Fly High and Proud - Happy Birthday America

    


When I was a child this time of year was so exciting . Fourth of July ! This meant family,  BBQ , delicious potato salad , corn on the cob, watermelon,  and a cake  my mom would make decorated like the Flag with sparklers on it and of course home made ice cream . I was always so excited . The best part for me was knowing I was going to see all my cousins who were and are also best friends . We loved each other so much then . The ' grown- ups ' usually got  a little tipsy from their own special  ice chest , ours was marked and filled with any soda you could want covered with ice . Something about that made those sodas taste better than any  have since . I don't think we knew exactly what the Fourth  of July was all about. I thought it had something to do with having appendicitis    , but I never asked . For me  and the rest of us children  it was pure fun and excitement . I miss those days but don't we all . Family , good food , laughing even arguing as families do also just  the feel of being part of something ... like family .

In fourth grade or maybe third  we started studying history. This always remained my favorite subject throughout school .

I learned about the Quakers coming here to be able to have religious freedom . Religious freedoms, this doesn't only apply to Quakers , Christians, Catholics ect. does it ?
What about people who are Pagan , Wiccan, Satanic , Muslim , Jewish all the religions . Don't they have the right of religious freedom too . Doesn't matter whether we condone these religions  it matter's because this country was based on freedom , and I have long been out of school , so if I'm wrong ( I am here and there )  .. please correct me . So even after the colonies were settled Great Britain tried to tell the people what to do , taxes , ect . So they revolted and fought The Revolutionary War. They had some outside help from Hessians and others so they won . They beat the British Army . Then they went about setting up a government for the colonies and the future colonies . They met in a hall in Philadelphia just a few days shy  of around  244 years ago . I'm not good at math but this is my approximate calculation . I wonder what they were thinking and feeling ? Excitement , probably a bit nervous , empowered , happy and many other emotions I'm sure . Among these men were Thomas Jefferson who drew up the constitution for the most part I think , I always admired his doctrine.  John Hancock , first to sign the  Constitution , so that's where the saying came from I'm guessing ' sign you John Hancock right here ' ...  Patrick Henry , who said , " As for me give me liberty or give me death " ..George Washington , who was of course elected first President of the U.S. and all the others who's name appears on this document.

Yet many of these men and men who followed and played a key role in American History were not professed Christians . So why am I thinking the United States was founded upon religion freedom? George Washington never declared himself a Christian  . He also appointed John Murray , a man who professed not to believe in Hell as an Army Chaplain despite criticism  from other Army Clergymen .

Our second president , John Adams was pressured by his father to become a clergymen . He resisted and said " This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it ". Thomas Jefferson , a peacemaker , said " I trust that there is not one young man living in the U.S. who will not die a Unitarian . Ethan Allen , remember him from  Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys- stopped his own wedding when the Judge asked him of he promised to ' live with Fanny Buchanan agreeable to the law's of God '. He would not answer until the Judge agreed that the  God referred to was the God of nature and the laws those written  in ' the great book of nature '.

So where did I get the idea we were founded on religious freedom and persecution . Have I forgotten ? Wasn't that what we were taught?

I know that America is a good country to live in compared to so many others . We do have freedoms , although many are being chipped. Our economy is off the chart. We can get food stamps when we have no way of working , or in many cases , are too lazy to work . There is aid for dependent children who's fathers don't support them -  I applaud former President Clinton for initiating the Welfare Reform Act it has its merits , welfare, but in the end it was abused severely . It is still needed for some though and I don't feel it should be  completely done away with nor free lunch programs. Health care is not the greatest . The primary care doctor  my sister had to choose from a list off her insurance misdiagnosed her lymphoma for an ulcer for months before he referred her to a specialist . And many kids go hungry here too . True ,  we have more resources for help , but this has not eradicated hunger in America . I am all for the concerts that benefit other countries just seems like the United States forgets it's own  in many cases . Go to the deep South , the Appalachians , the slums , ghettos and look at some of these children . Some of their parents may be drug addicts, mentally ill , non educated at all  but should the children suffer for that ? Go to sleep with hunger pains , wake with them . Should they here in America , a country that is good at aiding other countries and causes go hungry? NO!

So that's my view on the Fourth of July and a few other things.

I believe America is going to fall on her face , self inflicted. So what can we do to make America better? And this is my opinion only.

Have a Happy Fourth of July and be safe .Watch out for those fireworks,  I blew a thumbnail off with a black cat firecracker one year...the following year my cousin blew his thumb and forefinger off with one , so I got lucky there . For once.. hah.

Happy 4th and Happy  Birthday America , my home sweet home . Or was that Alabama?


Peace and Love America

Oh, seen Jimmy Hoffa around?



I found some of the info on the founding father's and their beliefs here http://www.dimensonial.com/~randl/founders.htm
and it is interesting ... there is also  a link of the infamous McCarthy hearings when he condemned everyone who dared to think and create as being communists.
Actors, musicians, college professors , gays , straights, Jews, and anyone with a goatee . Very interesting little witch hunt he had going . Many careers  were destroyed due to this garbage.

Author's Note

Just rambling

Reviews

[Jessie Sianodel]

It's just really dumb. All this weight placed on religion and yet a lot of them are so similar. Some religions are yelling at you to not believe stereotypes, yet they scorn other religions based on stereotypes. makes me really distrust the whole institution.

Great history lesson Chloe!

[Iota]

I actually never thought about this, so you have given me something to think about. As I do think I was taught that our nation was build on Christianity and that's why God is in our pledge of allegiance and patriotic songs. Your blog adds to some of my other beliefs on an entirely different subject so I wont speak on it here as it will take me off track. I know the U.S. is not perfect with our freedoms like I know the Pagans were persecuted by the Christians and may of their symbols were taken and made into Christian symbols. Yet I do know that they do have the freedom to practice there beliefs here in this country today. Now I have wondered about our world aid, and why we don't have U.S. Aid and when we try to have it, it is called being a communist. I hear that word more and more these days like back in McCarthy times I wonder when the trials will begin again. I am always worried when someone tries to tear something down by placing a negative label on it, to me that shows they fear it and it makes me want to know why.

Welfare is something I am torn on, I have worked as job readiness instructor for welfare to work programs in Philadelphia, PA and I have seen the attitudes and absolute refusal to become self sufficient. I also learned that this refusal was based in a fear but even with that fear sometimes we have to just stand up and take care of ourselves. Philadelphia tried to kick people off welfare after they had been on it for 5 years but after the five years ended they figured out that they couldn't just kick people off because the people had children so they decided to give the welfare to the children which went to the parents anyway. I don't know what the solution is I know that welfare should not be forever for someone but at the same time I just can't sit back and watch a child starve. Am I being held hostage by my conscious? I just feel there has to be a way to get people to stand up for themselves but all the ways I think of in the end maybe considered barbaric. So I sit back and watch my taxes taking care of people who can work and who should work but they don't work while I have to struggle to make rent, with no aid or help and I go to work five days a week.

Great blog

[Creepy Swine Guy]

You're preaching to the choir young lady. I'm drinking all of the kool aid you're dishing. I think that there are some people who would rather not work, but I might hesitate to use the word "many". I also think that those who would rather think only of self are quick to accuse all of the poor of goldbricking. This gives them the luxury of dismissing feelings of guilt. If they convince themselves that poverty is a choice, then they are not wrong to look the other way. But I tell you I am with you every step of the way on this one.