Patriotic Greetings 2013

Patriotic Greetings to my Fellow Americans!

            It is that time of year again, one of my favorites: the celebration of the Nativity and Independence of the United States of America.  There’s something so meaningful about going back to one’s roots.  And that’s why I like this occasion so much, because it reminds me of how this country got started, and is a part of how my story as an American begins. I love to recall this story to mind, remembering each development in the creation of this wonderful country.

            In response to growing tensions between Britain and the 13 British North American Colonies, people from all the colonies assembled for a Continental Congress in Philadelphia.  After meeting for months, talk began to shift from reconciliation to separation from Britain.  The issue reached an apex point in Congress on June 7, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee rose and offered the following resolution: “Resolved.  That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown; and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”  Over the next couple of weeks or so, the delegates seriously considered the proposal, including with their own colonies’ governments.  Meanwhile, a committee formed by Congress worked on a declaration of independence.  Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was the principal author of this document.

            Then, on July 1, the delegates assembled, and debated Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for American independence.  The debate carried over into the next day, July 2, when the delegates, by colony, unanimously voted for independence.  With that done, the delegates debated the draft of the document on independence.  On July 4, the Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence.  It received most of its 56 signatures on August 2, according to most historians.  After many years of conflict, the American Revolutionary War ended with the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.

            This occasion of Independence has always been reason for a big party, ever since John Adams wrote to his wife envisioning July 2 as a day of great celebration.  One of the things I like to do at this time of year is watch the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on CBS.  After some musical performances by a popular artist and the Boston Pops Orchestra, fireworks are launched from the Charles River.  During this time, various musical pieces are played in the background.  While watching it last year, I heard some lyrics that really stuck with me.  I searched online for the song, and came across Aaron Trippin’s “Where the Stars and Stripes, and the Eagle Fly”.

            Here’s a link to a YouTube video of the song, with lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxxrVZOtNgs

            This song really speaks to how I feel about the United States and being a person in it.  There really is something special about this country.  No other country was founded with such zeal and fervor for promoting freedom and liberty for all.  Despite an imperfect track record, people in the United States have been progressing toward a greater realization of these ideals ever since 1776.

And people have been coming here from Colonial Times all the way to the present day because they see something special about America.  They see it as a place of great freedom and liberty, in some cases, even more so than their homelands had to offer.  They see it as a place where immense opportunities abound.  They see it as a place where they can work hard and find meaningful success.  And I see it that way, too.  The United States has something special to offer to the world, contributing as a positive force for good.  I never concern myself with America being “number one” among all the nations in the world, because we don’t have to be.  America is great in its own special ways.  That is why I have hope for this country.

            I have hope when a parochial school in Nebraska that once abused Aboriginal American children for speaking their own language now teaches the language and culture to Aboriginal children.  I have hope when a sidewalk counselor provides resources to a woman in a pregnancy crisis so that the unborn child within her can have the right to life and see the light of day.  I have hope when I see an elderly person making the point to vote in yet another election, determined to never miss out on any election ever.  These are all examples of what America is truly about: people who are in charge of their country.  There are indeed frustrations to be had with the effects of government doing its work, like with recent legislative re-districting.  It makes me think of what Winston Churchill once said: “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” 

            I really like that quotation.  And if we stop to think about, our government is probably one of the most amazing things the world has ever seen: common people being in charge of their own government, filling its offices with people from their own ranks.  European powers scoffed at America’s experiment in democracy when it was in its infancy back in the late 18^th Century.  Yet this democratic government still remains, even though all those European powers have since diminished.  This government still works, even when problems arise because certain individuals seek only self-gain.  At the same time, there are other individuals out there who selflessly serve their local communities. 

I think back to a tragedy that occurred on the cold morning of December 22, 2010, when a fire broke out in an abandoned building on Chicago’s South Side.  It was known to be a shelter for homeless people, and so two firefighters, Corey Ankum and Edward Stringer, went inside to search for any people.  That’s when the roof collapsed and they perished.  John Kass reflected on this tragedy in a column of his in The Chicago Tribune, juxtaposing typical politicians with the selflessness of these two firefighters, who were the ones that really served the public.  I find great reassurance in the realization that there are people out there like those firefighters, who are serving a greater good.  Ultimately, I feel our country is grounded on them, not on a few corrupt, selfish politicians.  This is my hope for America, because of the greatness that common people have striven to achieve. 

            That’s why I strive to be an involved citizen.  I make a point to be an informed voter in every election.  I contact my government officials on issues that concern me, even if he/she didn’t receive my vote. 

I am indeed proud to be a citizen of the United States of America.  I proudly rise to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, even when other individuals opt not to.  And I rise with pride whenever the National Anthem is performed.  But when I do so, I don’t follow along with everyone else singing the 1^st verse, which is most commonly known.  Instead, I recall the reason for my pride and hope for this country, which is beautifully expressed in the 4^th verse of the “The Star-Spangled Banner”:

 

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

 

Indeed, people since Colonial Times through the movement for Independence and to this present day have sincerely believed in the words of our National Motto, “In God we Trust”.  Trust and faith in God has gotten me through a lot in my life.  And I firmly believe that by trusting in God, and seeking to do what is right before Him, the United States will achieve true greatness as one among many nations that God has willed into existence on this Earth.

It’s like what Benjamin Franklin said when he suggested to the Constitutional Convention while it took on the onus of creating a new Constitution for the United States in the summer of 1787: “…the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?”

            So on this great occasion, as I strive to do every day, I thank God for this country and ask for His guidance in all our proceedings as a nation.

 

And I salute the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of America,

 

Paul

 

(Photo of me standing with the US Capitol in the background, on a December day in 2004.  Photo credit to my Dad, Ed. Rubio.)