Patrick Henry Was Probably an Idiot

This being the first week of July and me being in Virginia means I'm seeing a lot of Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty, or give me death - wait, what? Which one of you fucking interns loaded that shit onto the teleprompter!?!?" speech. I've never read much on Henry other than Thomas Jefferson couldn't stand him, since apparently he was a theatrical blowhard who was long on rousing speeches but wasn't crazy about cracking a book, ie the opposite of ol' TJ (Henry liking white women also makes him the opposite of Jefferson, of course.)

Basically, all this is just an excuse to quote a line from my favorite play of all-time, The Star-Spangled Girl:

Andy: Your opinions on anything have as much practical value as a 1939 canendar. I'm not paying $72 for a limited vocabulary. Be quiet and lick the stamps. I'm a busy man.
Sophie: So was Boothe the night he assassinated Lincoln.
Andy: Are you saying I was in on the Lincoln job?
Sophie: I'm talking about your present day activities. But I wouldn't put it past you.
Andy: Sorry, but that night I was in Philadelphia cracking the Liberty Bell.  (Gathers up papers, starts up the stairs.) I can't concentrate in front of the Senate Investigating Committee.
Sophie: The truth is always difficult to face. Can my tongue rest? The well is dried up.
Andy: Look, if you're unhapy here, why not take a job as night watchman for the Statue of Liberty? You could swim around her checking to see if the torch went out.
Sophie:  "The enforcers of justice have always been the scapegoat of the enemies of freedom..." Do you know where I read that?
Andy: On the back of a Patrick Henry bubblegum card?
Sophie: The speeches of Socrates. Did you ever read the speeches of Socrates?
Andy: Im waiting for the paperback to come out.