)
The fastest way to make enemies of fifty cyber guys would be to get their computers seized, and to put them in jail.
I don’t want to be in jail either.
And it would also deliver the data into the hands of the opposition.
We went with plan B, and it seems like a good plan to me. But I’m new at all this cloak-and-dagger stuff.
A poison pill Op is where you plant something strategically that allows you to damage your opposition.
At the cyber symposium, we discovered that we had infiltrators in key positions, with access to the data we were about to distribute.
We knew we had FBI agents on the floor of the symposium gathering intel.
We discovered late Wednesday evening that there were warrants issued, ready to be exercised on the following day.
It is illegal to distribute classified information, and suspect computers can be confiscated and distributers can be arrested.
There was a credible threat, and military folks treat credible threats as actual threats.
(Gosh, I love our military guys...)
The fastest way to make enemies of fifty cyber guys would be to get their computers seized, and to put them in jail.
I don’t want to be in jail either.
And it would also deliver the data into the hands of the opposition.
We went with plan B, and it seems like a good plan to me. But I’m new at all this cloak-and-dagger stuff.
Brian Cates was right about Joshua "Spyder" Merritt. And I was wrong.
To the extent my criticism of Brian Cates was related to Spyder, I offer my sincere apology. I tried calling Brian to personally to let him know.
Does this mean I feel differently about Brian based on his past statements about Julian Assange, Lin Wood, and others? No.
But, I need to take personal responsibility for when I get it wrong.
I hope he will do the same.
To the extent my criticism of Brian Cates was related to Spyder, I offer my sincere apology. I tried calling Brian to personally to let him know.
Does this mean I feel differently about Brian based on his past statements about Julian Assange, Lin Wood, and others? No.
But, I need to take personal responsibility for when I get it wrong.
I hope he will do the same.
Forwarded from Joe Oltmann Official (Joe Oltmann)
Back on the podcast… little late.
Joe Biden gave a "speech" and blamed everyone (but himself) for Afghanistan's collapse. Joe Biden MUST go! Tune in and watch the Conservative Daily Podcast LIVE @
FB: https://bit.ly/37Pv4fd
Dlive: https://bit.ly/cd-dlive
C-D: https://bit.ly/3ASbVGa
Twitch: https://bit.ly/cd-twitch
Joe Biden gave a "speech" and blamed everyone (but himself) for Afghanistan's collapse. Joe Biden MUST go! Tune in and watch the Conservative Daily Podcast LIVE @
FB: https://bit.ly/37Pv4fd
Dlive: https://bit.ly/cd-dlive
C-D: https://bit.ly/3ASbVGa
Twitch: https://bit.ly/cd-twitch
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Forwarded from The Gateway Pundit Media
Biden’s Failure Explodes as Nearly 70% Disapprove of His Handling of Afghanistan: Poll
Over the past few days, President Joe Biden has completely mishandled the withdrawal of United Stated troops from Afghanistan. A new poll released Monday found a majority of Americans have come to agree with this fact.
According to the poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, 69.3 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, including 59.5 percent who strongly disapprove. Only 23.1 percent approved of Biden’s handling of the situation, and 7.5 percent had no opinion.
The poll was conducted among 1,084 respondents between Saturday and Sunday, and it has a margin of error of +/- 2.98 percentage points.
When broken down by party affiliation, the results arguably look even worse for Biden and his administration.
Among Democrats, 48.2 percent disapproved of Biden’s handling of military operations in Afghanistan. Just 39.8 percent approved, and 12 percent had no opinion.
An astounding 88.8 percent of Republicans disapproved of Biden’s actions in Afghanistan, including 8o percent who strongly disapproved. Only 7.1 percent of Republicans approved of Biden’s handling of the situation.
As all of these numbers show, Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Biden’s actions in Afghanistan. Not only do a majority of Republicans disapprove of his actions, but a plurality of Democrats do too.
There are many reasons why Americans disapprove of Biden’s actions over the last few days. For one thing, his rushed and ill-planned exit has left both American citizens and Afghan allies stranded.
According to The Hill, Biden has plans to rescue “thousands” of Americans who remain stuck in Afghanistan.
“As we carry out this departure, we have made it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful,” he said in a Monday news conference, according to an official White House transcript of his remarks. “We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary.”
Yes, threatening terrorists is usually an effective way to get them to do what you want.
Even if the U.S. is able to get all of our citizens safely out of Afghanistan, Biden has created a completely unnecessary disaster by pushing forward a withdrawal without having the necessary plans in place.
According to The Washington Post, there were officially 2,500 American troops in Afghanistan when Biden announced his withdrawal plan in April.
