Welcome to Monday! I hope you all had a great time watching fireworks and drinking beer. I had a nice relaxing holiday at home and I could watch the fireworks from my back patio. It beats fighting the traffic! Anyway, I feel like I live in Death Valley, Delaware right now.
This is a great story. Scientists at the Library of Congress found that Thomas Jefferson originally used the word “subjects” instead of “citizens” in the Declaration of Independence.
In an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote the word “subjects,” when he referred to the American public. He then erased that word and replaced it with “citizens,” a term he used frequently throughout the final draft.
The Library released news of the struck word for the first time on Friday.
Fenalla France, a research chemist at the Library, said her lab made the discovery last year by using hyperspectral imaging, using a high resolution digital camera that compiles a series of images to highlight layers of a document. Some of those invisible layers — like erased text and even fingerprints — pop into view on a computer screen.
In switching from “subjects” to “citizens,” France said it appears Jefferson used his hand to wipe the word out while the ink was still wet. A distinct brown smudge is apparent on the paper, although the word “subjects” is not legible without the help of the digital technology.
I’m glad I’m a citizen of the United States instead of a subject of the United States.
Vote! Wonkette has a contest called the “Weeping Eagles:”
The Weeping Eagle cries for the Terribleness of American Politics and Media. We plan to dishonor the worst hacks who suck the oxygen right out of the sky with their awfulness. Writers and editors of newspapers and websites, cable hosts, lobbyists, Hill staffers and elected officials, and a few myriad guttersnipes and ne’er do wells.
So far the categories are the following:
Worst Washington Post Op-Idiot
Most Awful Political Twitterer Person
These are pretty tough categories but I chose Liz Cheney, MarK Thiessen and Chuck Grassley. The McCain family had 2 nominees in the last category.