December 7th is unique in Delaware

People all over the country know December 7th as "A day that will live in infamy" but for Delaware, today is a day that is both bitter and sweet. 154 years before Japan launched a surprise attack against the Hawaiian Naval base at Pearl Harbor which brought America fully into WWII, Delaware became the first state to ratify a revolutionary new concept of Federalism and create the first true representative republic in more than a thousand years. Delaware got it's nickname on this day and "The First State" was born on December 7th, 1787.

Delaware was quite prominent in colonial times despite it's small size and the youth of the colony. Delaware had been part of Pennsylvania up until only a few years before Americans declared their independence from Britain.  Delaware had been known as "The Lower Counties" since 1682 when the Duke of York passed his ownership to William Penn in an effort to ensure that Maryland did not gain the territory. By 1704 the colony of Pennsylvania had grown so large that "The Lower Counties" were impeding political decisions.  At that time the "Lower Counties" and Pennsylvania decided to meet separately and while Penn retained control of the Governor of the territory (which was also the Pennsylvania Governor, FYI: John Dickinson was a native of Kent County Delaware) the legislature was free to make its own decisions.  A dispute over colonial boundaries and the desire of the "Lower Counties" to govern themselves was settled by the people of Delaware on June 15th, 1776 when the General Assembly was convinced by Thomas McKean and Caesar Rodney to vote for independence from Britain and Pennsylvania at the same time!  The rest of the colonies would follow Delaware's lead 2 weeks later when they voted in Philadelphia on July 2nd to adopt the "Declaration of Independence".

Delaware would later contribute one of the premier regiments in the Continental Army.  They were called the "Delaware Blues" and nicknamed the "Blue Hen Chickens" because their tenacity matched that of the gamecocks that the soldiers used in off duty cock fights.  The regiment survived nearly the entire Revolution and fought in almost every battle.  Also, the Battle of Cooch's Bridge (the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Delaware) is believed to be the first time that the Stars and Stripes was flown in battle.

After the Revolutionary War, John Dickinson served as Delaware's first President and signed the Articles of Confederation as a representative from Delaware.  Later, Dickinson was pressed into service by Delaware once again to join  Gunning Bedford, Jr., Richard Bassett, George Read, and Jacob Broom in Annapolis at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.  Dickinson fought to ensure that every state, regardless of size, had a equal vote in the new government.  The Great Compromise (also known as the Connecticuit Compromise) assured Dickinson's desire and the ratification of the Constitution by the Delaware legislature.  Dickinson then supported a strong central government and he even wrote a series of 9 essays under the pen name Fabius supporting the new government.

Thus Delaware was born.  154 years later, the Japanese would strike a deep blow at Pearl Harbor and Dec. 7th would become Pearl Harbor Day in remembrance of the thousands of sailors, airmen and Marines who lost their lives on that day.  Still, in Delaware the date is remembered as "Delaware Day" or "Ratification Day" which makes Delaware able to celebrate the formation of of the United States of America on the same day that they commemorate the deaths of those who defended the nation.

Not Werth the hassle...

Early in 2010 the Philadelphia Eagles made what was considered at the time to have been a mind boggling trade when they sent 5-time Pro Bowl Quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks.  The football world went crazy and called the Birds the basement team and while they didn't anoint the Skins 2010 NFC East champs, they certainly put them in the running.  After week 12 McNabb has been benched twice and the Redskins are sporting a 5-7 record and Donovan McNabb has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns (11 TD's/13 Int's).  Meanwhile the Eagles sit atop the NFC East and Michael Vick has the best touchdown to interception ratio int he NFL (15 TD's/2 Int's).

Tonight, the Washington Nationals announced that they have signed Phillies Free Agent outfielder Jayson Werth to a massive contract.  Werth will replace Adam Dunn but will cost the Nationals $126 million over 7 years.  Werth is a career .272 hitter who has spent the last 4 seasons as a Philly where he came into his own as a starting right fielder.  Werth came to the Phillies from the Dodgers in 2007 and has been an everyday starter in the lineup since 2008 when Shane Victorino went down with an injury.  Werth captured a lot of attention in the 2009 and 2010 seasons after performing quite well in the 2008 World Series against Tampa Bay.  Werth's worth appeared drastically over played to most Philly fans who considered him a nice player but not worth $165 million.  Werth turns 32 years old this year and his numbers from last year were hardly career highs (with the exception of his doubles figure which led the league). 

One can't help but wonder, is Washington getting Philadelphia's sloppy seconds when they are past their prime?  The McNabb trade produced results right away as the first of the two draft picks picked up in the trade, Nate Allen, has replaced Safety Brian Dawkins in the starting lineup and has proven quite valuable.  While McNabb flounders, Philly is rising and the same is likely to happen with the Phils.  Werth's departure opens up the way for a trio of youngsters who otherwise would have been competing for backup positions on the 2011 roster.  Domonic Brown is the Phil's top prospect and both John Mayberry Jr. and Ben Francisco have proven capable replacements for Werth.  Francisco and Mayberry are both right handed bats that could replace the one lost by Werth's departure and it cannot be denied that the Phillies have a very lefty heavy lineup so that right handed bat could prove crucial in this era of pitching matchups.  Could Brown, Mayberry or Francisco be the Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Phillies?  Only time will tell but given the D.C. sports track record, I'd say that Nats fans should be more nervous than excited.

Trouble a brewing

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck is often ridiculed by the left for his "conspiracy theories".  Beck has routinely warned about events that people have considered crazy which have in the long run proven true.  The unemployment number rising above 9%, the rising price of gold and the Fed's quantitative easing scheme come to mind.  Recently Glenn has been warning about a "big event" that will threaten the stability of America and possibly the world. 


Isn't it strange that North Korea has been ratcheting up attacks against South Korea in recent days, sending all of Asia into a tail spin?  Meanwhile, China has recently began buying tons of gold.  This is after buying more U.S. debt than any other nation (the Fed is actually the largest holder) and buying up a rather large chunk of the world's natural resources.  China has been quite vocal about the government's accounting tricks and has openly questioned the out of control spending of the Obama administration.  With their region in turmoil and their current position as a financial superpower, China just may be in a position where it can call in the U.S. debt load.  Beck may just have hit yet another nail on the head but only time will tell.  If Washington doesn't right the ship and do it fast, you can bet that China doesn't need to sit around and wait for us anymore.