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Sam Facts

Based on the Pulizer-prize winning biography by David McCullough, this six-part series takes a dramatic look at Sam's cousin, and the second president of the U.S.

I'm learning more about John Adams these days, having been turned off of him a while ago when I learned of the Alien and Sedition Act. But he was also an outspoken proponent of the concepts of independence from Great Britain, and of the separation of powers in government. I know that I'm missing a lot here, but that's why I'm looking forward to seeing the mini-series next month. (Mental note: Get HBO.)

Now, if we could only get HBO--or anyone else, really--to make a mini-series about Sam's life. He lived quite an exciting one.

It turns out that the Ron Paul blimp project is much more than just an amusing anomaly:  it is a welcome end-run around the McCain-Feingold campaign finance regulations that have thus far stifled political speech.

Up until this point, the perception has been that an individual or group seeking to support a candidate form a Political Action Committee (PAC).  The problem with that course of action is that any contributions to such a PAC count against one's $2,300 cap in contributions per election-cycle set up by McCain-Feingold.

Although these spending limitations can be exceeded by forming a Section 527 non-profit organization, such as John Kerry's friends at Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, such organizations cannot explicitly support or oppose a campaign. 

Enter the blimp.  Here's how it works:  the blimp is a for-profit endeavor, where "donors" are actually more like customers, who buy add space just like one would by space from a traditional bill-board:  on a time-share basis.  In other words, the blimp charges $250 for each 27 minutes that it stays afloat.  Thus anyone can purchase 27 minutes of add time just as they would pay daily or monthly rent for a commercial billboard ad to advertise his or her business.  It just so happens that they have all chosen to purchase the same message in advance.

Former FEC Chairman Bradley Smith, who is advising the project has indicated that the project is analogous to Michael Moore's releases of Fahrenheit 911 to coincide with the 2004 presidential elections, and is entirely legitimate. 

If proven correct, grass-roots activists for liberty should take careful note, as this mechanism may provide a unique way to speak out in support of important causes without risking the wrath of federal prosecutors.

Well, if you're a Ron Paul fan, you know, but if not, permit me to remind you of one of the most successful political stunts in American history: the Boston Tea Party.

On December 16, 1773 a group of individuals called the Sons of Liberty--led by one Sam Adams--boarded ships in Boston Harbor--spelled "Harbour" at the time, mind you--and dumped their cargo (tea from the East India Company) into the water. The colonists resented the favorable tax treatment of the East India company (one of the biggest corporations around), and staged the protest to air their grievances on taxation without representation.

Ours is a history of peaceful and effective protest. Here's to the Sons of Liberty, their Boston Tea Party, and Sam Adams!

It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.  -Sam Adams

Nic was right--we are excited about today. Happy birthday, Sam Adams, from all of us here at the Sam Adams Alliance.

So grab a pint and relax. We hope you like the balloons.

Check out some of our birthday-month facts about Sam, and also take a look at the rationale behind our name and our mission. 

You may have also missed our new Vision Statement, which is also online.

As always, if you have something to share about Sam--the man--or the movement that we've named after him, please get in touch. Sam understood that movements for freedom could only be achieved if the people got involved, and they could only get involved through steady communication with each other.

Sam didn't have access to radio, but we do, and so does Garrison Keillor, who profiled Adams on his 'Writer's Almanac' program today. You can read his profile and listen to it here. 

Lastly, since it's Sam's birthday and all, won't you consider adding him as a friend on Facebook, and joining the Sam Adams Alliance Facebook group? Consider it a 285th birthday present.

Thursday is Sam Adams's birthday. (He would have been 285 this year.) Check out some of the fun Sam-bits that we've posted on the blog throughout this month:

Sam had a bunch of nicknames...

Sam was a taxman...

Sam struggled as a brewer...

Have any other tidbits on Sam? Comment on the post to let us know.

As we continue our celebration of Sam's birthday month, today we're going to talk about the long list of nicknames Sam used.

Sam Adams wasn't big on taking credit for...well, anything. He didn't even care about having a byline on his articles, as his writings were published under names including:

• "Determinatus,"
• "Candidus,"
  
• "Vindex," "
• Populus,"
  
• "Alfred,"
  
• "Valerius Poplicola,"
  
• "T.Z.,"
  
• "Shippen,",
  
• "a Bostonian,"
  
• "a Tory,"
  
• "E.A.,"
  
• "a Layman,"
  
• "an Impartialist," and
  
• "a chatterer."

The reason why he didn't worry about credit is because he just cared about the message getting out there. And it worked - people united behind his issues in force.

My favorite of Sam's nicknames is Vindex; it sounds like Windex. Since we're trying to make government more transparent, and Windex makes it so you can see through windows, it seems quite fitting. 

 

Continuing our celebration of Sam Adams's birthday--he would have been 285 years old this month, I'll have you know--we delve into the rather ironic fact that the hero of the Boston Tea Party himself was a tax collector.

But, apparently, he wasn't that great at it. He was elected as a Boston tax collector in 1756, a position that put him into contact with people of every class in Boston--the businessmen and the farmers. He began to recognize everyone in the city, and realize what issues were on the people's minds. Mark Puls notes in his book on Sam that he "developed a feel for the pulse of public opinion that no other local leader could match."

Sam's connection to the taxpayers meant that wasn't really all that vigilant in collecting funds, even though he got a 5% commission on everything he took in. In March of 1761, Boston was short £4,000 in taxes, £2,000 of which was due to Sam's failure to collect. This significant shortfall caused a financial crisis in Boston, and eventually cost him his job as taxman.

Good thing, too. One who cares about hard-working people keeping the money they earn shouldn't enter a tax collecting vocation. 

Read more on Sam in Mark Puls's book 'Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution,' and check back here next week for another bit on the man for whom our group is named.

September is a big month here at the Sam Adams Alliance. Why? Well, September 27 is none other than our namesake’s birthday. And at the Tea Party, we’re doing our part to celebrate him.

Each week we’ll be posting a different fun fact about Sam Adams. We hope you’ll join us in learning a little bit more about this great patriot and about how his political efforts helped shape the foundation of freedom we enjoy today.

So, let’s begin!

Did you know that even though Sam is famous for his beer, he actually struggled as a businessman and showed little interest in managing the brewery he inherited upon his father’s death? He was so bad at the brewery business, in fact, that he went bankrupt by 1760.

It’s a good thing he was so effective at political work, then.

Tune in next week for another fact about Sam—and in the meantime, in honor of Sam’s upcoming birthday, you just might want to toast Sam’s political success with a cool brew. Sam may have been a lousy brewer, but we’re pretty sure he knew how to enjoy a pint or two. (And so do we!) Besides, you can only enjoy the Summer Ale for a little while longer…here's to Sam!