My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!
~ Thomas Jefferson
It’s almost ironic that the fireworks scheduled for the Fourth of July, our country’s 237th birthday, have been rescheduled in Covington and Porterdale for this weekend because of the weather. After all, we’ve been under a dark cloud for the past year as our country has been rocked by scandal after scandal.
But despite those scandals and the many scandals of years past that would have torn asunder other countries, we endure. We have a belief system built on determination, hard work and the strongest sense of freedom that ever has existed in the world, anywhere at any time.
There is arrogance in being an American; most of the world will gladly tell you that is so. It is deserved and has been won and preserved by the deaths of thousands of brave men and women, who were willing to sacrifice everything for that arrogance.
Their blood of sacrifice runs strong through this land of ours. The purity of our beliefs, although tempted and challenged by men of ill will, has stayed the course and is proven by the white on our flag. The blue on the flag represents perseverance, as our history has proven over and over again that Americans never give up.
Sometimes it seems like our great Republic is on the brink of a big fall. It will take that fall if on this birthday, we forget the sacrifice that has brought us to this day and time.
We cannot accept that this will happen. America is only as strong as its people.
We believe that its people will sound out a mighty trumpet blast of continued freedom and that America, our homeland, will continue to celebrate its next 237 years of liberty and perseverance.
We wish you the joys of celebrating the benefits of our country’s birthday. We hope you and your family never forget why we enjoy such a celebration.
We also might suggest that on the Fourth, you watch “Capitol Fourth,’’ to air on PBS.
It’s guaranteed to stir your patriotic soul.
