American Flags

[swtldy2k]

It was so great to come home from work on Friday night and see all the little American Flags blowing in the breeze. Thank you for making it such a special holiday for all of us!

[rvzfan]

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

HELL YEAH, IM AMERICAN! God bless America!!

[Rocco]

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.
Carl Schurz (1829 - 1906)

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948), "Non-Violence in Peace and War"

[annabanana]

Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights
President John F. Kennedy
The White House
June 11, 1963

I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

...every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case.

We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.

The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.

This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance to develop their talents.

We cannot say to 10 percent of the population that you can't have that right; that your children cannot have the chance to develop whatever talents they have; that the only way that they are going to get their rights is to go into the streets and demonstrate. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.

[annabanana]

Facts of History:

The Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4th, 1776, for the purpose of declaring the independence of the self-proclaimed 'free and independent states.'

It was not officially recognized by Great Britain until September 3rd, 1783, with the Treaty of Paris that ended the War for Independence.

The first official 'national' government was the very loose Articles of Confederation, which was effective from March 1, 1781, to March 3, 1789. There were 10 presidents during this era.

The current republic itself was born upon the ratification of the Constitution by the 9th state (New Hampshire) on June 21, 1788. Of course, the new government did not legally function until March 4, 1789, according to a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States (wings v. Speed, 5 Wheat. 420). However, Congress was not assembled until April 6, 1789, Washington was not inaugurated until April 30, 1789, and the Supreme Court held its first session on February 2, 1790.

More interesting facts can be found here: www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/constitution_q_and_a.html