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HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
But Do All Of Us Really Know What It Is We're Celebrating? Sure Some Do. But Unfortunately, There Are Far Too Many
Who Do Not. For Them It's Just, The 4th of July. A Patriotic Time For Picnics, BBQ'S And Glorious Fire Works Displays!
As for myself.., I do not refer to Independence Day as the 4th of July.
It being that we Celebrate the Birth of America on that calendar date.
Nor, do I call our Military Members, our troupes. Our Fighting Forces,
Our Freedom Fighters, Our Military Men and Women, but our troops,
NEVER...! THIS IS WHY
The Meaning of Independence Day
by Joseph Kellard (July 4, 2000)
A SERIOUS LESSON FOR ALL WOULD BE AMERICANS
In 1776..., Thomas (NMN) Jefferson courageously offered in his Declaration of Independence certain fundamental, timeless principles regarding all men and their coexistence with one another: each individual's inalienable right to his own life, his own liberty, and the pursuit of his own happiness. This historically unprecedented declaration inspired the establishment of a nation based on the recognition of these individual rights, which include, as their necessary corollary, property rights, wherein property (earned or inherited) is privately owned. Tragically, many of Mr. Jefferson's successors have ignored that an individual's rights are inalienable -- that is, that nothing anywhere ever supersedes them.
These successors helped inculcate in Americans and enact into their government an anti-Jeffersonian philosophy. One that regards the individual's liberty not as a birthright, nor as inalienable, but that which government permits him to possess and which he must dutifully give recompense for through his sacrificial service to others. Allegedly, his life belongs to his "community," "society," America -- anyone or anything but himself.
It is this morality of self-sacrifice that tribal chiefs, kings, religionists, philosophers, and dictators demanded of people, from the dawn of man to the Pharaohs to Attila to the popes to Immanuel Kant to George III to Stalin, Hitler, Mao and to those who rule today in Kosovo. It is the enshrinement of this morality that is a fundamental cause of all the injustices and horrors committed by these and lesser power-lusters, and of the erosion of America's liberties.
And you too sanction this morality whenever you explicitly or implicitly uphold that Americans must "give something back" to their communities, to society, to America for the "privilege" of liberty and the opportunities it has created. In other words, individuals must sacrifice for others as payment for liberty and the opportunities made possible by…who? Primarily by America's producers; by the money government taxed, i.e., coerced, from them.
Americans must understand that each individual's life, liberty, and property are that which no other person has any moral claim on. When government uses its monopoly on coercion to force individuals to be a means to the ends of others, whether it be for "the poor," children or the elderly, businessmen, embryos and fetuses, religionists, "the environment," minorities, majorities, animals, or any other group or entity, that then violates the inalienable individual rights of all Americans in favor of a system wherein they're all simultaneously master and slave to one another.
Liberty is each individual's right; a necessity to life that is inborn -- not a "privilege" permitted to him by an allegedly benevolent government. Liberty is that which a proper government must uphold, protect, and secure -- not force individuals to sacrifice for in order to keep. Government's only proper, objective function is to protect each individual from physical force or fraud, so that he is secure to pursue his own life's requirements. It is not to be the initiator of these injustices, as when it forces individuals to pursue and provide the "needs" of others.
Liberty doesn't grow on trees, nor is it to be taken for granted. Its price is to learn, uphold, and practice consistently the universal, timeless principles that form and strengthen it: individual rights, rational self-interest, and individualism. Even trees rot and die if they're not properly kept; thus, these essential, priceless nutrients of liberty must never be mixed with the poisons of sacrifice and state-controls.
Independence Day must henceforth be the primary day to demand a return to America's original, fundamental principles. Within such a individual rights-respecting nation I have a rational self-interest in voluntarily financing the military, the police, and courts that uphold objective laws, with their purposes being to protect my rights from foreign and domestic initiators of physical force and from defrauders and violators of contracts.
Government services such as roads, libraries, parks, post offices, for example, must all become privately owned and subject to the economic laws of supply and demand, i.e., laissez faire capitalism.
Thereafter, I will voluntarily pay for services I require and be free from the government coercion that forces me to finance those that are useless to me. All Americans will be free of any legal duty to finance what others value and be free to voluntarily trade with (or give their property to) whomever and whatever they value.
