Greetings from My Mountain Cabin,
Immediately before and during the armed conflict known as the American Revolution, combatants were not Americans—the forces under General George Washington's command—our forebears—were British subjects! They risked their worldly possessions and even their own lives to secure a free and independent new land.
As fomenters of patriotic resistance throughout history can attest, standing up to one's government can be a daunting task. For some, the ultimate consequence has been loss of possessions and even their own lives.
✶ Five were rounded up by the British army and horribly tortured before they died in captivity.
✶ The homes of 12 were looted and razed.
✶ Nine of the signers died during the war or later due to combat wounds.
✶ Others died in poverty, having dedicated themselves to a cause more important than their own financial security.
These were not a group of testosterone-inflamed adolescents; they were educated men of means and civility who put principle ahead of personal well-being. What bravery it must have taken to boldly adopt a no-retreat stance against oppression instituted by their own government!
On this Independence Day, I invite you to pause in recognition of the sacrifices made by Americans since the birth of our nation that have allowed me the privilege of typing these words and you reading them.
A couple of weeks ago, Annette and I were in Vancouver, BC, when the third game of the Stanley Cup hockey championship was being played in Boston. We were having dinner in a sports bar at the hotel when the game began. There were actually ten television sets receiving the game—visible evidence of the fervor with which Vancouver fans embrace their Canucks.
During the opening ceremony, the rink announcer sang Oh Canada, followed by The Star Spangled Banner. As our national anthem was being played, I quietly rose from my seat and stood at military attention, with my hands at my sides. (I do not place my hand over my heart when The Star Spangled Banner is played because I feel I have earned the right to pay respect in my own way—standing at attention is a tribute humbly tendered in the manner of Sailor who once wore the uniform.) Annette stood next to me.
Likely the only Americans in the restaurant, it soon became obvious to us that we were unintentionally attracting attention. One gentleman at the table next to ours was heard to say, "Awesome . . ." The group sitting at the table to our left softly applauded when Annette and I sat down after the anthem was finished.
I find it difficult to sing along with the Star Spangled Banner because of a deep-seated emotion regarding America and its heritage. No doubt some of my feelings are wrapped up in misgivings about the sacrifice of our young men and women during armed conflict. But I can . . . I must . . . honor the legacy of those who have gone before me. I do so by standing up for my country.
Again seated at the table, Annette whispered to me, "Y'know . . . if your son Carl were here, he would have been standing right next to you." I guess acorns don't fall very far from the tree.
http://www.kesgen.com/fyi/BaxterBlack.wmv
Despite that which is depicted each evening on the national and local news, there is far more right with this country than there is wrong. And nothing that is wrong with America cannot be fixed by that which is right!
✶ "The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation." ~Woodrow Wilson
✶ "You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers who file by the White House in a display of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it's called Patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck
Happy Birthday, America,
Ed
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