In a few days, people all over this
country will be lining the streets waiting for the parade. That’s all good, but
the last few times I’ve attended a parade, I’ve witnessed way too many people
sitting and chatting with their neighbors when the color guard is going past!
THE COLOR GUARD! As in the most
precious symbol of our wonderful country and healthy young adults are sitting
and visiting with their neighbors. Worse still they are not teaching their
children to respect the flag.
This isn’t about who is president,
or the color of our skins, this is about the land of the free! This is about
The Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence and this about all the
men who gave their lives for that independence, and the men and women who
followed in their footsteps and stood up for this country with their very
lives!
And this isn’t about who was born
here, or even how or when our ancestors arrived here, because, let’s face it,
unless you are 100% Native American, you have immigrants somewhere on your
family tree.
Konnie and I have lots of
immigrants on our family tree starting with the Mayflower and ending with our
great-grandfather father who left Denmark by ship then crossed this country by
any means possible eventually arriving in Salt Lake as part of a handcart
company. We have ancestors who fought for independence, and relatives who were
at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Our husbands were both serving in
the Navy during the first Gulf War. In fact, I am related to five men who
served in the military during that war.
And if I could stand up long
enough for the color guard to pass, I would, because of my ancestors who came
over on the Mayflower searching for their religious freedom, for my ancestors
who fought for independence from England, and for every member of the military
who gave their lives so I can live my life today the way I want to live it.
But I can’t stand that long, so I’ll
sit up as straight and tall as I can with my right hand over my heart and keep
it there until the color guard passes me. And if they play the national anthem –
I’ll sing along!
Yeah, I won’t stand, but like I
said I can’t.
For all those who can, and don’t,
I’d like to ask why? Why don’t you honor your ancestors who gave up everything
to be here? Why don’t you honor your ancestors who gave their lives for you to have the freedoms you have today?
If not for those ancestors, we
wouldn’t even have the stars and stripes. If not for their sacrifice we wouldn’t
have Francis Scott Key’s words, “Oh Say Can We See?”, and we couldn’t have Irving
Berlin’s “God Bless America!” or Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA!”
And speaking of Berlin, don’t think
for one second, he was “Born in the USA” because he wasn’t. He was born in
Russia! His family escaped when the Czar was killing off Jews. His family came
to America for the same reason the Puritans came to America, for religious
freedom!
He was a naturalized citizen of
this country, and he loved it. He wrote “God Bless America” because of his love
for this country.
But then Greenwood and Key did the
same thing. They expressed their feeling in their wonderful heartfelt songs
just like Berlin, and frankly, I love all three songs. They’re great. They
express their love for this country.
And saluting the color guard is showing
our love for this country.
If you are not saluting it, why
are you celebrating our freedom?
What is Independence Day to you?
Just fireworks, parades, and
family picnics, and nothing else?
Has it no meaning to you?
I admit, as a kid I thought all
the hoopla was for my birthday, but I was a kid. A naïve child. I’m not a child
anymore, and I’ve had plenty of people over the years teach me the true meaning
of this holiday.
I especially love learning the
story behind the words in our national anthem. The most significant part is
that men DIED to keep that flag flying. They gave their lives to hold up the
flag of a country in its very infancy, and their descendants can’t salute that
flag?
Frankly, I’m outraged and
offended!
If you don’t love this country,
don’t celebrate its birth! Don’t attend the parade or watch the fireworks. In
fact, move to another country.
But if you stay, when the flag
passes, stand, put your right hand over your heart, and salute it!
On a lighter note, happy birthday
to Konnie, and me!
Happy writing everyone!
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