Sons of Anarchy

I just finished reading a rather astonishing call-to-arms from a blogger who is fond of historical allusions, yet is either oblivious or dismissive of the more recent history of mobs breaking glass. The blogger, Mike Vanderboegh of Pinson, Alabama, calls upon the "modern Sons of Liberty" to "Break their windows. Break them now". What he is doing is inciting individuals to go to the homes and offices of members of Congress, specifically those who voted for what he labels as "Nancy Pelosi's Intolerable Act" (Health Care Reform), and then break the windows of the buildings. Now the first thing that comes to mind is whether or not Mr. Vanderboegh himself intends to cast the first stone in defense of liberty. My guess would be probably not, but you never know.

Exactly where were all of these "modern Sons of Liberty", or Three Percenters, over the eight long years of George W Bush's Reign? They didn't find anything "intolerable" about any of his acts? Vanderboegh invokes the sacking and burning of Massachusetts Lt. Governor Thomas Hutchinson's home in August of 1765 by the original Sons of Liberty, presumably to lend some heroic luster to what amounts to acts of vandalism. Nice try Mike, but chucking a brick through Nancy Pelosi's window and then running off like a common thief is not going to transform you into Sam Adams. Of course you could always use an empty Sam Adams as your projectile, but then you'd have to forfeit the 5 cent bottle deposit. Whoever said "Freedom isn't Free" must have anticipated your splendid rebellion.

My suspicion is that a couple of centuries, and much mythologizing, have combined to scrub away the sins of those original Sons of Liberty. Thomas Hutchinson, whatever his failings as a man and as a governor, was a learned man who had been working for years on a history of the Bay Colony. He home contained a valuable library and things of beauty, not to mention his family. A family that was forced to flee for their lives as a drunken mob attacked their home and proceeded to pillage and burn it down. The first thing they went for was the wine cellar. After it was over, the manuscript for his book lay trampled in the mud. To me, the sacking of Thomas Hutchinson's home was an act of barbarism.

Patriot leaders, like the aforementioned Sam Adams, sought to harness the power of the mob to incite a revolution. But the last thing they wanted to see happen was a social revolution, one that might threaten the sanctity of property and their own privileged positions. As a result, most were horrified by the spectacle of mobs of rabble putting elegant homes to the torch. It was all to easy to imagine their own homes meeting the same fate. Instead, they wanted a revolution that would leave the existing social structure intact. A conservative revolution, if you will. And that is exactly what they achieved.