A traditional observation on the 3rd Sunday of May,
-rarely heard of or talked about these days-
honoring our great land of freedom and her people.
The Founding Fathers
"I've thought and read a lot more about what it means
to be an American since I was given the honor of being nominated
to help lead her in 2008. What I've come to realize is that, as
a country, our true north is the values and principles on which
we were founded-those values that are under attack today.
When times are uncertain-when were worried about
the direction our country is headed in, as we are today-we can
always turn to these fundamental principles.
Truth be told, they're old ideas, not just the notion
that our government should be limited, but also that all
men and women are equal before the law;
that life is sacred, and that God is the source
of our rights, not government.
The wonder of America is that old ideas created a nation
that is always new, always innovating and moving forward.
That is the miracle of America."
-Sarah Palin
Former Governor of Alaska,
From her book, "America By Heart"
(2010)
THE AMERICAN FREEDOM
Matthew Biller
The American land is a land of freedom
Where liberty's bell rings major notes,
Where folks make rules and laws as they need'em
And voice their say from reckless throats
And carry the government under their coats.
There's no sense in driving American people,
They set their pace by the home-town clock;
Their wills are as sharp as the village steeple,
Their wants are precise as the Rector's frock,
Their ways are as stubborn as Plymouth Rock.
American liberties have a flavor
Of tall corn growing, and wheat at prime,
Of wayside stands that have the savor
Of fresh-made hamburgers-two for a dime:
Of buckwheat cakes at breakfast time...
Of pine-capped mountains, and far-flung plains,
And houses built by the hands of neighbors;
Of apples sweet with summer rains,
And cities sprung from the seed of labors:
Of freedom got with muskets and sabers.
The Americans laugh at their schools and teachers,
At the upper class with their social tricks;
They laugh at their presidents, lawyers, and preachers,
At the man who cheers and the man who kicks.
They laugh most of all at their politics.
They go to the polls and cast their ballots
(If they've paid their proper taxes and fees)
They open their town hall meetings with mallets
And conduct them pretty much as they please-
They squabble and joke and take their ease.
There is no predicting an American's future
By the wealth or the people he was born amid;
He might grow up as the county moocher,
Or he might build a bridge on the lowest bid...
He might go to Washington as Lincoln did.
The American men have an independence
That is born of limitless hills and sky;
They make good soldiers and superintendents,
They know how to reach for a goal set high:
They know how to suffer-they know how to die.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia
The American way is slow and steady,
But should anyone doubt our will to be free
The encroacher who comes will find us ready-
Though his power be great- let him try and see
There'll be a rifle back of every tree!
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Katherine Lee Bates
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Purple Mountains Majesty
Norman Engel
O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
From Sea To Shining Sea
Trisha Reilly-Matthews
And you shall know the Truth,
and the Truth will set you free..."
John 8:32
John 8:32
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