"Fourth of July Tribute 2011"
July 3rd 2011 10:50
On this extended weekend when Americans from sea to shining sea pay tribute to everything that is the United States of America; I felt it was important to take this year’s Inependence Day Tribute tribute back to the fundamentals behind the word’s freedom, bravery, honor and patriotism that have sometimes become hollow in modern conversation.
For all the time spent talking about whether or not the forefathers of the United States of America would be proud of the state this country is in; there has been an equal amount of time spent by the majority of Americans missing the point.
The point that resides in the fact that the men who came together from different socio economic backgrounds, religious beliefs and ideas of how a government should be ran created a document that was not cemented in concrete.
It is the malleability of the Constitution that has allowed the people of The United States of America to build the largest melting pot the world has ever witnessed.
A melting pot that is representative of every culture around the globe as immigrants, the children of immigrants and their descendants have worked together to move past some of the darkest periods The United States of America and the world has ever witnessed to build a more imperfect union.
It’s the imperfections of The United States of America that make her great.
It’s the lack of an official language, the lack of an official genre of music, the lack of an official ethnicity, the lack of an official type of food, the lack of an official religion, the lack of an official race, the lack of an official gender and the lack of an official sexual orientation that has created the beauty that exists on the streets of America where the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony are openly available for viewing on a daily basis.
While we may not have it perfect as a society there has to be a moment when each and every American around the globe takes at least one second out of their day to marvel at how far we have come.
A distance that has taken us from a barbaric society that openly allowed the oppression of women, brutality against people who shared different religious beliefs, societal acceptance of the slave trade and systemic forms of racial and sexually orientated discrimination to a society that now legally protects all of these groups.
On this Independence Day it is more important now than ever that we not fall back on our history books in the false belief that the hard work has already been done for us.
We must remain vigilant as a society to fill in the cracks while not burrowing ourselves into a deeper hole by creating more division.
While many of us may label ourselves as Feminists, Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Members of the Tea Party, Constitutionalists or Radical Independents we must also remember that we share the same label of being AMERICAN.
No matter what man or woman occupies the office of President of the United States of America this is a simple fact that must be respected by each and every person seeking to make America a better place today, tomorrow or 100 years from now.
While the Fourth of July may symbolize the beauty of a fireworks display, a trip to beach or the sweet smell of a cookout for some people; what the Fourth of July means to me is a reminder of all the men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy this day and the work that has to be done to respect their memories.
Work that is about bringing people together for the achievement of one common goal…
In the grand scheme of things each and every person that is willing to approach the fence has the same desire of improving the lives of American Citizens and the country as whole.
Through all the beaten chests, bravado, double speak, rumor and accusations this is the one fact that has the ability to shine through from under the sheets of mud.
In a time of economic crisis that has created social turmoil from a lack of civility it is more important now than ever that we fall back on our basic principles to help pull each other out of what is becoming an even bigger mess.
This is my Fourth of July wish in the year 2011 and I hope that many of you share it with me.
In the words of the 16th President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln
This statement has stood true 256 years after achieving independence through many dark periods, a bloody civil war and will still be true long after the modern age that celebrates intolerance over civility ends.
When it ends it up to the people of the United States of America because The United States of America will always be a nation governed of the people, for the people and by the people but this statement can only be true if the people are willing to make the sacrifice for it to be so.
For all the time spent talking about whether or not the forefathers of the United States of America would be proud of the state this country is in; there has been an equal amount of time spent by the majority of Americans missing the point.
The point that resides in the fact that the men who came together from different socio economic backgrounds, religious beliefs and ideas of how a government should be ran created a document that was not cemented in concrete.
It is the malleability of the Constitution that has allowed the people of The United States of America to build the largest melting pot the world has ever witnessed.
A melting pot that is representative of every culture around the globe as immigrants, the children of immigrants and their descendants have worked together to move past some of the darkest periods The United States of America and the world has ever witnessed to build a more imperfect union.
It’s the imperfections of The United States of America that make her great.
It’s the lack of an official language, the lack of an official genre of music, the lack of an official ethnicity, the lack of an official type of food, the lack of an official religion, the lack of an official race, the lack of an official gender and the lack of an official sexual orientation that has created the beauty that exists on the streets of America where the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony are openly available for viewing on a daily basis.
While we may not have it perfect as a society there has to be a moment when each and every American around the globe takes at least one second out of their day to marvel at how far we have come.
A distance that has taken us from a barbaric society that openly allowed the oppression of women, brutality against people who shared different religious beliefs, societal acceptance of the slave trade and systemic forms of racial and sexually orientated discrimination to a society that now legally protects all of these groups.
On this Independence Day it is more important now than ever that we not fall back on our history books in the false belief that the hard work has already been done for us.
We must remain vigilant as a society to fill in the cracks while not burrowing ourselves into a deeper hole by creating more division.
While many of us may label ourselves as Feminists, Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Members of the Tea Party, Constitutionalists or Radical Independents we must also remember that we share the same label of being AMERICAN.
No matter what man or woman occupies the office of President of the United States of America this is a simple fact that must be respected by each and every person seeking to make America a better place today, tomorrow or 100 years from now.
While the Fourth of July may symbolize the beauty of a fireworks display, a trip to beach or the sweet smell of a cookout for some people; what the Fourth of July means to me is a reminder of all the men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy this day and the work that has to be done to respect their memories.
Work that is about bringing people together for the achievement of one common goal…
In the grand scheme of things each and every person that is willing to approach the fence has the same desire of improving the lives of American Citizens and the country as whole.
Through all the beaten chests, bravado, double speak, rumor and accusations this is the one fact that has the ability to shine through from under the sheets of mud.
In a time of economic crisis that has created social turmoil from a lack of civility it is more important now than ever that we fall back on our basic principles to help pull each other out of what is becoming an even bigger mess.
This is my Fourth of July wish in the year 2011 and I hope that many of you share it with me.
In the words of the 16th President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln
“A house divided upon itself cannot stand.”
This statement has stood true 256 years after achieving independence through many dark periods, a bloody civil war and will still be true long after the modern age that celebrates intolerance over civility ends.
When it ends it up to the people of the United States of America because The United States of America will always be a nation governed of the people, for the people and by the people but this statement can only be true if the people are willing to make the sacrifice for it to be so.
Fourth of July Tribute
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