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America the beautiful, indeed

Happy 4th of July everyone. Why don't we celebrate our country today instead of berating one another over our differences? The things that unite us are far more important.

Thank you for reminding all of us what this day is all about. Our country has such a unique history. One that we need to make sure our children learn. They need to know where the freedoms they now enjoy came from. They need to be taught that there is a price that has been paid and continues to be paid all over the world by brave men and women who are seeking to allow others the rights, privileges, and opportunities we some times take for granted. We need to seek to come together as citizens of this great land and not be divided by party or ideology. After all, we are first and foremost Americans. So salute the flag. Thank a soldier. Remember where we came from. Pray for where we are going. May God continue to bless America. Let Freedom Ring!

Welfare. Hiring quotas. "Earned" income tax credits?

Sure the easy life is great!

Let us all, indeed, celebrate what made us great and then let us get it back. We very much resemble in many ways a European liberal democracy today, something essentially different from a constitutional democratic republic.

We have not lost it all yet and there is always hope, if combined with thoughtful action and political, non-partisan, efforts.

Des News, Do you really believe?

"Take the ongoing wars in the Middle East. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has labored to help both countries establish free governments that recognize human rights. This was not done to colonize either country. It was done to further the interest of freedom."

The war in the Middle East American was first presented in "The Project for the New American Century". Global American leadership, nation building, and controlling the major oil fields was the goal. Check out their web site to verify this.

The GOP and their crony’s deliberately created the Middle East crisis and thought they could quickly and easily take control.

Look at the cost in lives and finances it has cost not only the US but also the rest of the world.

Thank Goodness, Bush, Cheney and Rove are no longer in political office.

I think the sobering fact is that you cannot export the American Revolution, but you can inspire others to seek it for themselves.

All successful revolutions for gaining free government have either had a tradition of free intitutions to be restored and/or improved, or involved a gradual development within a nation.

Even Japan, which might be held as an exception, had an internal movement towards Western institutions and culture long before the Pacific War, and the subsequent long-term occupation and an enforced, prolonged demilitarization.

Freedom is not Free, and all persons desiring it will give their all to support an action to help others gain it.

What makes the USA beautiful? You say ask us to ask a naturalized citizen. I agree; for the most part they have come to a land with better living conditions than the one they left, they have chosen to come here.

But is that all that we have? You speak of our “freedoms.” I assert that it is not our freedoms that have made this a beautiful land, but the recognition that our rights are given to us by GOD and not granted or rewarded by government/other people.

One may ask, why then are those who were born to such greatness so cynical; I say it is because we, as a people, have become so pathetic that we have sold our birthright for a bowl of pottage, so to speak.

Now we must ask our elite “leaders” for permission to practice our basic rights as specifically delineated in the Bill of Rights in our Constitution.

Today I must get a permit to “peacefully assemble” in public. I must apply and be approved to own a firearm. My church must “qualify” for recognition as such to operate as a church and even then it may be pursuit by the “law” (remember the Waco TX and the FLDS’s children and funds?). My property my be sold for me by the municipality if a buyer promises better tax revenue than I provide. No knock warrants, the unwarranted reading of e-mails (my papers). And the list goes on…

Can we not on this birthday of our country think of the good things about America, instead of the bad? Do we have problems? Absolutely! Are they insurmountable? Absolutely NOT! Recognize the good and seek to make that which is wrong, right. Happy Independence Day!

On what day can we "recognize that which is wrong"? Any day but July 4th?

Good. Since it is the day AFTER the 4th now, perhaps I can suggest that it is a very high priority, to do this very thing. Until you recognize personal and national faults reform can never begin either individually or as a nation.

This quote of yours, "We do not insert ourselves in the struggles of other nations to gain power or extend our reach. Instead, we seek to aid peace-seeking people who desire democratic governments and individual liberties" is incorrect.

Yeah, that's why we've helped aided coups to overthrow democratically elected regimes in Iran, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, etc. so we could exploit their resources and cheap labor. There is much more going on than you realize, most of which, is less than benign. We are an imperial power. How do you think we can get away with using 60% of the world's resources with only 6% of its population?

Recognizing the good in our country does not mean ignoring those things which need to change. It simply means that while there is a great deal that needs to change, there is also a great deal that is great and wonderful about this country. One can fight for change and betterment without being cynical. In many ways, a cynical view brings more harm than good.
Yes, we need to recognize that our country and its leaders are not perfect - on either side of the aisle. But change is more likely to happen if we are seeking to right wrongs in a civilized manner. We may disagree on the methods to cure the country's ills, but we are on the same side. We all want a free, compassionate, dare I say, righteous country. However, we have to be that way ourselves before we can change our surroundings. Before completely dismissing America as a greedy, war-mongering, imperial power, take just a minute and think of the positves - and there are positives about our country. Then, from the vantage point of building on what is good, go forth and help to change the bad. We are still a wonderful country.

We have freedom of speech. Even though it is being stridently challenged, we have outlets for our views.

We have good roads on the whole.

We have a fairly good postal system.

We have freedom of religion outside of public areas.

We have a uniform system of weights and measures (almost; they use some metric)

We have freedom to travel within the country.

We usually have jury trials.

The coast guard is doing a fair job protecting our seaports - as long as we oppose outsourcing this to Saudi Arabia! That was attempted, if you recall.

Some of these benefits are not unique to this land, however. Honestly.