I’m one of those flag waving Americans with a silly grin on his face at the mere playing of the National Anthem. It’s been explained to me that I’m out of touch with reality and how my vision of America went out with the Hula-Hoop; let’s hope not.
July 4th is only a couple of days away; the annual church pancake breakfast, perhaps a fly over by some neat looking fighter jets since we’re so close to the Veteran’s Cemetery and, not to be too concerned, some of my crazy neighbors shooting rifles and shotguns into the air and listening as the little balls of metal fall through the leaves of surrounding trees; hardly anything more exciting than that. We’re in the middle of a very dry stretch of time and it should be fun watching the local fire department vehicles scurrying with their flashing red lights and sirens blasting as they speed onward to put out a fireworks related fire in some vacant field or one of my neighbor’s homes.
Yep, here in America we’re free to do any damn thing we want; isn’t that the misconception generated by those who interpret their individual rights as if they were the only ones who had them? Boy, this is sure turning out to be a fun holiday already…
I watched a short video which had been posted at Below the Beltway, The Left and Right Agree: The Bill of Rights is Inconvenient . That short distraction caused me to ponder the circumstances which played out a couple of hundred years ago when our Constitution was put together. Some of the most hard headed intellectuals from different schools of thought got together and worked out the wording so as to achieve a working document which could be agreed upon in spite of their many differences. It would be nice if one day our elected representatives took a few minutes to read the Constitution; but I wouldn’t count on it, these folks don’t even bother to read legislation prior casting their vote.
I caught a glimpse of something on Facebook; didn’t really stop to read it as I was looking for another particular entry; but it was worthy of including in my thoughts today. It had to do with celebrating the 4th of July; but another person jumped in and reminded us the celebration was for Independence Day, a slight variation in the thought process. That subtle paradigm shift reminded me of one of the speeches included in a book which my daughter gave me several years ago.
Frederick Douglass’ Independence Day Address at Rochester, New York, serves as a solemn reminder that not everyone has the same feelings regarding Independence Day celebrations. As a minor point of interest, the date shown in my book, Great American Speeches, Gregory R. Suriano , was July 4, 1852 whereas the date listed a copy of the speech on the internet is 1841; not that it changes the importance of what was shared.
“Fellow citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, Why am I called upon to speck here today? What have I, or those I represent to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national alter and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?”
[…]
“Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! Whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorry this day, "may my right hand cleave to the roof of my mouth"! To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine. I do not hesitate to declare with all my soul that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate, I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, shall not confess to be right and just....”
How’s that for a kick in the pants? That having been said over a hundred years ago, immediately following the Civil War such an out pouring of resentment was justified as it explained the feelings of an entire culture of people who’d been exempted from the start up of our nation. I’d have to say the process is never ending; however, at some point in time most, if not all of the “issues” which accompanied blatant racism toward Blacks have been dealt with.
Redirecting my focus to a speech given by Martin Luther King, I have a dream , that magic turning point in our history when a majority of Americans accepted racial differences as natural rather than one race being better or worse than the other; something of a modern day starting point for positive forward movement as opposed to constantly looking back at the woes of the past.
“Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
To those who persist in their pent up hostilities regarding the Founding Fathers of America, who in their hearts and minds echo some resentment for “those old white guys”, I feel sorry for you as your feelings of hate dominate what clearly has become a nation where any individual can rise and reach levels of success, and all this regardless of race, creed or color of skin. There are even those who have swung on the pendulum of resentment far past the, “Free at last” sentiment and have the attitude of, “Look out, now it’s our turn”. I guess some folks missed that part of Rev. King’s message which expound on the equality of all races; oh well.
If we’re to be honest about freedoms and liberties in today’s environment, a society where racial equality has come full circle; Frederick Douglas might well have to alter his observed disappointment, “Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! Folks so lazy as to become wards of the state, always claiming to be victims of an unfair economy when in fact all they need do is improve their status through education and hard work. I do not hesitate to declare with all my soul that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July! We’ve sold our God given birthright for a bowl of porridge and all we do is complain that our neighbor makes too much money and wonder how we can separate him from it through taxes and entitlements. Instead of looking inward for the strength to do what is necessary; we hold our hands out as beggars to an all powerful federal government agency and say, “More, please, Sir, More”. I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, shall not confess to be right and just...
