Back when Education Majors were Punks…

This post is intended to stand as a memorial to the historically verifiable fact that democracy depends on punks, not the compliant and well-behaved, upstanding, well groomed, appropriately attired, and overly polite.  This second and much larger group  usually helps to create and sustain oligarchies, totalitarian regimes, and feudal forms of governance.  But punks, ah the punks, are what make and keep a great nation free and great.

So back in 1755 a child was born in Coventry, Connecticut to Richard and Elizabeth Hale.  At 14 years, this youngster went off to New Haven to get educated at a place called Yale. He joined a frat and still graduated among the top of his class. A scholar of Latin (today we would call this an “Ed Major”), Nate would, in many ways, waste his education; because as soon as he graduated he up and joined an illegal paramilitary group that was beginning to call itself, the “Continental Army.”  Worse, as the lawful government forces were striving to put down the disturbance caused by the scofflaw insurgency, Nate volunteered to spy on the Government forces who were winning nearly every battle of the war, while losing the hearts and minds of the people.

Sad Story:  Nate got caught. Quickly tried as a spy and offered a chance to plea for mercy, Nate instead opted to be a boneheaded punk for his new country.  As they put the noose around his neck this felon is reputed to have expressed only one regret for his actions.   Do you remember what this regret was? 

Here is Joe at the Yale Club, formed by Alumni of Nate’s Alma mater. (See the little “Y” overlaid with the “C” over Joe’s right shoulder here?)

Coincidentally, this is the place where young Nathan was hanged, on September 22, 1776.