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US Politics:How Vice President killed former Secretary of the Treasury
Their animosity towards each other got to a head via a letter written by Hamilton casting aspersions on Burr who had seen the former as a dangerous political enemy.
Were President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to transport themselves to America’s 1804, perhaps, a gun duel would have come in handy to settle their political differences.
Just last Monday, the inventor of AK-47, the assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, died and was laid to rest. Taking a cue from how Obasanjo feels strongly on issues, he would have wanted an AK-47 for the duel (but the assault weapon was not invented as at that time).
Jonathan, who hails from the land of militancy, would have wanted something simpler, may be supported by native power (mind you, Obasanjo is no stranger to African magic).
Seriously, this is the story of Burr and Hamilton as captured by Wikipedia:
The duel was the final skirmish of a long conflict between Democratic-Republicans and Federalists. The conflict began in 1791 when Burr captured a United States Senate seat from Philip Schuyler, Hamilton’s father-in-law, who would have supported Federalist policies. (Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury at the time.) When the Electoral College deadlocked in the election of 1800, Hamilton’s maneuvering in the House of Representatives caused Thomas Jefferson to be named president and Burr vice-president.
In 1800, the Philadelphia Aurora printed extracts from a pamphlet Hamilton had earlier published, “Letter from Alexander Hamilton, Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of John Adams, Esq. President of the United States,” a document highly critical of Adams which had actually been written by Hamilton but intended only for private circulation. Some have claimed that Burr leaked the document, but there is no clear evidence for this, nor that Hamilton held him responsible.
Hamilton’s animosity toward Burr was severe and well-documented in personal letters to his friend and compatriot James McHenry. The following quotation from one of these letters on January 4, 1801, exemplifies his bitterness: “Nothing has given me so much chagrin as the Intelligence that the Federal party were thinking seriously of supporting Mr. Burr for president. I should consider the execution of the plan as devoting the country and signing their own death warrant.
Mr. Burr will probably make stipulations, but he will laugh in his sleeve while he makes them and will break them the first moment it may serve his purpose.”
In a more extensive letter written shortly afterward, Hamilton details the many charges he has against Burr, calling him a “profligate, a voluptuary in the extreme”, that he corruptly served the views of the Holland Land Company while a member of Legislature, criticized Burr’s military commission and accused him of resigning under false pretenses, and many more serious accusation.
In the early morning hours of July 11, 1804, Burr and Hamilton departed by separate boats from Manhattan and rowed across the Hudson River to a spot known as the Heights of Weehawken in New Jersey a popular dueling ground below the towering cliffs of the Palisades.
Hamilton and Burr agreed to take the duel to Weehawken because although dueling had been prohibited in both states, New York more aggressively prosecuted the crime (the same site was used for 18 known duels between 1700 and 1845). In an attempt to prevent the participants from being prosecuted, procedures were implemented to give all witnesses plausible deniability.
For example, the pistols were transported to the island in a portmanteau, enabling the rowers (who also stood with their backs to the duelists) to say under oath that they had not seen any pistols. Burr, William P. Van Ness, (his second), Matthew L. Davis, and another (often identified as Samuel Swartwout) plus their rowers reached the site first at half past six, whereupon Burr and Van Ness started to clear the underbrush from the dueling ground.
Hamilton, Judge Nathaniel Pendleton, (his second), and Dr. David Hosack arrived a few minutes before seven. Lots were cast for the choice of position and which second should start the duel, both of which were won by Hamilton’s second who chose the upper edge of the ledge (which faced the city) for Hamilton. However, according to historian and author Joseph Ellis, since Hamilton had been challenged, he had choice of both weapon and position. Under this account, it was Hamilton himself who chose the upstream or north side position.
All first-hand accounts of the duel agree that two shots were fired; however, Hamilton and Burr’s seconds disagreed on the intervening time between the shots. It was common for both principals in a duel to fire a shot at the ground to exemplify courage, and then the duel could come to an end. Hamilton apparently fired first, and into the air, though it is not clear whether this was intentional, much less that Burr perceived him to be “throwing away his fire” (as it did not follow the standard protocol).
Burr returned fire and hit Hamilton in the lower abdomen above the right hip. The musket ball ricocheted off. Hamilton’s second or third false rib – fracturing it – and caused considerable damage to his internal organs, particularly his liver and diaphragm before becoming lodged in his first or second lumbar vertebra. According to Pendleton’s account, Hamilton collapsed immediately, dropping the pistol involuntarily, and Burr moved toward Hamilton in a speechless manner (which Pendleton deemed to be indicative of regret) before being hustled away behind an umbrella by Van Ness because Hosack and the rowers were already approaching.
