#lost state

Mindfulness Or Black Lab Consciousness?

Is Mindfulness Just Being Present? It has often been said that mindfulness means awareness. Mindfulness = Awareness Awareness is same as paying attention. A technical definition of attention is ‘awareness stretched outwards and onto the object’. Mindfulness = Awareness = Paying Attention Where else can you pay attention besides present moment? No where. You can recall past and you can think about…

America's Lost State --- The State of Franklin

After the American Revolution the Continental Congress was drowning in war debts.  To help pay off the debt, the State of North Carolina voted to donate some of its western counties to the Congress.  The people living in those territories, mostly small farmers, trappers, and rugged frontiersmen were resentful about having their part of the state pawned off to other governments.  They even feared that the Continental Congress might sell the land to a foreign power, such a France or Spain.

On August 23rd, 1784 delegates of the counties that were part of the donated land met at Jonesborough and decided to declare themselves independent of North Carolina.  Later in December they attempted to draft a new constitution, but because it contained a clause that forbid, "lawyers, doctors, and preachers" from running for office, it was never ratified.  Rather, the Constitution of North Carolina was used instead.  The purpose of declaring independence revolved around a bid for statehood.  On May 15th, 1785 the territory presented a petition to Congress for statehood, a petition which failed to garner 2/3rds support from the states, which was the majority needed under the Article of Confederation to pass a law.

Since the territory failed to become the 14th state, the people of the territory decided to strike out on their own.  Forming a new sovereign and independent republic, they created courts, an executive branch (president), a congress with two houses (senate and house of representatives), and formed their own capitol in Jonesborough.  They even built their own special capitol building that served as the heart of the new republic's government (pictured above).    Finally, the people also gave their new nation a name; Franklin, named after founding father Benjamin Franklin. 

The Republic of Franklin was disorganized country, with a small militia for a military, no police system, no currency, and no practical way to raise taxes.  It was not uncommon for public servants and government officials to be paid in tobacco, corn whiskey, food crops, and brandy.  Even the Governor (President) of Franklin, John Sevier, was paid a salary of deer hides.  Regardless, the Republic of Franklin was somewhat prosperous, even undergoing an expansionist phase in which it annexed territories and conquered lands from neighboring Native Americans.  However, the disorganized nature of the republic and the lack of organized national defense began to wear away at the seams of the new government.

Statehood for Moosylvania

Absaroka written up in NY Times

Montezuma's Revenge

I'm happy to say that according to the map, I live in the Lost State of Transylvania!

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http://loststates.blogspot.com http://loststates.blogspot.com http://loststates.blogspot.com http://loststates.blogspot.com

Fess, Daniel, and Transylvania

Fess Parker's recent passing has reminded many of his iconic portrayal of Daniel Boone in the 1960s TV series. Mr. Parker had a history degree and saw his series as a way to educate the public about the American story. However, I couldn't find an episode where the characters talk about the state the real Daniel Boone tried to create, called Transylvania.... which overlaid much of modern Kentucky. If he had been successful, we'd all enjoy the Transylvania Derby each year! (Trivia note: singer Pat Boone is a descendent of the real Daniel Boone.)

and NPR even sited the report of Transylvania

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125142955

Yes, Transylvania is the name of a place in eastern Europe where Dracula is said to have lived. But that's not what we're talking about. The American Transylvania overlays Kentucky. And the name isn't as odd as it might seem. The word sylvan means "a pleasant woodsy area." It was a popular suffix during the colonial era; think of Pennsylvania, the pleasant woodsy region originally owned by William Penn.

Back in the early 1770s, most Americans lived east of the Appalachian range. The mountains were hard to cross, and, frankly, the western lands were kind of scary.

Then Daniel Boone enters the story. He offered Cherokee leaders a couple wagonloads of guns, clothes, and cooking utensils in exchange for a huge tract located west of the Appalachians. Just getting to this new land was a burden; in fact, several in Boone's company got scared and ran home, while others died in skirmishes with the native tribes. But in 1775 the expedition arrived on the Ohio River and established the town of Boonesborough.

The Transylvanian settlers set up a government of sorts and then sent a representative named Jim Hogg to the Continental Congress. But the Continental Congress wasn't too ex- cited about adding any freelance states. Virginia especially was opposed, since it claimed the same land.

An interesting aside: One of Boone's first acts in Transylvania (now Kentucky) was to establish special rules for breeding horses, thus launching the beginning of the region's fame as equestrian country. Just think: If things had gone a bit differently, each spring horse aficionados might be enjoying the Transylvania Derby.