HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA

HOLIDAY SIMMER

Well, I've put the old Cauldron on simmer for this long holiday weekend and probably won't be posting any comments until Sunday. However, in honor of Independence Day, I've left this post for you to enjoy and send to your friends as you contemplate what this holiday means.
WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY?

This year, perhaps more than any in my lifetime except immediately following World War II, the celebration of our independence - our freedom from oppression and tyranny - is especially meaningful. It's more than a day when we shoot off fireworks - legal and illegal. It's a day when we should contemplate what our founding fathers intended this country to become more than two hundred years ago, and what it has evolved to on this date. With a tip of the hat to Art Pedroza over at the Orange Juice Blog, here's a link that might help you remember what this country is all about.
PERILS, FOREIGN...

Today there are many perils facing our country, both at home and abroad. It seems as though we have entire regions of this planet wanting us all dead and are rapidly acquiring the means to accomplish that goal. Until September 11, 2001, and events subsequent to that date, contemplating the possibility of this country being in jeopardy seemed almost laughable. We were, after all, the most powerful country on earth. Today I'm not so sure... Today we seem willing to embrace our enemies and turn our backs on our friends.
...AND DOMESTIC

It also seems that the new administration, led by our trainee president, is determined to undo more than two hundred years of hard-earned freedoms and turn this country into a socialist society where the government decides every facet of our lives. Based on their actions over the past six months, it seems as though they are trying to drain any thought of hard work, and the rewards available from it, from our lexicon. They seem determined to exercise absolute control over even the most minute segments of our lives. This is not the America I grew up in - the one that encouraged innovation and entrepreneurship, hard work and big rewards. If this trend continues we will soon become a society of drones, bellied-up to the government trough for all our needs. I don't like this change one bit.
VIEW THE VIDEOS, AND THINK...

I hope you will take a little time to view the following video clips and pause to consider just where this country has been and where it is headed. It's time for us all to stand up, speak up and make our views known - at every level of government. With that said, I wish you all a very happy and safe Independence Day.
I PLEDGE...
OH, SAY CAN YOU SEE...
THE CONSTITUTION...
REAGAN KNEW...
GOD BLESS AMERICA...
WHERE IT BEGAN...
LEE GREENWOOD KNOWS...
"BIG SHOULDERS" CELEBRATES...
"THE DUKE" LOVED HER...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA...
...THE BEAUTIFUL
OH, SAY CAN YOU SEE...
THE CONSTITUTION...
REAGAN KNEW...
GOD BLESS AMERICA...
WHERE IT BEGAN...
LEE GREENWOOD KNOWS...
"BIG SHOULDERS" CELEBRATES...
"THE DUKE" LOVED HER...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA...
...THE BEAUTIFUL
Labels: Independence Day