Land that I Love
Posted on Sunday, July 4th, 2004 at 13:02.
Happy Birthday America! May all Americans contribute to another 228 years of an enduring spirit of freedom. Even with its problems, this Nation under God is still free, independent, and the best hope of mankind. America is freedom and opportunity. America is us, the people who live on its land and fight for its ideals of freedom abroad.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” –Abraham Lincoln
This Fourth of July weekend, remember that your individual actions, attitude, and life impact others. A lack of pro-active compassion, decency, and generosity to others dishonors the men and women who paid for our freedom with their lives. Maybe it’s just Boston. Maybe it’s just only being around my generation. Maybe it’s Michael Moore. But I am most concerned for the future of this country. Unless individual responsibility strikes back against apathy, blame, enabling dependency, and hyper-sensitive political correctness, the United States of America will lose its greatest asset: motivated people making the best of life.
“We must always remember that America is a great nation today not because of what government did for people but because of what people did for themselves and for one another.” — Richard Nixon
Ending this entry on a note of internal conflict would be wrong on this day of celebration. So, I borrow from one of my favorite patriots, Rianna:
“The poet called Miss Liberty’s torch, ‘the lamp beside the golden door… And now you really know why we’re here tonight. The glistening hope of that lamp is still ours. Every promise, every opportunity is still golden in this land. And through that golden door our children can walk into tomorrow with the knowledge that no one can be denied the promise that is America.
“Her heart is full; her torch is still golden, her future bright. She has arms big enough to comfort and strong enough to support, for the strength in her arms is the strength of her people… In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal; America’s is.” — Ronald Reagan, 1984
Ahh…Jeremiah. So young and so Republican. Something non-partisan from a great American:
“Suppose you were an idiot…. And suppose you were a member of Congress…. But I repeat myself.” –Mark Twain
I am conservative but not tied to a party. And if caring for others and loving my country makes me a Republican, then President Bush certainly has my vote.
I can’t agree any stronger. I feel though that in this day in age, we have a responsibility to the rest of the world not to affix “and the rest of the world, with us” to the end of President Lincoln’s statement.
David Troyer wrote:
>I feel though that in this day in age, we have a responsibility to the rest of the world not to affix “and the rest of the world, with us†to the end of President Lincoln’s statement.
I dunno. I always thought that the best of all worlds would be to have the rest of the world with us. Was I wrong?
Woody
(wwilson@leagueofnations.com)
Sorry, I knew this wasn’t a very clear statement to make. I agree, with you Woody, I was simply stating lets try not to destroy ourselves AND the rest of the world.
And you’re one of my favorite patriots too :) Thank you for that very honest post. I pray for you every single day that you stay strong enough to be the honest man and good example that I know so well.
“Someone once said that the difference between an American and any other kind of person is that an American lives in anticipation of the future because he know it will be a great place. Other people fear the future as just a repetition of past failures. There’s a lot of truth in that. If there is one thing we are sure of it is that history need not be relived; that nothing is impossible, and that man is capable of improving his circumstances beyond what we are told is fact.” – Ronald Reagan, 1979
Jeremiah…you’re not the only one who loves their country.
I come from a family with a strong tradition of service. I am a veteran. My brother was a veteran. My father is a veteran of three wars.
My father has been a non-partisan elected official serving his community. Neither am I affiliated with any party.
You didn’t know that. So I can only guess why you would make the assumption that someone who may not have the same opinion as you does not love their country.
I don’t intend to be confrontational, but my own opinion is that most Republicans today are idealogues rather than conservatives. So, I would like to ask you what it is about George Bush that attracts you?
Thanks.
Probably because your comment seemingly attacked me for being a Republican when my post purely had nothing to do with any party politics, but rather a simple love for my country. You seemed to equate my comments with being Republican when there is nothing in the post specific to any party.
I’m not voting for President Bush. I’m voting against John Kerry.
You’re not voting for him but against the other. Does this mean better off with the one you know rather than the one you don’t?
That’s borderline insulting. ::grr::
I am very aware of President Bush’s platform and Senator Kerry’s ever-changing platforms.
:-| It is always funny to read US people dicuss what’s the best way to love your country or being a good citizen. Somehow it always ends up with something like “At least I love the president”, “we are veterans” and something like being united and motivated with fellow Americans. Like loving your country is the way to live.
Where I come from we don’t have many patriots. We don’t like hailing the chief like he is a superhero, we don’t yell our country is the best with flags ans patriotic signs when we are in a foreign country or claim we help the world, we don’t feel being motivated is what you must be and has something to do with being a good patriot. And still, where I come from, we live happy together, we help each other and we don’t care our friends are patriots or hate the country their own country.
I don’t get it why loving your country is important, or even the way you do this. I don’t get it why it is a bad thing people don’t want to show they love the country, supporting each other or showing they are motivated like it is a way of live. I can imagine it must be a shock if you are tought to be patriotic and how to be it, like having to say the Pledge of Alligence every day in childhood, see your neighbours being very united in a very enthusiastic way and holding your hand where your heart is when you hear the anthem like it must be good, and then see people want to do it otherwise. It is not the end of your country. It is not the end of your live. In fact, try it. We live here like that for centuries. We don’t have civil wars, we do care for ourselve, other people and our country and in fact almost everybody is happy.
Watt, loving one’s country is not about blindly hailing the chief or waiving flags or mindlessly repeating a pledge. In fact, I didn’t mention any of this and I do not fit your generalization.
For the record: 1) America was built upon debate, dissent, and truly individual thinking. 2) Loving one’s country is entirely about genuine concern for using freedom to enrich life, the pursuit of happiness. 3) Yes, I’m proud of my country in any land I travel. 4) And regardless if you do not believe so, America does help the world with its financial resources, technological/medical/science innovation, and dedication to individual freedoms.