Every individual's life, liberty, and property belongs to himself; no person has a moral claim on them. Our government must reestablish this philosophy. For America is perishing from an orgy of self-sacrificing.
| Joseph Kellard is a journalist living in New York. To read more of Mr. Kellard's commentary, visit his website The American Individualist at americanindividualist.blogspot.com.
http://www.holidays.net/independence/story.htm THE STORY OF INDEPENDENCE DAY and AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III. There was growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on. As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress. The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war. In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord Massachusetts Paul Revere would sound the alarm that "The British are coming, the British are coming" as he rode his horse through the late night streets. The battle of Concord and its "shot heard round the world" would mark the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for independence. The following May the colonies again sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. For almost a year the congress tried to work out its differences with England, again without formally declaring war. By June 1776 their efforts had become hopeless and a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the congress on June 28. After various changes a vote was taken late in the afternoon of July 4th. Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted No, Delaware undecided and New York abstained. To make it official John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock signed his name "with a great flourish" so "King George can read that without spectacles!." The following day copies of the Declaration were distributed. The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. On July 8th the Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds and pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell" would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after its inscription - Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof And although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of United States independence. The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year - July 4 1777. By the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday. And although fireworks have been banned in most places because of their danger, most towns and cities usually have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy. I Close With An Article Titled: "BEFORE YOU GO" by Michael Cutler (An Intro to a musical tribute to our Fallen Heroes.)
Today is July 4th 2010. As we all know, the Declaration of Independence was signed on this date in 1776. On that historic date our leaders started the inexorable process that ultimately created our nation and our ongoing experiment with democracy! The Fourth of July is customarily celebrated by firework displays, parades, barbeques and department store sales. It is important to remember the real reason that we celebrate the Fourth of July: we are celebrating our nation's birthday! The price of our freedom and way of life was and continues to be, very high and has been paid for, in large measure, with the blood of our soldiers who have fought in every war since the Revolutionary War. It has also been paid for with the blood of those Americans such as our police officers, federal agents and firefighters who willingly and routinely go in harm's way to preserve the lives of our citizens. Indeed, "Freedom is not free!" The links I have attached below relate to a magnificent song that pays homage to our veterans, especially those who defended the United States and our allies during the Second World War but can be truly applied to all of our nation's heroic veterans. As you listen to the lyrics and watch the slide show, I want you to think about what those valiant soldiers fought for. I want you to think about what democracy really means. In my opinion, when the legislative process is hijacked and carried out behind closed doors by a few "leaders" in the dead of night, democracy no longer exists! The link I have attached below is the Homepage for the Website that contains a link to the music and slide show: http://www.managedmusic.com/php/BYGIndex.php?page=Listen_To_BYG_Introduction# The direct link to the music and slide show is: http://www.managedmusic.com/Music/PlayBeforeYouGo.php The founding fathers understood a number of critical things. They understood that freedom of speech and freedom of the press (journalism) are the life blood of democracy. Jack Nicholson in his role as a Marine Corps officer in the movie "A Few Good Men" famously stated, "You can't handle the truth!" It would appear that Senator Trent Lott and some of his colleagues don't want America to have access to the truth and therefore are denouncing Talk Radio. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House recently decries the American citizens who called their Congressional representatives and senators as being bigots for speaking out against the outrageous Guest Worker Amnesty Program being pushed by President Bush and the immigration reform bill being pushed by Senator Kennedy that I have come to refer to as the "Terrorist Assistance and Facilitation Act of 2007." Clearly there are politicians on both sides of the political aisle who loathe the very citizens of this nation that they took an oath to protect and represent! The Founding Fathers of this great nation understood just how corrupting political power can become. That is, in part, why they established a system of checks and balances to keep political power and greed in check. Driving while intoxicated can get the motorist who is guilty of that law violation arrested. Members of Congress who are guilty of "Legislating while intoxicated by power" should be made to pay a price as well! . This nation needs to have true leaders who understand that they work for the citizens of this nation. After all, this is supposed to be a nation that has a government that is "By the people and for the people!" Similarly, "We the People" need to remember that