Happy Fourth Of July To All!

[HARDCORE]

?You ladies and gentlemen, and millions more (living and departed) are what this holiday is all about!!?

And remember - ?Take it easy on that ?FIFTH?, on the ?FOURTH? so that you?ll all be around on the ?SIXTH!!!!?

VERITAS

[thedrifter]

All have A Safe One........


Article ran : 07/04/2003
Standing watch over our liberties

As we gather to celebrate the July 4 holiday, we hope most Americans understand this day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which led to the birth of this free nation.

Unfortunately, it's likely that few would know this document spelled out specific grievances of government intrusion and eloquently summarized the precepts of liberty and limited government.

At a time when the world is changing in so many ways, it's important to step back and find assurance in the time-honored principles that have been the bedrock of America's greatness and ask how this document of independence in all its fullness would be interpreted today.

We were founded upon and have been sustained through the understanding that liberty is at the heart of the American experience - that this nation would put into practice the belief that freedom is a gift from the Creator and that proper stewardship of the free life carries with it responsibility in how we lead our lives and serve one another.

As the signers of the Declaration of Independence understood, freedom was not without sacrifice. Some were captured by British troops as traitors, others lost homes, property and sons in the fight for independence, and many endured hardship, physical and financial, simply by standing firm for the cause of freedom.

Consider the opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence and discover the message that is as fresh today as it was 227 years ago - that freedom cannot be taken for granted.

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ?"

In his farewell address to the nation in 1989, President Reagan said, "I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts."

We must not lose sight that more government means less freedom. Otherwise, we enter a slippery slope on which the roles of the governed and the government as envisioned by the Declaration are easily reversed and government authority is manipulated to contain our freedoms rather than defend and expand these unalienable rights.

As we celebrate this holiday with cookouts and fireworks, may we also appreciate the blessings of liberty and the vigilance required to maintain it.


Sempers,

Roger

[SEATJERKER]

...spent the morning over at the Va. here in Albany...

...Had a 4th of July picnic for the patients of the hospital, wheeled as many that could make it down to the pavillion area, and served up hot dogs, and burgers, lots of fruit, and ice cream for everyone, I brought my dog along to visit, and he was the hit of the show for many that haven't had their face licked in a long time...

...DAV, NOTR, VFW, AMVETS, Cooties,and others, lots of people there that took this one day, and made it special for the ones that are hospital bound, although it only lasted two hours, there were hats, and flags, and live music, and popcorn, and festivities...

...we visited with those that could not come down, and EVERY Brother, and Sister in the hospital was visited by one, or more volenteers with gifts, and hugs, and smiles letting them know that they are not forgotten members of this Nation past...

...Today might not seem like much to the general public other then to drink, and party as much as possible, but the faces of those seen today reflect the true meaning of Independence day, Their one day was sunny, and hot, but the heat didn't matter, what mattered was that they were remembered, and they sat a little taller, and berated the other services still on who was better, comments such as "not enough Army guys around, and / or jousting between Jarheads, and squids over just about anything...

...The day was full of smiles for they know that their service to their Country does mean something, It means that the rest of this Nation can still today rest on the laurels of the sacrifices of those way back when, and the future generations will prosper forever bearing their badge of courage...

...Happy 4th.....................

[HARDCORE]

Roger

Beautiful piece, it should be made mandatory reading for all including those in government.
____________________________________

SEATJERKER

It sounds like you guys made it a memorable for a bunch of young, old, and future vets whom might have otherwise have been alone on this magnificent day!

If we all did just a little bit, all those little bits would add up to a phenomenal echo, and that in turn might even bring a smile to the faces of our Founding Fathers, whom I suspect are still looking down upon us to this very day!!!

VERTIAS

[SEATJERKER]

...follow up to yesterday's event as per the local rag.


Vets reflect spirit of 4th of July
Albany -- Patients enjoy more than burgers during a picnic at VA hospital

By DANIELLE T. FURFARO, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, July 5, 2003

In between bites of his hamburger, Don Barber sang along with the music blaring out of the speakers at the end of the pavilion.

Don Barber, left, of East Berne laughs with Karen Haas during a picnic at the Stratton VA Hospital in Albany on Friday.


"Cause the flag still stands for freedom/ And they can't take that away/ And I'm proud to be an American/ Where at least I know I'm free," he warbled the words to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."

Barber has plenty of reason to be proud. The 76-year-old, who has suffered four strokes in the past 15 years and spends part of every week at the hospital, was an engineer in the Army in the years after World War II.

Now he wants to make sure that everyone else knows the meaning of Independence Day.

"It's a feeling that all Americans should have," said Barber. "That's why we need to celebrate; for the people who don't get just how great independence is. People think they can go to other parts of the world on vacation and it will be just like America. They are in for a shock."

For the veterans living at the Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospital on New Scotland Avenue, Friday's celebration was more than just another activity. The Independence Day picnic was a chance to honor each other and remember the sacrifices they made for their country.

Each July 4, the hospital puts on the picnic for veterans who live at the hospital or have no family nearby.

"We want to make sure that being hospitalized doesn't mean that the veterans don't get to enjoy the holiday." said Karen Haas, organizer of the annual event that has been a tradition for more than 50 years. "No one should be alone on Independence Day. It should be a time for rejoicing."

In all, said Haas, approximately 200 veterans attended the event. Approximately 200 volunteers were on hand to help prepare and serve food and escort frail patients.

Nelson Brott, 81, who also lives at the hospital, got teary-eyed as he recalled his days as an Army Air Corps gunner in World War II.

Shot down over enemy-occupied France, Brott and his fellow crewmen had to bail out of their plane at 20,000 feet. They spent the next six weeks hiding out the woods before being liberated by Gen. George Patton's 3rd Army.

"We slept in a lean-to on the ground," said Brott, who is now almost legally blind and walks with a cane. "We set out snares for rabbits, and drained the pond to get carp. And we dug potatoes. For six weeks, we ate nothing but rabbit, carp and potatoes."

Brott said it makes him angry when he hears people not taking the Fourth of July seriously.

"When I think of the Fourth of July, I think of freedom and life and light," said Brott. "But people take it for granted."

..."with care"............

[HARDCORE]

Thanks Seatjerker - Great Piece!

VERITAS

[nang]

Seatjerker,
Good job . Makes me feel totally inadequate. I REALLY need to get out more and do more for others. Thanks for reminding us.