July 04, 2006
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Fourth! I hope you are grillin' and chillin' with the family, but most of all, while the fireworks are going off, and you are indulging in great food, I hope you will remember what this day means... Memorial Day is a day for fallen heroes, but today we remember everything we've done, and think about what we have to do to continue to thrive as a country.
We seem to struggle so much these days to be proud. September 11, 2001 gets brought up so many times as a defense for everything going on that people put it out of their minds as just an excuse. I can only imagine what it was like for those who lost family or were impacted by the proximity of the events. However, I do know what it did to me. You see, my fiance and I were to be married on September 15. We had dear friends at our home, and when the news struck, airplanes were grounded for obvious reasons. I sat glued to the TV while people went around me doing their own thing. My friend Jenni came up to me and asked me in a concerned voice if I was ok. Yes, I was ok. I probably wasn't, but I didn't know what to say. My fiance came to me and asked if we should cancel the wedding. I didn't know. Other than my friends that had arrived early, only my parents were flying in for the wedding. I had a couple of important family members in the area, and my friends from work would be there. I just didn't know. She looked at me, and said that the people that did this wanted us to change our plans and behaviors. We weren't going to do that. We were going to go through with this because it was what we planned. No one else could change that. I don't think I loved my young bride more than at that moment. It tied for when I saw her give birth to our daughter...
My parents couldn't make it to the wedding. They heard the whole thing on the phone carried by the minister. It was the day of our wedding that I got confirmation that our flights would go as scheduled for our honeymoon. She was very excited when she heard the news (third party, of course, I couldn't see her because it would jink the marriage...) Our trip was covered with security. People with guns walked around the airports that we visited. We had to evacuate LAX because someone left a suitcase unattended. It was practically a Police State.
I only tell this story to say that I've been affected by the conflicts that we see in the world today. Yes, it's been a several years, but I have a gifted memory. I don't forget this when I read the news these days. I know people are conflicted about what we are doing. Speak out. Voice your opinions. You have that ability because of this day. In fact, you have that ability not just because of this day back in 1776, but even more so because of a day that happened after that. We are a country built on revolution. We have the power to speak our minds without retribution. That right was not common in the world before we came to be. My knowledge of history is very small, and I only know of a few countries that are in existence due to rebellion that have worked. My friend Sergiu didn't get his doctorate until after the dictator was thrown out in Romania. The dictator's wife didn't want Ph.D.s (she was one), and kept a cap on the number awarded. His family moved here well after this all happened, and his eldest son just graduated with his Masters from Columbia University (congratulations! Annie's namesake also graduated from there!) His family's story is a great American success story.
My friend Noe would be upset with me calling us 'Americans". But he, too, has a wonderful story. I'd like to write it someday. He and his sister fled El Salvador years ago. His sister was targeted for execution because of her vocal disagreement with the El Salvadorian politics. Their dad was a senator, and this kind of influence apparently needed to stop. Noe picked flowers for a living when he arrived, and rode a bike 10 miles each way to learn English. I know him because he is now an engineer at Sun. His sister has a thriving business of her own, and his parents have retired in California. They didn't take anything from other Americans. They worked, and now provide working opportunities for other Americans. I am so proud to know their family. They are wonderful people.
Military conflict continues to be more and more difficult, as it should be. Continue to raise your voices. Print those bumper stickers. Just don't forget that we live in a great country that allows us to do that. My dad was in the Marines, and received his discharge shortly before Vietnam. I have an uncle that went to Vietnam, and an ex-uncle-in-law that went, and I don't think has yet recovered from what he saw. When I was young, I planned on going into the service. I thought it was what I was supposed to do. I felt guilty for not doing it until my sophopmore year of college. I was working at a pharmacy. Every day the lead recuiter from the Army came in to buy a soda or something. We talked all the time, and one time I told him that I was going to quit school, come down to see him and enlist. He laughed, and told me he wouldn't let me. "The best thing you can do for your country is to keep doing what you're doing." Thank you, sir. I salute you with complete respect as a civilian. Thank you for this confirmation.
Keep up the fight. Don't give up. Also, don't assign it to one person or philosophy. I no longer speak to a dear friend because when her party lost the last election she felt she couldn't talk to me anymore... I'm a republican. And, yes, Meera, you can continue to chastise me for being such. I love it. We are all allowed to have our choices. Thank God for America...