The foundations our nation were built upon are no longer set or embedded to the Rock, separation of church and state has weakened the resolve to follow the commandments from Above. Instead we rely on polling data to set our moral compass and wonder why fourteen year old young women show up at abortion clinics, pedophilia is available for sale on the internet and our elected representatives don’t comprehend the difference between service to their community and the elitism they’ve carved out for themselves on the backs of taxpayers.
The smallest minority in our country has been and always will be, the individual. God granted rights to the individual to protect him from government agencies; local, state and federal. If we ever get to a point where the rights of the individual are blurred to the point where we start worrying more about the collective than the individual, then we should hang our heads down low, then we will have truly sold our birthright for an empty bowl of porridge. The promise of Utopia where all men are handed out equally without concern for the efforts required is an empty promise built on lies. Those who fall under the spell of such a promise are deluding themselves at the expense of their neighbors and don’t deserve the protections offered in the land of the free and home of the brave.
I finished a locksmith job a while ago, much farther out than I normally provide service because it was a friend of one of my regular customers. When I was done I explained how she needed to say thanks to the fellow since he’d saved her a tow truck fee along with the fact that my price is about a hundred dollars less than what the dealership would have charged. She paid my fee agreed upon and added a tip; not a monetary tip, a box of fireworks from the stand where she works (pictured). I’ll try not to burn down my neighbor’s house this weekend, set any of the dry parched fields afire and lastly, to make my folks happy; I’ll do my best to avoid knocking out an eye.
Wave at your neighbors and remember to treat their God given rights with the same respect you’d want from them. Where have I heard that before; oh yes, it comes from the Bible, right? Are we still permitted to quote from the Bible or has Hate Speech legislation banned that? I know we’re not supposed to wave the American Flag as it annoys the rest of the world; are we really an imperialistic nation, grabbing land from weak unfortunate third world nations or do we simply make it possible for other countries to live under the banner of freedom? It’s so confusing being an American citizen.
Saturday is Independence Day; try to live up to all that entails.
July 4th is only a couple of days away; the annual church pancake breakfast, perhaps a fly over by some neat looking fighter jets since we’re so close to the Veteran’s Cemetery and, not to be too concerned, some of my crazy neighbors shooting rifles and shotguns into the air and listening as the little balls of metal fall through the leaves of surrounding trees; hardly anything more exciting than that. We’re in the middle of a very dry stretch of time and it should be fun watching the local fire department vehicles scurrying with their flashing red lights and sirens blasting as they speed onward to put out a fireworks related fire in some vacant field or one of my neighbor’s homes.
Yep, here in America we’re free to do any damn thing we want; isn’t that the misconception generated by those who interpret their individual rights as if they were the only ones who had them? Boy, this is sure turning out to be a fun holiday already…
I watched a short video which had been posted at Below the Beltway, The Left and Right Agree: The Bill of Rights is Inconvenient . That short distraction caused me to ponder the circumstances which played out a couple of hundred years ago when our Constitution was put together. Some of the most hard headed intellectuals from different schools of thought got together and worked out the wording so as to achieve a working document which could be agreed upon in spite of their many differences. It would be nice if one day our elected representatives took a few minutes to read the Constitution; but I wouldn’t count on it, these folks don’t even bother to read legislation prior casting their vote.
I caught a glimpse of something on Facebook; didn’t really stop to read it as I was looking for another particular entry; but it was worthy of including in my thoughts today. It had to do with celebrating the 4th of July; but another person jumped in and reminded us the celebration was for Independence Day, a slight variation in the thought process. That subtle paradigm shift reminded me of one of the speeches included in a book which my daughter gave me several years ago.
Frederick Douglass’ Independence Day Address at Rochester, New York, serves as a solemn reminder that not everyone has the same feelings regarding Independence Day celebrations. As a minor point of interest, the date shown in my book, Great American Speeches, Gregory R. Suriano , was July 4, 1852 whereas the date listed a copy of the speech on the internet is 1841; not that it changes the importance of what was shared.
