I am, once again, reposting a previous 4th of July thought. I reposted it last year because nothing had changed in this country since the prior year. This year, there's a light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Hope is on the horizon, and with any good luck, next year will bring enough changes that I will be able to write a new missive that focuses on the future of our country, rather than on the past. Until then, I'll wish this country a happy birthday and share my thoughts with you all.
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It's my favorite day of the year, so I'm going to ramble. Feel free to disagree with me, but keep it out of my LJ.
Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism. ~ George Washington
Happy Birthday, America.
Today, the Fourth of July, is my favorite holiday. It always has been. I couldn't tell you why. Perhaps it's because, as a child, my grandmother and her husband made this day more festive than any Christmas day. They would spend literally hundreds and hundreds of dollars on fireworks. We'd listen to old records of patriotic marches on the record player all day long. It was just a good time for everyone involved.
People scoff when I tell them this is my favorite holiday. No presents are exchanged, no fancy meals are prepared, very few huge family get-togethers, no big parties.... Yet, to me, this is the only holiday that truly deserves national observance.
Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official... ~ Theodore Roosevelt
It's not easy for some of us to be Americans these days. It seems that so many of our politicians and the people who voted for them have forgotten that America wasn't founded as a church. It wasn't built on "christian" ideas. It was, very simply, founded on the idea of liberty and freedom for all.
Throughout the years, this country has played a part in many wars. My grandfather fought in the second world war. A great grandfather on the other side came to America because he saw what was coming and who's army he would be forced to fight in. My dad and my uncle both fought in the Vietnam war. War is never a pretty thing, but, sometimes, it's a necessary thing.
On the other hand, sometimes it's just an illegal maneuver by politicians for their own profit and welfare.
I said it's not easy to be an American these days. We have a man in office who's primary goal is to line the pockets of his family and his friends, all the while ignoring the people who are suffering under him. He's put us in a war that is based on lies, using patriotism as fuel. He's used his office to endorse the use of our Constitution as a weapon of discrimination.
We've seen politics get nastier and uglier over the last several years. Over that course, it's become a power struggle of the upper class rather than being put to use in the way that it was intended - to protect and better our country. Because of this, our nation is being divided.
A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle. ~ George William Curtis
When the world hears "America," they picture a power hungry bully. They picture an illiterate buffoon standing behind a lecturn laying down ultimatums to the rest of the world. And, like most Americans, most of the world is incapable of seeing a nation as a group of individuals. They lump us together and assume we're all the same kind of evil people as those who run our country.
More and more, I hear people talk about moving to other countries. At first, it was mostly gay people who were unhappy with the hate that is spread and endorsed by our dear president. But it's starting to be more commonplace. People fed up with a money driven war, fed up with a government that is more concerned about illegal immigrants than it is with the thousands of Americans who have died in a country where we have no business being. I, myself, have given thought to the idea of moving to Canada in time.
But, with my favorite day of the year upon us, it's made me pause and think about things.
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. ~ Edward Abbey
What is America? Is it just a piece of land? Is it just a group of people? Is it just a government?
No.
America is history. She was born out of desperation. Desperate people wanting to be free from tyranny. She grew on nourishment of hope and dreams. Men and women who wanted nothing more than to be allowed to live their lives the way they wanted without intruding on others and without being intruded on.
America has flown her flag through wars, both at home and abroad, and she's never cowered in fear. She's been beaten up by weapons of man and by the sadistic whimsy of a god whom so many believe protects them from such whimsies. Through it all, she's always taken whatever came her way, then stood up, brushed the dust from her hands, and pushed forward, learning from her experiences.
What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom to and freedom from. ~ Marilyn vos Savant
In these times when, to many of us, it seems that our nation is in its darkest moments - a darkness that's empowered by hate, ignorance, and fear - it's important that we remember these things. America is not the people who live here. It is not the government that seems to want to her crippled. It's not the land mass that bears the name. America is history. America is a dream.
And it's the dream that we need to focus on.
We complain about our corrupt government. In many countries, I could be imprisoned for what I've written here. Executed, even. In some countries, I could be executed by the government for being gay. We haven't reached that point in America. Yet. But, because we do live here, we're able to say the things we say and do the things we do. Sure, the president may not like it, but not even that man can stop me. Why? Because I'm an American living in America, and her history has ensured that I can not be punished for speaking my mind.
We may not be proud of what this country has become. We may not be proud of who managed to crawl into the White House. We may not be proud of the war we lied ourselves in to. But we need to always be proud of who we are and where we come from. We're Americans and we've come from years of bad times and good. It may feel like she's falling apart around us, but as long as that piece of paper with 56 signatures on it and that other piece with 38 signatures on it are sitting in that vault as witness of our history... As long as those cornerstones and foundation of America remain alive in our memory, America will stand strong and proud. Granted, she may have to wear a few bandages to cover some wounds, but she'll never be knocked down.
It's up to us to keep her alive and well. Being patriotic can just as well mean fighting the powers that run the nation as it can mean supporting them. Just remember, it's up to you, and you alone, to decide what is right and what is wrong. If you can do that, and if you're willing to fight for right, then America will never stay down.
Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may. ~ Mark Twain
And, never forget -
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~ Benjamin Franklin
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