In his speech Monday, Biden said he had authorized 6,000 American troops to be sent to Afghanistan to “to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of U.S. and Allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan.”
Any way you slice it, Biden’s incompetency in creating an exit strategy resulted in over twice the original number of troops being sent to the very country he was trying to withdraw from. That is hardly a successful result.
Biden continued by attempting to paint himself in a positive light, saying a continued military presence in Afghanistan “is not what the American people want.”
While that may or may not be true, one thing the American people clearly don’t want is the complete disaster brought on by the Biden administration. Trafalgar’s poll results make that fact very clear.
If the administration had devised an actual plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, it may have been able to gain support from a majority of Americans. Instead, its utter incompetence has resulted in widespread disapproval.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Follow and Share👉🏻@thegatewaypundit_news
Over the past few days, President Joe Biden has completely mishandled the withdrawal of United Stated troops from Afghanistan. A new poll released Monday found a majority of Americans have come to agree with this fact.
According to the poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, 69.3 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, including 59.5 percent who strongly disapprove. Only 23.1 percent approved of Biden’s handling of the situation, and 7.5 percent had no opinion.
The poll was conducted among 1,084 respondents between Saturday and Sunday, and it has a margin of error of +/- 2.98 percentage points.
When broken down by party affiliation, the results arguably look even worse for Biden and his administration.
Among Democrats, 48.2 percent disapproved of Biden’s handling of military operations in Afghanistan. Just 39.8 percent approved, and 12 percent had no opinion.
An astounding 88.8 percent of Republicans disapproved of Biden’s actions in Afghanistan, including 8o percent who strongly disapproved. Only 7.1 percent of Republicans approved of Biden’s handling of the situation.
As all of these numbers show, Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Biden’s actions in Afghanistan. Not only do a majority of Republicans disapprove of his actions, but a plurality of Democrats do too.
There are many reasons why Americans disapprove of Biden’s actions over the last few days. For one thing, his rushed and ill-planned exit has left both American citizens and Afghan allies stranded.
According to The Hill, Biden has plans to rescue “thousands” of Americans who remain stuck in Afghanistan.
“As we carry out this departure, we have made it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful,” he said in a Monday news conference, according to an official White House transcript of his remarks. “We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary.”
Yes, threatening terrorists is usually an effective way to get them to do what you want.
Even if the U.S. is able to get all of our citizens safely out of Afghanistan, Biden has created a completely unnecessary disaster by pushing forward a withdrawal without having the necessary plans in place.
According to The Washington Post, there were officially 2,500 American troops in Afghanistan when Biden announced his withdrawal plan in April.
In his speech Monday, Biden said he had authorized 6,000 American troops to be sent to Afghanistan to “to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of U.S. and Allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan.”
Any way you slice it, Biden’s incompetency in creating an exit strategy resulted in over twice the original number of troops being sent to the very country he was trying to withdraw from. That is hardly a successful result.
Biden continued by attempting to paint himself in a positive light, saying a continued military presence in Afghanistan “is not what the American people want.”
While that may or may not be true, one thing the American people clearly don’t want is the complete disaster brought on by the Biden administration. Trafalgar’s poll results make that fact very clear.
If the administration had devised an actual plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, it may have been able to gain support from a majority of Americans. Instead, its utter incompetence has resulted in widespread disapproval.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Follow and Share👉🏻@thegatewaypundit_news
"The Last President" was published in 1896. The following excerpt is at the end of the book. Does it remind you of how we all felt January 6th? I believe we are writing the sequel.
"The Republican leader rose to his feet. His voice sounded cold and hollow. Strong men shivered as they listened. “Mr. Speaker: We have done our duty to our country; we have nothing more to say, no more blows to strike. We cannot stand here within the sacred precincts of this Chamber and see our rights as freemen trampled beneath the feet of the majority. We have striven to prevent the downfall of the Republic, like men sworn to battle against wrong and tyranny, but there comes a time when blank despair seizes upon the hearts of those who struggle against overwhelming odds. That hour has sounded for us We believe our people, the great and generous people of the North, will cry unto us: Well done, good and faithful servants. If we do wrong, let them condemn us. We, every man of us, Mr. Speaker, have but this moment sworn not to stand within this Chamber and witness the passage of this act. Therefore we go.”
“Not so, my countrymen,” cried a clear metallic far-reaching voice that sounded through the Chamber with an almost supernatural ring in it. In an instant, every head was turned and a thousand voices burst out with suppressed force: “The President! The President!”
