Happy Independence Day

On the eve of a far more significant July 4 in 1776, George Washington sat in his New York headquarters, preparing to defend Manhattan from the British.  He contemplated what lay ahead as word circulated that the Continental Congress had formally adopted a Declaration of Independence, a momentous step toward establishing a new nation.

Washington took to his diary to consider the gravity of the moment:

“The time is now near at hand,” he wrote, “which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be Freemen or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them.” 

“Our own Country's Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world.” 

“Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.”

In triumph and in tragedy we stand united and defiant in the face of any who would challenge our commitment to our freedom and the future of our country.

Happy Independence Day

UPDATE:  Welcome readers of The Pirate’s Cove.  We thank the Admiral for the linky-love.

When Jesse Ventura And John Wilkes Booth And The Other Founding Fathers Signed The Declaration Of Independence…

May The Grace Of God Continue To Shine On Lovers Of Freedom Everywhere

When you watch the embedded video below, I hope you will enlarge it to appreciate the imagery within.  The back-story, according to Deseret News, is that Grammy-nominated violinist Jenny Oaks Baker chose to collaborate with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a rendition of “Amazing Grace” following a speech by Rice at a BYU Management Society event in April 2012.

The duo recorded the track in July 2013 and a year later, Baker flew to San Francisco to record the video with Rice. Now, two years after the recording process began, the video has been released just as Americans across the country gather in celebration of the country and those who have sacrificed so much for freedom.

The song is currently available as a single through iTunes. According to representatives at Shadow Mountain Records, all proceeds from the sale of the single will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

I must confess I had a lump in my throat watching the beauty and grace of these two women and the truly wonderful gift they have given us on this Independence Day.

That’s What America Means To Me

I’ve been a witness to history just as you have.  America has been the noblest country the world has ever known and nothing the other side says will ever persuade me to change my mind.

The greatest generation liberated Europe in the Second World War, we sent a man to the moon, we led the Industrial Revolution and ten days after the attacks of 9/11 when the nation was so terribly sad, my beloved Atlanta Braves played the New York Mets in Shea Stadium in the first public event after the attacks.  The stadium was still being used as a triage center.

After Marc Anthony sang “The Star Spangled Banner” the rival teams, standing on the first base and third base lines, crossed the diamond to hug each and shake hands. Everyone was rooting for the Mets to win as a symbol of the nation’s resilience.

For game three of the 2001 World Series, President George W. Bush walked ramrod-straight onto the field of Yankee Stadium and threw out the first pitch.  His pitch was a perfect strike.  The crowd erupted into chants of “USA, USA, USA.”

The city of New York had been reduced to rubble, but the crowd swelled with national pride.  If baseball could carry on, then so could we.  Watching President Bush toss that ball gave me a lump in my throat and every, and I mean every time I hear the national anthem I get a lump in my throat.

A “Gibraltar in cleats”, Lou Gehrig, on July 4, 1939 gave his farewell speech to baseball in Yankee Stadium—a place dedicated to the courage of men.  Seventy-six years ago, with tears streaming down his face, Gehrig humbly told 61,808 fans in the bleachers that he had been forced to retire due to ALS.

We are the country that authored the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and we’ve had more than our fair share of heroes. 

This July Fourth I will ignore the people in the beltway with abscessed hearts who try desperately to divide us.  I am going to remember what America means to me.  Come Monday, I will take up the fight again.

On this most American of holidays, I will dwell in a happy place and enjoy the most American of things:  baseball, apple pie and Independence Day.

I wish you all a safe and happy Fourth of July.  God bless America.

Hooray For The Red, White And Blue

Today is America’s 238th birthday.  In my neck of the woods the weather is going to be sunny with low humidity.  Last night we were getting rain from Hurricane Arthur, but this morning the sun came up with the promise of glorious weather to celebrate our independence.

Our fellow countrymen in Murrieta, CA rose up last week to turn away busloads of illegal immigrants that were slated to be dumped there by federal authorities.  It was reminiscent of that day on Manhattan Island when General George Washington and his weary troops marched toward the Battery to oversee the evacuation of Loyalists.  As the Redcoats and their sympathizers rowed out to the ships that would take them away, an American sailor clambered up the flagpole atop Fort George and pulled down the Royal Ensign and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes.  Moments later the wind caught it and the soldiers cheered as the American flag once again flew overhead.

We are a great nation.  The fact that a huge number of Democrats and independents have now come to realize that The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer is the worst president since World War II—a span of 70 years—and the prairie fire of rebellion against the flood of moochers crossing the border illegally is reaching a fevered pitch heartens me.

So Casa de Curmudgeon is plowing ahead with its annual Fourth of July Block Party.  The deck is appropriately decorated for the occasion.  The fireworks were purchased weeks ago and I finally installed outdoor speakers.  My guests will be able to enjoy tunes as I dip into the old jukebox for some summer gold tunes.

I made a run to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for the Hemingway Hamburger.  A guy on the radio was talking about it the other day on my way into work.  I looked up the recipe and I’m pretty jazzed about making them for my guests.  We’ll also enjoy the savory delights of lobster tails and shrimp on the barbie along with all the obligatory accoutrements.  For dessert there will be blueberry and apple pies and homemade peach ice cream hand-churned on my old White Mountain ice cream freezer.

I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and safe Fourth.  God bless America and God bless all three of my faithful readers.

I Hope You Have The Best Fourth Of July Ever

“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 show 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 is patriotism.” ― Erma Bombeck

UPDATE:  I was up early this morning prepping for the Annual Red White and Blue Barbecue and Fourth Of July Block Party.  I took a break and decided to sit down for a few minutes.  I warmed up the old laptop to just browse the innerwebs and saw a tweet from Stephen F. Hayes.  His suggestion was a solid one.

He urged that we celebrate freedom by celebrating those who safeguard it.  I’m here to tell you if you can make it through this video without wiping away tears there’s not a speck of love in your heart for our service members, their families who sacrifice so much for us or a molecule of love for your country.