It is entirely uncertain which principal fired first, as both seconds’ backs were to the duel in accordance with the pre-arranged regulations of the duel (and also so the men could later testify that they “saw no fire”). After much research to determine the actual events of the duel, historian Joseph J. Ellis gives his best guess:
Hamilton did fire his weapon intentionally, and he fired first. But he aimed to miss Burr, sending his ball into the tree above and behind Burr’s location.
In so doing, he did not withhold his shot, but he did waste it, thereby honoring his pre-duel pledge. Meanwhile, Burr, who did not know about the pledge, did know that a projectile from Hamilton’s gun had whizzed past him and crashed into the tree to his rear. According to the principles of the code duello, Burr was perfectly justified in taking deadly aim at Hamilton and firing to kill.
But did he? What is possible, but beyond the reach of the available evidence, is that Burr really missed his target, too, that his own fatal shot, in fact, was accidental.
Mrs. Clinton named in criminal charges -Sudden threat endangers Hillary’s 2016 run –
NEW YORK – A threat to Hillary Clinton’s much anticipated 2016 presidential campaign appears to be developing in Egypt where that nation’s government is taking steps to criminalize the Muslim Brotherhood.
Specifically, a new criminal complaint has been filed with Egypt’s attorney general, Hisham Barakat, alleging then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton collaborated with Naglaa Mahmoud, the wife of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, in seeking to incite domestic insurrections to topple Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Egyptian general who has been commander in chief of the Egyptian armed forces, as well as minister of defense, since Aug. 12, 2012.
Researcher Walid Shoebat, a native Arabic-speaker and a former Palestinian Liberation Organization operative, has reported on his blog that credible news sources in Egypt have reported in Arabic that criminal charges have been brought against Hillary Clinton and Morsi’s wife.
Shoebat translated the following from an Egyptian Mehwar TV channel news video in which television reporter Nasr Qaffas explains on camera details of an interview Turkey’s Anatolia news agency conducted with Naglaa Mahmoud.
The excerpts from the transcript of the Mehwar TV news video include comments by Naglaa Mahmoud implicating Huma Abedin, wife of former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner and the former Hillary Clinton chief of staff whom WND has identified as having close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood:
Qaffas: According to Anatolia Press, Mahmoud said, “I have between my fingers, a treasure trove of secrets from the White House and Mrs. Clinton fears my wrath.” She said, “I will not speak about Huma Abedin.” When asked if she had a close relationship with Hillary Clinton, Mahmoud said, “When my husband returns from his kidnapping, the one who led the coup will pay a hefty price.” Of Mrs. Clinton, she said, “We have a long friendship of many years. We lived in the U.S. and my children learned there. This friendship increased further when my husband became the legitimate president of the country.”
Mahmoud went on to say that they were recruited by the Clintons from the U.S. and began their friendship in the 1980s. This appears to be a conspiracy that is being hidden.
When asked if they still have friendships with each other, Mahmoud said communications never ceased and that the conversations are all recorded. The wife of Morsi divulged that Mrs. Clinton seeks the assistance – both official and unofficial – of several members of the Muslim Sisterhood organization to help with problems in the Middle East. “We also have routine business dealings with the Clintons.”
Continuing with the excerpts from the transcript of the Mehwar TV news video, Naglaa Mahmoud claimed Hillary Clinton is looking for the support of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in her anticipated 2016 run for the U.S. presidency:
Mahmoud further stated that “Hillary depends on us tremendously to help her succeed in the coming presidential elections, just as we helped Barack Obama win twice.” She is quite the looney bin to believe she helped Obama win.
When asked about her relationship with Michelle Obama, Mahmoud said it is very good but it never developed to the point of close friendship, like with Hillary.
On the ability of women to take the lead in the revolution, Mahmoud said that could indeed happen with the Sisterhood. “I have many wives of Brotherhood leaders with me. Many of their husbands were kidnapped and jailed too. I tell them to be patient, for you will have a great reward in the future. I tell them that if their husbands are martyred, we will see to it that they are married off to other men as soon as their menstrual period is over,” she said.
According to Mahmoud, the police will not touch the women, which is why the women are so effective.
Finally, the Mehwar TV news video excerpts suggest Naglaa Mahmoud was aware the current criminal charges her husband and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders face in Egypt could be a liability for Hillary Clinton in her anticipated presidential race:
On her concerns that the Muslim Brotherhood could be identified as a terrorist organization, the wife of the former president said she was not and declared that she and her colleagues are in the process of organizing a “coup against the coup.”
“We are under the condition of war and Jihad,” she said, “and we have a good command of the necessities of war, the ancient and the modern. I will keep the tactics of war secret because in Islam, war is trickery.”
She said her conscience will not be eased until all of the traitors are hanged in the gallows.
“A key revelation in these reports is Mahmoud’s claim that the Clintons befriended her family in the 1980s while living in the U.S. As one of 63 leaders in the Muslim Sisterhood, Mahmoud is a colleague of Saleha Abedin, another one of those 63 leaders,” Shoebat wrote. “Saleha is the mother of Huma Abedin, who is a close adviser to Hillary Clinton and wife of former Democratic Congressman, Anthony Weiner.”