Oh, if you want to investigate our real rebellion, do your own search and look at the Articles of Confederation and what happened after that. Sometimes it only takes a few people to make a long-lasting difference in the world...
Proud American....
We seem to struggle so much these days to be proud. September 11, 2001 gets brought up so many times as a defense for everything going on that people put it out of their minds as just an excuse. I can only imagine what it was like for those who lost family or were impacted by the proximity of the events. However, I do know what it did to me. You see, my fiance and I were to be married on September 15. We had dear friends at our home, and when the news struck, airplanes were grounded for obvious reasons. I sat glued to the TV while people went around me doing their own thing. My friend Jenni came up to me and asked me in a concerned voice if I was ok. Yes, I was ok. I probably wasn't, but I didn't know what to say. My fiance came to me and asked if we should cancel the wedding. I didn't know. Other than my friends that had arrived early, only my parents were flying in for the wedding. I had a couple of important family members in the area, and my friends from work would be there. I just didn't know. She looked at me, and said that the people that did this wanted us to change our plans and behaviors. We weren't going to do that. We were going to go through with this because it was what we planned. No one else could change that. I don't think I loved my young bride more than at that moment. It tied for when I saw her give birth to our daughter...
My parents couldn't make it to the wedding. They heard the whole thing on the phone carried by the minister. It was the day of our wedding that I got confirmation that our flights would go as scheduled for our honeymoon. She was very excited when she heard the news (third party, of course, I couldn't see her because it would jink the marriage...) Our trip was covered with security. People with guns walked around the airports that we visited. We had to evacuate LAX because someone left a suitcase unattended. It was practically a Police State.
I only tell this story to say that I've been affected by the conflicts that we see in the world today. Yes, it's been a several years, but I have a gifted memory. I don't forget this when I read the news these days. I know people are conflicted about what we are doing. Speak out. Voice your opinions. You have that ability because of this day. In fact, you have that ability not just because of this day back in 1776, but even more so because of a day that happened after that. We are a country built on revolution. We have the power to speak our minds without retribution. That right was not common in the world before we came to be. My knowledge of history is very small, and I only know of a few countries that are in existence due to rebellion that have worked. My friend Sergiu didn't get his doctorate until after the dictator was thrown out in Romania. The dictator's wife didn't want Ph.D.s (she was one), and kept a cap on the number awarded. His family moved here well after this all happened, and his eldest son just graduated with his Masters from Columbia University (congratulations! Annie's namesake also graduated from there!) His family's story is a great American success story.
My friend Noe would be upset with me calling us 'Americans". But he, too, has a wonderful story. I'd like to write it someday. He and his sister fled El Salvador years ago. His sister was targeted for execution because of her vocal disagreement with the El Salvadorian politics. Their dad was a senator, and this kind of influence apparently needed to stop. Noe picked flowers for a living when he arrived, and rode a bike 10 miles each way to learn English. I know him because he is now an engineer at Sun. His sister has a thriving business of her own, and his parents have retired in California. They didn't take anything from other Americans. They worked, and now provide working opportunities for other Americans. I am so proud to know their family. They are wonderful people.
Military conflict continues to be more and more difficult, as it should be. Continue to raise your voices. Print those bumper stickers. Just don't forget that we live in a great country that allows us to do that. My dad was in the Marines, and received his discharge shortly before Vietnam. I have an uncle that went to Vietnam, and an ex-uncle-in-law that went, and I don't think has yet recovered from what he saw. When I was young, I planned on going into the service. I thought it was what I was supposed to do. I felt guilty for not doing it until my sophopmore year of college. I was working at a pharmacy. Every day the lead recuiter from the Army came in to buy a soda or something. We talked all the time, and one time I told him that I was going to quit school, come down to see him and enlist. He laughed, and told me he wouldn't let me. "The best thing you can do for your country is to keep doing what you're doing." Thank you, sir. I salute you with complete respect as a civilian. Thank you for this confirmation.
Keep up the fight. Don't give up. Also, don't assign it to one person or philosophy. I no longer speak to a dear friend because when her party lost the last election she felt she couldn't talk to me anymore... I'm a republican. And, yes, Meera, you can continue to chastise me for being such. I love it. We are all allowed to have our choices. Thank God for America...
Oh, if you want to investigate our real rebellion, do your own search and look at the Articles of Confederation and what happened after that. Sometimes it only takes a few people to make a long-lasting difference in the world...
Proud American....