“Fellow citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, Why am I called upon to speck here today? What have I, or those I represent to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national alter and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?”
[…]
“Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! Whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorry this day, "may my right hand cleave to the roof of my mouth"! To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine. I do not hesitate to declare with all my soul that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate, I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, shall not confess to be right and just....”
How’s that for a kick in the pants? That having been said over a hundred years ago, immediately following the Civil War such an out pouring of resentment was justified as it explained the feelings of an entire culture of people who’d been exempted from the start up of our nation. I’d have to say the process is never ending; however, at some point in time most, if not all of the “issues” which accompanied blatant racism toward Blacks have been dealt with.
Redirecting my focus to a speech given by Martin Luther King, I have a dream , that magic turning point in our history when a majority of Americans accepted racial differences as natural rather than one race being better or worse than the other; something of a modern day starting point for positive forward movement as opposed to constantly looking back at the woes of the past.
“Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
To those who persist in their pent up hostilities regarding the Founding Fathers of America, who in their hearts and minds echo some resentment for “those old white guys”, I feel sorry for you as your feelings of hate dominate what clearly has become a nation where any individual can rise and reach levels of success, and all this regardless of race, creed or color of skin. There are even those who have swung on the pendulum of resentment far past the, “Free at last” sentiment and have the attitude of, “Look out, now it’s our turn”. I guess some folks missed that part of Rev. King’s message which expound on the equality of all races; oh well.
If we’re to be honest about freedoms and liberties in today’s environment, a society where racial equality has come full circle; Frederick Douglas might well have to alter his observed disappointment, “Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! Folks so lazy as to become wards of the state, always claiming to be victims of an unfair economy when in fact all they need do is improve their status through education and hard work. I do not hesitate to declare with all my soul that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July! We’ve sold our God given birthright for a bowl of porridge and all we do is complain that our neighbor makes too much money and wonder how we can separate him from it through taxes and entitlements. Instead of looking inward for the strength to do what is necessary; we hold our hands out as beggars to an all powerful federal government agency and say, “More, please, Sir, More”. I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, shall not confess to be right and just...
The foundations our nation were built upon are no longer set or embedded to the Rock, separation of church and state has weakened the resolve to follow the commandments from Above. Instead we rely on polling data to set our moral compass and wonder why fourteen year old young women show up at abortion clinics, pedophilia is available for sale on the internet and our elected representatives don’t comprehend the difference between service to their community and the elitism they’ve carved out for themselves on the backs of taxpayers.
The smallest minority in our country has been and always will be, the individual. God granted rights to the individual to protect him from government agencies; local, state and federal. If we ever get to a point where the rights of the individual are blurred to the point where we start worrying more about the collective than the individual, then we should hang our heads down low, then we will have truly sold our birthright for an empty bowl of porridge. The promise of Utopia where all men are handed out equally without concern for the efforts required is an empty promise built on lies. Those who fall under the spell of such a promise are deluding themselves at the expense of their neighbors and don’t deserve the protections offered in the land of the free and home of the brave.
I finished a locksmith job a while ago, much farther out than I normally provide service because it was a friend of one of my regular customers. When I was done I explained how she needed to say thanks to the fellow since he’d saved her a tow truck fee along with the fact that my price is about a hundred dollars less than what the dealership would have charged. She paid my fee agreed upon and added a tip; not a monetary tip, a box of fireworks from the stand where she works (pictured). I’ll try not to burn down my neighbor’s house this weekend, set any of the dry parched fields afire and lastly, to make my folks happy; I’ll do my best to avoid knocking out an eye.
Wave at your neighbors and remember to treat their God given rights with the same respect you’d want from them. Where have I heard that before; oh yes, it comes from the Bible, right? Are we still permitted to quote from the Bible or has Hate Speech legislation banned that? I know we’re not supposed to wave the American Flag as it annoys the rest of the world; are we really an imperialistic nation, grabbing land from weak unfortunate third world nations or do we simply make it possible for other countries to live under the banner of freedom? It’s so confusing being an American citizen.
Saturday is Independence Day; try to live up to all that entails.
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