Friday, July 4, 2008

4th of July

In the spirit of understatement, we live in a great country. We have a lot of freedoms that others only dream about. Is there any wonder why so many folks from other countries want to come here? Most do it legally. They contribute to our society, and make this country a better place. Then there are those that come illegally. But, they come. On the eve of my 35th anniversary celebration of my trip to Europe, I wanted to impart some wisdom that I learned in relation to this day. Before we left to go to Europe, they told us to keep our passports close to us, because people would try and steal them. That was some very good advice. I had a jacket with me that I could keep my passport close in the lining. Someone would have to rip my jacket off to get to it. In many countries, the folks welcomed Americans, mainly because of their money. In some areas, the folks were a little standoffish to Americans. Perhaps they forgot that we liberated them in World War II, but I am not going to name names. Although I will tell more in the coming days, the general feel after three weeks away was how glad we were to be home. We missed family and friends, but we also realized how good we had it here. While you are drinking and eating today, and then drinking some more, and then maybe eating a bit more, and then watching the fireworks tonight, just think for a second how your country made it to this point. Despite all of our faults, we are still here. Thanks to Tom, Ben, John, George, Betsy, Paul, and all of the rest who got us here. And thank God.

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