In truth, it was he, standing at the bar of the House, wearing the visage of death rather than of life. The next instant the House and galleries burst into a deafening clamor which rolled up and back in mighty waves that shook the very walls. There was no stilling it. Again and again it burst forth, the mingling of ten thousand words, howling, rumbling and groaning like the warring elements of nature. Several times the President stretched forth his great white hands appealing for silence, while the dew of mingled dread and anguish beaded on his brow and trickled down his cheeks in liquid supplication that his people might either slay him or listen to him. The tumult stilled its fury for a moment, and he could be heard saying brokenly:
“My countrymen, oh, my countrymen.”
But the quick sharp sound of the gavel cut him short.
“The President must withdraw,” said the Speaker, calmly and coldly, “his presence here is a menace to our free deliberation.”
Again the tumult set up its deafening roar, while a look of almost horror overspread the countenance of the Chief Magistrate.
Once more his great white hands went heavenward, pleading for silence with such a mute majesty of supplication, that silence fell upon the immense assemblage, and his lips moved not in vain.
“Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, I stand here upon my just and lawful right as President of the Republic, to give you ‘information of the state of the Union.’ I have summoned the Honorable the Senate, to meet me in this Chamber. I call upon you to calm your passions, and give ear to me as your oath of office sets the sacred obligation upon you.”
There was a tone of godlike authority in these few words, almost divine enough to make the winds obey and still the tempestuous sea. In deepest silence, and with a certain show of rude and native grandeur of bearing, the Senators made their entrance into the Chamber, the members of the House rising, and the Speaker advancing to meet the Vice-President.
The spectacle was grand and moving. Tears gathered in eyes long unused to them, and at an almost imperceptible nod of the President’s head, the Chaplain raised his voice in prayer. He prayed in accents that were so gentle and so persuasive, they must have turned the hardest heart to blessed thoughts of peace and love and fraternity and union. And then again all eyes were fixed with intensest strain upon the face of the President.
“Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, this measure upon which you are now deliberating…”
"The Republican leader rose to his feet. His voice sounded cold and hollow. Strong men shivered as they listened. “Mr. Speaker: We have done our duty to our country; we have nothing more to say, no more blows to strike. We cannot stand here within the sacred precincts of this Chamber and see our rights as freemen trampled beneath the feet of the majority. We have striven to prevent the downfall of the Republic, like men sworn to battle against wrong and tyranny, but there comes a time when blank despair seizes upon the hearts of those who struggle against overwhelming odds. That hour has sounded for us We believe our people, the great and generous people of the North, will cry unto us: Well done, good and faithful servants. If we do wrong, let them condemn us. We, every man of us, Mr. Speaker, have but this moment sworn not to stand within this Chamber and witness the passage of this act. Therefore we go.”
“Not so, my countrymen,” cried a clear metallic far-reaching voice that sounded through the Chamber with an almost supernatural ring in it. In an instant, every head was turned and a thousand voices burst out with suppressed force: “The President! The President!”
In truth, it was he, standing at the bar of the House, wearing the visage of death rather than of life. The next instant the House and galleries burst into a deafening clamor which rolled up and back in mighty waves that shook the very walls. There was no stilling it. Again and again it burst forth, the mingling of ten thousand words, howling, rumbling and groaning like the warring elements of nature. Several times the President stretched forth his great white hands appealing for silence, while the dew of mingled dread and anguish beaded on his brow and trickled down his cheeks in liquid supplication that his people might either slay him or listen to him. The tumult stilled its fury for a moment, and he could be heard saying brokenly:
“My countrymen, oh, my countrymen.”
But the quick sharp sound of the gavel cut him short.
“The President must withdraw,” said the Speaker, calmly and coldly, “his presence here is a menace to our free deliberation.”
Again the tumult set up its deafening roar, while a look of almost horror overspread the countenance of the Chief Magistrate.
Once more his great white hands went heavenward, pleading for silence with such a mute majesty of supplication, that silence fell upon the immense assemblage, and his lips moved not in vain.
“Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, I stand here upon my just and lawful right as President of the Republic, to give you ‘information of the state of the Union.’ I have summoned the Honorable the Senate, to meet me in this Chamber. I call upon you to calm your passions, and give ear to me as your oath of office sets the sacred obligation upon you.”
There was a tone of godlike authority in these few words, almost divine enough to make the winds obey and still the tempestuous sea. In deepest silence, and with a certain show of rude and native grandeur of bearing, the Senators made their entrance into the Chamber, the members of the House rising, and the Speaker advancing to meet the Vice-President.
The spectacle was grand and moving. Tears gathered in eyes long unused to them, and at an almost imperceptible nod of the President’s head, the Chaplain raised his voice in prayer. He prayed in accents that were so gentle and so persuasive, they must have turned the hardest heart to blessed thoughts of peace and love and fraternity and union. And then again all eyes were fixed with intensest strain upon the face of the President.
“Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, this measure upon which you are now deliberating…”
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