In 1783, King George III asked an American painter what George Washington would do now that he had virtually won the war. The painter replied that the General intended to return to his farm in Virginia. The King was stunned. He reportedly said, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." Throughout history, victorious generals almost always seized the throne. From Caesar to Cromwell, military success usually meant political dictatorship. The concept of voluntarily walking away from absolute power was practically unheard of. But George Washington wasn't like other men. By December 4, 1783, the British surrender at Yorktown was past, and peace was finally assured. Washington commanded a powerful, seasoned army that adored him. Conversely, many of his officers were unpaid and angry at the inefficient Congress. They had the guns, the manpower, and the loyalty to install a new monarch. He could have been King George I of America. Instead, on this day in history, Washington walked into the Long Room at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The room was filled with his most loyal officers—men like Henry Knox and Baron von Steuben—who had frozen with him at Valley Forge and bled with him for eight long years. The atmosphere wasn't celebratory. It was heavy with inevitable separation. Washington, usually stoic and commercially reserved, poured a glass of wine and looked at his brothers-in-arms with visible emotion. "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you," he said, his voice shaking. "I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." He didn't order them. He didn't demand their allegiance. He hugged them. One by one, the hardened soldiers wept openly. Washington embraced each man in silence. There was no pomp, no ceremony, and no speeches about future conquests. It was just a quiet goodbye between warriors who had done the impossible. Immediately after leaving the tavern, Washington didn't march on Congress to demand payment or power. He rode to Annapolis, Maryland, resigned his commission, and went home to Mount Vernon to plant crops. He did the impossible. He refused the crown. He trusted the people. By stepping down, he ensured that the United States would be a republic ruled by laws, not a kingdom ruled by force. He proved that the military serves the people, not the other way around. It was the final, and perhaps greatest, victory of the Revolution. The world watched in awe as the American Cincinnatus returned his sword to its sheath, proving that character is the strongest constitution of all." #archaeohistories

“Americans are war-weary. You might say, ‘Join the club.’ But we are not you [Israel]... [Even] many global war on terror veterans are disillusioned." — @WilliamWolfe at NatCon Jerusalem.

Rubio lectures on Greek virtues from the Acropolis while his boss threatened to erase an older civilization in Iran. Persian culture predates the Parthenon and never needed the sermon. Fix the house first.

The IDF doesn't publish other open-source evidence (family/relative posts naming people as fighters, quasi-/unofficial militant obituaries, pictures of gravestones, etc.), and there are unfortunately not direct links to most images. This would have provided stronger documentation and would have filled out some of the last 59 cases. For example, Mohammed Fouad Jasser Sayed was ID'd by one of the main Qassam media channels as a mujahid: x.com/GabrielEpsteinX/status… @MiddleEastBuka ID'd Mohammed Tohami al-Salhi long ago: x.com/MiddleEastBuka/status/… Mahmoud Issam Ibrahim Wadi: x.com/GabrielEpsteinX/status…

NEW An incredible, but not surprising, story in the Wall Street Journal about Kimberly Guilfoyle, US Ambassador to Greece. Just six days before her Senate confirmation hearing to become ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle urgently pressured a Trump donor to pay $100,000 directly to her American Express account, telling him, “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” messages obtained by the Wall Street Journal reveal. “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today,” she said to Eric Deters, a Trump supporter who was seeking her help with a dispute over tax deductions and some policy matters he wanted pursued. Deters said Guilfoyle promised him that if he came up with the $100,000 to pay her American Express bill, “I will be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever.” He said she ultimately delivered nothing. Deters had paid Guilfoyle $300,000 over several years for speaking appearances. Guilfoyle boasted to Deters about her extraordinary access to the Trump administration: “Every secretary of you know defense, transportation, treasury commerce IRS commissioner everyone gets right back to me.” Guilfoyle also specifically invoked FBI Director Kash Patel, misspelling his first name as “cash Patel.” An FBI spokesman said she had not lobbied Patel. As her confirmation hearing approached, Guilfoyle asked Deters to prepare a letter establishing that he owed her two $50,000 payments for consulting services. Deters said she was concerned about both the legality and appearances of the arrangement. Guilfoyle was privately telling friends she was broke while preparing to become ambassador, despite disclosing substantial assets and income. Full Story (Gift Link): on.wsj.com/4zr1pE1

Yes, records show Gavin Newsom’s paternal line traces to William Newsom (c. 1648–1691) of Surry County, Virginia. His 1691 will bequeathed “several negroes” to his children, and 1675 tax lists confirm he owned slaves. Later generations moved to North Carolina, Indiana, then California.

97% of plague patients SURVIVED after prompt treatment with doxycycline in a randomized trial. The dose was 100 mg every 12 hours for 7 days. We’ve had 700 years of medical progress since the Black Death.

Jews remember. Our enemies erase. While we mourn and bear witness to the pain, the horror, and the love, our enemies are hijacking, erasing and distorting October 7, so as to entrench the greatest blood libel against the Jews known as “Gaza genocide.” To remember is to resist.

They will not self-reform. Total ideological capture is the point. Adjust accordingly.

If killing 2% of an enemy nation's population, centered among males, is a genocide...then every war is a genocide. I'm supposed to do the Online Feminist "getting so close!!!" thing right around saying that. But, no: that's sub-moronic.

Americans, on the right especially, are exhausted by efforts to use the Holocaust as a moral obligation to support Israel. They are unmoved by accusations of anti-Semitism and any hardline approaches to disavow and shame Israel's critics. — @L0m3z at NatCon Jerusalem.