Muslim Brotherhood goes on trial in Egypt
WND first reported in August that criminal charges have been filed against Malik Obama, half-brother to President Barack Obama, for his involvement allegedly managing funds for a terrorist organization based in neighboring Sudan as well as for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
A criminal trial against former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi is scheduled to begin in Egypt in January 2014, with Morsi facing charges that he supported the Muslim Brotherhood in acts of violence directed against the Egyptian people.
President Obama is likely to be a subject in Morsi’s criminal trial given evidence the Obama administration used to U.S. Embassy in Cairo to provide direct financial support to key Muslim Brotherhood political operatives, with the full knowledge and complicity of the Morsi government, as WND first reported in August.
In November, WND reported the Egyptian Air Force Officer currently residing in the U.S. and working as a physician, who has pressed terrorist charges in Egypt against President Obama’s elder brother Malik, has characterized the decision of the Egyptian government to prosecute the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt a conflict that involves “Moderate Muslims vs. the Obama brothers.”
As Jan. 8, 2014, approaches and Egypt prepares for the next appearance in court of former president Mohammed Morsi and the 14 Muslim Brotherhood leaders facing charges of incitement to murder, Sadek Raouf Ebeid believes Barack Obama and his brother Malik Obama in Kenya will be implicated in the criminal proceedings because of the support President Obama and his brother have shown for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
Ebeid was the man who filed last August what in Egypt is known as “Complaint No. 1761″ with the office of Egypt’s Attorney General Hisham Barakat, a complaint that accused Malik Obama of managing investment funds for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
In a letter addressed to WND, translated and published as a “guest column” on the website of Walid Shoebat, Ebeid stressed that the promptness with which Hisham Barakat responded to the filing of his complaint requesting that Obama’s elder brother, Malik, be placed on the Egyptian terrorist watch list reflected not just the efficiency of Ebeid’s lawyer in Egypt, Dr. Ahmed el-Ganzory, but also demonstrated the degree to which this case “resonated with the feelings of the majority of moderate Muslims in the Arab world.”
On Sept. 5, WND reported that Ebeid’s attorney, Dr. Ahmed Nabil Ganzory, filed Complaint No. 1761, adding that the complaint asked the Egyptian High Court to consider placing Malik on the terrorist watch list both for his involvement managing funds for both the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and for the Islamic Dawa Organization, or IDO, in Sudan.
On Nov. 11, WND reported that Egyptian lawyers have filed criminal terrorism charges in the International Criminal Court against President Obama, in addition to the criminal terrorism charges previously filed in Egyptian courts against the president’s half-brother Malik.
Specifically, the criminal charges filed in the ICC against President Obama charge Obama coordinated, incited, and assisted the armed elements of the Muslim Brotherhood in the commission of crimes against humanity including the torching, destruction and plundering of some 85 Christian churches, in the period March 7 through Aug. 18 in Egypt.
Attacks in Egypt on Coptic Christians
WND has previously reported on Muslim Brotherhood violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt.
According to a paper published Nov. 12 by Middle Eastern expert Raymond Ibrahim on the website of the Gatestone Institute, titled “What Happened to Christians in the Middle East this August?,” the attacks on Egypt’s Coptic Christians and their Christian churches began with the June 30 Revolution that “saw the ousting of President Morsi and prompted the Muslim Brotherhood to scapegoat and incite violence against the Copts.”
Ibrahim reported the attacks became “even more brutal in mid-August after security forces cleared out Brotherhood ‘sit in’ camps, where people were being tortured, raped, and murdered.”
He noted the attacks were especially devastating in Minya in Upper Egypt where the large Christian community was hit especially hard, with at least 20 attacks on churches, Christian schools and orphanages.
According to Ibrahim, the goal of the radical Islamists in their attack on the Copts in Egypt was “to erase all the traces of a Christian presence,” such that even the orphanages were looted and destroyed.
Earlier, in an article titled “Attacks on Christians Escalate in Egypt, Nigeria” published by the Gatestone Institute on Sept. 19, 2013, Ibrahim wrote:
On July 4th, the day after the Egyptian military liberated its nation from Muslim Brotherhood rule, Christian Copts were immediately scapegoated and targeted. All Islamist leaders – from Brotherhood supreme leader Muhammad Badi, to Egyptian-born al-Qaida leader Ayman Zawahiri, to top Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi – made a point to single out Egypt’s Copts as especially instrumental in the ousting of former Islamist president Morsi, a claim that ushered in a month of slaughter against the nation’s Christian minority.
Although religious violence by Muslims against Christians remains largely unreported in the mainstream media in the U.S., Ibrahim warned that persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on the way “to reaching pandemic proportions.”