The deep freeze continues here in Maine.  I just knew that we’d pay dearly for that two weeks of warm temperatures and sunshine we had earlier.  Every thing always seems to balance out whether we like it or not.  This will certainly be the winter for reading and other indoor activities for us.  I’m fortunate enough to be one of those people driven to read everything I can get my hands on and Winter is the prefect time for me.

Recently I downloaded a number of books, essays, and journal transcripts for my Kindle.  It’s amazing to me just how many of the classics are now free to anyone to download at their leisure.  Last fall I finished reading the autobiography of Ben Franklin and then a book of notes and observations he wrote about his life.  It brings his experience to a new level of understanding without my being influenced by people who insist on rewriting history. The old adage of getting information "straight from the horses mouth" has never been truer.  That was one of the reasons I first read the Federalist Papers many years ago.

I’ve always been a history buff and I thought I had a good handle on many of the things that took place as this country grew and developed.  As usual I was somewhat incorrect.  Learning about the history of this country in school depends totally on who supplies the school with text books.  Unfortunately it’s human nature when writing to subconsciously slant what your describing in such a way as to reflect your ideals and opinions.  Many current text books spend more time apologizing for our country than actually explaining things in the context of the time.  It’s terribly unjust to take incidents out of context and then to feed that misinformation to our children claiming it to be the absolute truth. That’s my main reason for always attempting to go directly to the source for much of my information.

This week I began a journey of discovery that made the United States what it is today, at least geographically.  I began reading the daily logs and journals of the entire journey of the Lewis and Clark expedition as it moved westward exploring the Louisiana Purchase.  It was a grand thing they accomplished but reading the daily entries reveals a whole other side to the story.  Their need to hunt for food, bartering with locals, and maintaining discipline within their ranks is gritty and at times difficult to read. 

I’m only a few months into their journey as they traveled by boat west up the Missouri River.  The spelling and writing of the time is difficult and cumbersome.  They used many slang terms and abbreviations making the reading a bit of a chore. It’s worth the effort because the use of the original language seems to take me back to their time. I look forward to learning exactly how difficult and treacherous the expedition really was which in turn will give me a new appreciation for their efforts and accomplishments. The "devil is in the details" as with everything else and I have a driving need to learn those true details.

Being well informed is the responsibility of all citizens.  It must include a true knowledge of our history unaffected by liberal academics attempting to rewrite history as they see fit.  We all want the truth and believe me,  we can handle the truth.