LINKS OF ALL KINDS AND DIFFERENT PLACES---IF YOU KNOW OF A GOOD SITE THAT NEEDS TO BE HERE PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH THE INFORMATION stolenhorseinfo@aol.com |
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TRIBUTE TO AMERICA |
LINKS OF ALL KINDS AND DIFFERENT PLACES---IF YOU KNOW OF A GOOD SITE THAT NEEDS TO BE HERE PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH THE INFORMATION stolenhorseinfo@aol.com |
Kate Smith- God Bless America |
God Bless America and the Plege of Allegiance- see below |
I was so proud to see my 2-yr. old grandson walking around waving one of my extra car flags in the living room the other day. He had taken it off the table when I went into the kitchen and was waving it high above his head, singing..."God Bwess 'Merica." It brought chills bumps over my arms and tears to my eyes as I returned to the living room to see what he was up to. I immediately starting waving my hands up in the air too, joining in on his song, and praising him on how good he was doing. A few minutes of singing and he headed off to his next adventure. However before he took flight, I spun him in my direction to head him off and asked, "Where did you learn to sing that song?" He quickly replied, "daycare." I am very proud that both of my grandsons learned to sing God Bless America at their daycare. They also recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. Does this make me proud too? Absolutely. We can all learn so much from the innocence of our young children. While our children stand together, with hands over their hearts and recite the words of our Pledge of Allegiance, they do not care who is standing beside them. They don't care what race that person is what class, or what religion. They are all on a mission.together. They are learning what respect, pride, and honor is for the flag that stands for everything this country represents. Children are not born with prejudice toward race or religion. Sit at a park or daycare some day and observe them playing together. They are taught this from us.the adults. We are their idols. We know all. The only time when bitterness among them is present is when someone took the best toy or cut in line at the water fountain. I hope that I will never have to tell my grandchildren that they cannot recite that Pledge of Allegiance anymore. Because they will ask, "But, why not Nannee?" Am I supposed to tell them that we were wrong? That those idols and all-knowing adults, which they look up to for everything, changed their minds? I hope they will never have to be reluctant or ashamed to stand with their little hands over their hearts and recite those words. I hope they will never learn that there was once controversy over the words "One nation under God." I feel blessed to have had a lifetime full of acquaintances from all sorts of backgrounds. It has taught me diversity and respect for others. I was also raised reciting the words to our Pledge of Allegiance in my classroom everyday. I don't recall ever once having heard that it offended anyone. The people of the United States suffered a tremendous blow on September 11, 2001, a day that changed our way of life in this country forever. We lost thousands of lives in an instant that can never be replaced. Right now this country, or this entire world for that matter, is hanging on a delicate thread. Why create controversy and anger to an already anxious situation among our people in this country? Why now? So what is my youngest grandson up to lately? He is fascinated over the American flag. Every time we take a drive in the car that little head pops up in his car seat and he screams, "Look Nannee a fwag!" I have to say, "What kind of flag is that?" He excitedly replies, "merica". The pride glows on his face. We still sing "God Bwess 'merica" and we still recite the "Pwedge of 'wegence" too. Our children. I will say it again; we can learn so much from them. By: CTDawson Agree with CT???? Pass this along to spread the patriotism The following was said to be written by a dentist in Australia. An American "You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American. So I just thought I would write to let them know what an American is, so they would know when they found one. An American is English, French, Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans. An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God. An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each man and woman to the pursuit of happiness. An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. The best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes. Americans welcome the best, but they also welcome the least. The national symbol of America welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the TwinTowers in the morning of September 11, earning a better life for their families. [I've been told that the people in the Towers were from at least 30, and maybe many more, other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.] So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American. So look around you. You may find more Americans in your land than you thought were there. One day they will rise up and overthrow the old, ignorant, tired tyrants that trouble too many lands. Then those lands, too, will join the community of free and prosperous nations. And America will welcome them! Pass this around the World! In Honor of Our 4th of July. Also, here's a short history lesson that you should read: Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary war. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted...We shouldn't. So, take a couple of minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid . . . LET'S ALL REMEMBER THAT FREEDOM IS "NEVER FREE"!!!! |