we have an obligation to educate ourselves in spite of Senator Lott's whining about Talk Radio! We then need to take the knowledge and information to demand that our elected representatives do just that: represent us! Remember, democracy is not a spectator sport! It was noted this past week that the Congressional approval rating has fallen to historically low levels. According to the pole I read, only 14% of the American people approve of the job the Congress is doing! This is even worse that the abysmal approval rating of George W. Bush! I do not know of any employee who would be able to keep his job if his bosses gave him a 14% approval rating therefore any member of Congress who thinks he has a secure position should think again! Whether they like it our not, "We the People" will be voting in the next election and winds of change may well blow through the hallowed halls of Congress if our political leaders ignore their constituents! One of America's most revered and loved Presidents, Abraham Lincoln is remembered for a number of wonderful quotes. Consider this one: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." The American people are finally seeing through the nonsense being spewed by those politicians who have been peddling the treacherous Guest Worker Amnesty Program and have come to the realization that they are being sold out by every politician who supports it! In raising my children I have tried to impart some of my knowledge I have acquired over the years. One of the things that I have told them is that there are two natural speed limits in nature. According to Einstein, it is impossible to exceed the speed of light. According to my life experiences and observations, you cannot outrun your own bull s---t! Sooner or later it catches up with you! This is a lesson our politicians need to be extremely mindful of today as they take up legislation that represents an utter sell out of the American people, "Comprehensive Immigration Reform." It is entirely clear that the politicians who are attempting to foist this legislative travesty on our nation know full well that the great majority of American citizens oppose it. That is why they are attempting to stifle our demands. To them the American citizens represent nothing more than an impediment to the passage of legislation that would have an incredibly detrimental impact on the United States and our citizens. It would create many opportunities for terrorists to obtain legal status in our country and easily imbed themselves in the United States. American workers would come under even greater pressure to accept lower wages and worse working conditions. I have made my many objections to this legislation known on many occasions and therefore I will not dwell on them in this commentary. I do, however ask that you contrast those politicians with those valiant soldiers who defended our nation and our way of life during World War II are remembered today as being part of the "Greatest Generation." When our nation was attacked on December 7, 1941 our nation and the Greatest Generation rose to the challenge and acted decisively and heroically! Even though our navy suffered huge losses American know-how and the "Can do" spirit that represented the embodiment of the United States quickly devised strategies and developed equipment to get the job done. Fleets of ships and airplanes that had not even been on the drawing boards before December 7th were quickly designed and built. New technology was developed and even nuclear weapons were devised and perfected all in less than four years! America was not the "Super Power" then that it is today, but our nation and the Greatest Generation rose to the challenge. Our freedom and way of life was preserved and all too many of us now take it for granted as our birthright! That is quite a legacy and one that they should all be proud of! The question is, how will history remember this generation? Our nation is facing many challenges. We live in an extremely dangerous world. History teaches that nothing is certain. That, nearly 6 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001 our nation still has porous borders, an inept and incompetent immigration system, and even a failure to produce enough passports to implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that requires that travelers entering our nation from Canada and Mexico have a passport to positively identify them leaves me absolutely speechless! I am similarly outraged that US VISIT is still unable to track the departure of alien visitors even though the corporation in charge of that vital program, Accenture, has been paid more than one billion dollars, thus far, in order to carry out a mission that was mandated in 1996 and highly recommended by the 911 Commission. The list of failures is long and growing. The list of successes is virtually nonexistent where the integrity of the immigration system and true border security are concerned. Our nation needs true leaders who put the survival of our nation and our citizens ahead of the interests of corporations and special interest groups. Our citizens also need to know that they can contribute to making our nation a secure nation even if they do not join the military. All Americans can and must participate in the process by demonstrating responsible citizenship. This certainly requires more than merely voting in every election, although so many American citizens fail to carry out this most basic of duties. We the People need to make it our business to develop an awareness of all issues and make certain that our elected representatives hear from us often. In so doing we will remind them that they work for us! I would hate for our generation to be remembered as the "Last Generation!" We can, and must prevent this from happening! The exercise of the First Amendment by We the People would represent a good first step! |
Maybe..., this will help all of us to place our beloved America ahead of our politic and become AMERICANS ONCE AGAIN.
Gary the dRAt
Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day, we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
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