Reflections on Independence Day 2006
Independence Day is a day I generally spend reflecting on what it means to be free, and to live in such a blessed land. That's right, I believe America to be blessed and to have a divine role in this world. I'd imagine the liberals are getting a bit uncomfortable right now but I'll let them off the hook here a bit. I touched yesterday on what I believe to be the American birthright of independence, and after spending the day enjoying the freedoms our great nation offers I realized even more how lucky we all are to be here despite the poisonous undercurrent in today's political environment. That's a small price to pay to be able to experience the day I had yesterday.
I sat at a beach in Marina del Rey, CA, after a delicious barbeque of chicken, sausage and hot dogs and watched the fireworks explode out on the horizon. What went through my mind were thoughts of our finest Americans, those that wear the uniform of the United States military, and the great hymns of our Republic. Maybe it's a little cheesy, but I sang to myself the words of "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", and "The Star Spangled Banner". (I guess I'm not afraid to love my country and say it out loud.) To put it bluntly, as I sat on that beach last night I truly felt free. It was liberating and exhilarating.
I looked around at the hundreds of other people enjoying the fireworks and wondered what was going through their minds. Was it anything like what I was thinking? If I had to guess, probably not. Maybe a few understand what Independence Day is supposed to mean but I felt like we've lost touch with that much like we've lost touch with what Memorial Day stands for, and we only focus on the hamburgers and hot dogs and the fact that we don't have to go suffer through another day of work. We forget that without the freedom announced in the Declaration of Independence and secured by the Constitution we wouldn't be watching fireworks and grilling carcass. We'd likely be speaking German at this point in time.
My wish for this season of celebration is for everyone to remember what the Fourth of July actually means and to embrace it next year, God willing. Close to our thoughts during the celebration of our independence should be the bone-chilling reality of the enemy we're fighting in every corner of the world that seeks to destroy the United States and end our independence once and for all. As I said yesterday, each of us has the responsibility to ensure the survival and blossoming of freedom here at home. And let us not forget what's being sacrificed by our countrymen and countrywomen around the world to ensure the survival of the ideals put to paper in Philadelphia in 1776.
God bless.
I sat at a beach in Marina del Rey, CA, after a delicious barbeque of chicken, sausage and hot dogs and watched the fireworks explode out on the horizon. What went through my mind were thoughts of our finest Americans, those that wear the uniform of the United States military, and the great hymns of our Republic. Maybe it's a little cheesy, but I sang to myself the words of "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", and "The Star Spangled Banner". (I guess I'm not afraid to love my country and say it out loud.) To put it bluntly, as I sat on that beach last night I truly felt free. It was liberating and exhilarating.
I looked around at the hundreds of other people enjoying the fireworks and wondered what was going through their minds. Was it anything like what I was thinking? If I had to guess, probably not. Maybe a few understand what Independence Day is supposed to mean but I felt like we've lost touch with that much like we've lost touch with what Memorial Day stands for, and we only focus on the hamburgers and hot dogs and the fact that we don't have to go suffer through another day of work. We forget that without the freedom announced in the Declaration of Independence and secured by the Constitution we wouldn't be watching fireworks and grilling carcass. We'd likely be speaking German at this point in time.
My wish for this season of celebration is for everyone to remember what the Fourth of July actually means and to embrace it next year, God willing. Close to our thoughts during the celebration of our independence should be the bone-chilling reality of the enemy we're fighting in every corner of the world that seeks to destroy the United States and end our independence once and for all. As I said yesterday, each of us has the responsibility to ensure the survival and blossoming of freedom here at home. And let us not forget what's being sacrificed by our countrymen and countrywomen around the world to ensure the survival of the ideals put to paper in Philadelphia in 1776.
God bless.
posted by The Rock | 1:19 PM
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