247 Years of Freedom and Counting

Still the Greatest Nation on Earth

As we Americans prepare to celebrate another anniversary of our “Declaration of Independence” in 1776, the contents are most likely the furthest thing from our minds. The family outings, fireworks displays and other recreational activities we will take part in have become, at least to most Americans, what this holiday has come to represent. And perhaps that in itself is the greatest testimony about this awesome country.

It’s now been well over seventy years since the end of World War II, and perhaps the last time American men and women perceived the sacrifices they had just endured really made a difference in the preservation of our way of life. Few remain alive today who can recall the moving of our country’s Declaration of Independence from its shrine, for safe keeping following the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

It was placed between two acid-free sheets of Manila paper. The documents were then carefully wrapped in a container of all-rag neutral millboard and placed in a specially designed bronze container. It was transported, under heavy guard, to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for safekeeping throughout the war. Until 9/11, I just wonder how many of my generation, or later, had ever considered that any of our national treasures could be threatened, much less that our way of life could be altered or changed in a permanent way.

Be Safe Out there & Have Fun

If, on this Fourth of July, I lived in northern California, I would insist my family board a boat to view the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge. I would hope the bridge had remained as it was in 1967, when I passed beneath it aboard the U.S.S. Gordon, a troop carrier, in-route to Vietnam. I still recall my surprise at the gun installations which remained from World War II, when for a time following the attack on Pearl Harbor an invasion of our shores was not out of the question. 

This American boy had never even dreamed that our fathers and grandfathers must have had thoughts of defending our nation right here in the U.S. of A. If I could, I would make sure all of our families understood the price which has been paid for our very way of life. There’s just more to this holiday than a cold beer and a dip in the lake.

The “Fab-Five” of our ancestors was called the “Committee of Five.” Some pretty heavy hitters….John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Their charge was to write the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson wrote it for the most part, Franklin tinkered with it, and John Hancock, the President of the Congress, was the first to sign it. The rest, as they say, is history.

In this day in time, when we are constantly bombarded with criticism of our country from the left and the right, perhaps a look at our roots might be in order. If that famous Committee of Five was to check in with us today, I would suggest to you they would be amused. I doubt our struggles with the economy, the deficit, terrorism and wars in other distant locations would hold a candle to forming a new nation. A task which included taking on the most powerful nation in the world. They succeeded in spite of insurmountable odds that few gave them a chance of overcoming.

The 'Ol Pub

On this Fourth of July, as the jets come screaming over Duck Creek and we celebrate the anniversary of what has become the greatest country in the world; let’s not forget to ponder how it all came to be and the price which was paid. The Fab-Five dealt with consequences worse than losing an election and the cushy way of life of today’s politicos.

As the fireworks fill the sky over Grand Lake with a spectacular sight, on this special holiday weekend, let’s all give thanks for this great nation, founded by great people, who entrusted its care to future generations……just like us! Have a safe and happy holiday.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!