Patriotism = White Crap?

I salute the flag. I say the "Pledge of Allegiance." I stand at attention and sing the national athem--loudly--including the high notes. In spite of all the things that are wrong with America, it's still a great place to live. There's a guy down the street from our shop that seems to think so, too. He took several days and painted his privacy fence red, white and blue. Then some knucklehead came along, decided the paint job was lacking and added his own, personal touch (opinion) to the fence. I guess it's now considered racist to be patriotic.

flickr: Friday Photo Group

New Americans/Friday Photos

This past Wednesday, I witnessed the the swearing in of 34 "new Americans." They came from 18 different countries, including Bangladesh, Korea, Mexico, Germany, China, Jamaica, Bahamas, and the Phillippines. Jesus is a man from our church that has been working toward this day for several years. Last month he took "the test" and passed. Today was his -- and the other's -- day to take the oath of citizenship that would make him an American.

For the first part of the ceremony, each of the "applicants" for citizenship stood and stated their country of origin as their name was called. It was impressive to hear all of the different countries and dialects. One by one, they proudly stood, and one by one they uttered the name of their birth country--a country that, in only a few moments, they would "renounce." The judge then had them all stand and raise their right hand for the swearing in. They stood at attention as the judge read the following oath:

Do you hereby declare, on oath, that you absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which you have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that you will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that you will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that you will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

In unison, the applicants responded: "I do!" And with those two words, America gained 34 brand new citizens. Citizens in every way, having the same priviledges and rights as one born on this American soil.

It was an exciting day for Jesus and his family. I spoke with him right before the ceremony. "Are you excited?", I asked. "Yes.", he quickly replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you nervous?" Even more quickly, "YES!" Jesus doesn't say alot, but I could tell (even if you can't tell from the picture)...he was STOKED. Today, he would fulfill his dream. He would become an American. Welcome "home", Jesus.

Friday Photos

This is Jesus- one of America's newest citizens. He has the certificate and American flag to prove it.

This women was from the Phillippines. I shot this picture immediately after the group took the oath of citizenship. Her face says it all. I thought her scarf was a nice touch, also.

Independence Day

Today is Independence Day in America. Over 230 years ago, this country declared its independence from Great Britain, and in doing so, begain building what would become The United States of America. The preamble of that declaration begins:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain Inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

One of the things that makes American unique is its historically held belief/foundation that it is God who blesses ("endows") people with all they have. Sadly, that fact is lost on many today.

America--in spite of all that is wrong with her, and we won't go into that today--is a GREAT country. I am thankful and proud that I am an American. I am grateful for the vision our forefathers had for this country. I am thankful for the courage they had to declare independence, knowing that for some of them, it would mean loss of everything they had...including their own lives. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin is quoted as having stated: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately," a play on words indicating that failure to stay united and succeed would risk being tried and executed, individually, for treason. (Source- Wikipedia)

I believe the following is fairly accurate. It should give us something to think about this day. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence:

• Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
• Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
• Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
• Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

• Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
• Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
• Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
• Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
• Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
• At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
• Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
• John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

Freedom is never free. Thank God for these patriots; and thank God for those men and women who continue to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Have a safe and happy Fourth!