Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Independence Day

As we enjoy our hot dogs and hamburgers from the barbecue and the company of friends and family, let's take just a few moments to remember what today is all about. May God bless America.

WE hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

15 comments:

Tehachapi Tom said...

Hawk
You have said every thing we need to remember that makes America great.

StanH said...

Reading the “Declaration of Independence” still stirs the soul of a real American. We find ourselves besieged by anti-American ‘60s radicals whose only concern is, “what’s in it for me?’ and are determined to finish what Woodrow Wilson and the progressives (regressives) started a century ago. Re-enslaving our great nation to a new bondage far worse than King George, by bringing our great nations to it’s knees, by intense beauroacracy. Sadly, for our statist, too many believe in our Founding, and will reassert our rights as given by God. As we celebrate our nations birthday, let us all understand the danger at our door, and pray for the courage of the Founders, too paraphrase, “we have a Republic, now can we keep it!”.

Unknown said...

Tehachapi Tom: Actually, the Founders said it, but thanks for the compliment.

Unknown said...

Stan: Today we celebrate the Declaration of the American Revolution. Obama and the party of redistribution would rather it was the French Revolution--the mob. We will retain our Republic, and will not give in to the dictatorship of the masses run by the elitists.

Perhaps today would be a good day to remember the sacrifices that the Founders made to throw off the yoke of tyranny by reciting the closing words of the Declaration:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." Those words do not exist in the lexicon of the left, nor in the Obama administration.

Tam said...

"The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat, sir, let it come!

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry "Peace! Peace!" but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

Patrick Henry

Be vigilant, active, and brave, Patriots! Happy Independence Day, all!

Unknown said...

Tam: Thanks for the inspiration. I would only add these other words from The Crisis to bring home the point that tyranny, wherever found, must be opposed:

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated."

Today would be a good day to rededicate ourselves to those liberties which we have too easily surrendered.

AndrewPrice said...

Happy fourth everyone!

Tennessee Jed said...

played my first round of golf in a month today after recuperating from my broken and dislocated toe. Got a nice thunder shower a little while ago. Making up some ratatouilee to go with smoked sausage for the evening meal. Glad to be an American.

Happy fourth to my online friends at Commenterama . . . . :-)

T-Rav said...

While waiting for the local festivities to start up, I've been watching the "John Adams" miniseries on HBO. It's really good, which a lot of people have told me it was. Hope you all are having a good time too, and Happy Fourth to everyone!

StanH said...

Anecdote: Is was working downstairs and came up the steps into the family room where I found my 23 year old son and a friend with my nineteen year old daughter watching John Adams in total. They were moved and inspired, our future is indeed secure ladies and gentlemen, it only needs cultivation.

Unknown said...

Andrew: And the same to you and yours.

Unknown said...

Tennessee: So now you're an old duffer and an old hobbler?

Your Fourth of July meal sounds a lot more interesting than my hot dogs and hamburgers, but then I'm just a poor Californian. I'm not golfing today, for sure. The thermometer just hit 110 and rising.

Glad you're feeling better, and always good to have you around.

Unknown said...

T-Rav: TCM has been doing patriotic themes all day. I watched John Paul Jones (not terrifically historically accurate, but great to look at and inspiring), and The Scarlet Cloak (a cleverly-crafted story of an imaginary spy in Benedict Arnold's camp at West Point). I missed 1776 because I had to do my farmer chores for my daughter (who is enjoying the fireworks display in a cooler part of the county). Yankee Doodle Dandy is on later today. James Cagney was outstanding in the part, particularly when as George M. Cohan he proudly took an honorific from FDR. Cohan couldn't stand FDR, and thought he was the wrong kind of dandy who harbored socialists.

Unknown said...

Stan: That's great to hear. The liberals and the MSM love to tout Jefferson as the great Founder, except for that slavery thing. I find Jefferson to be one of the most overrated Founders, and Adams to be one of the most underrated.

The HBO series was extremely well done. For us former criminal defense lawyers, the vignettes about Adams defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre are particularly piquant and poignant at the same time.

Unknown said...

Yo, Bev! Californian Joey Chestnut just won his fifth straight Nathan's International Hot Dog-Eating Contest at Coney Island. Which proves that Californians are the best in the nation, both at spending other people's money and eating other people's food. Best of all, Chestnut gets PAID, bigtime, for eating other people's food. $10,000 for eating 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

BTW, after living in NYC for just a year, I found that Nathan's has the best dogs in the nation. Trying to find a Nathan's in California is not as easy as you might think.

The other thing I just learned is that there is actually an official "Major League Eating" to rival the NFL and NBA and MLB. If you're not a member, you can't compete. The previous champ (six straight) is disqualified because he won't sign an exclusive contract with MLE. He was eating his hot dogs at a local restaurant, and claims that while Chestnut was downing a mere 62, he was downing 69. But, as they say, if you wanna play, ya gotta pay. LOL

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