July 4th

One of the things our kids wanted to do more than anything when we returned to the States was to go to a July 4th celebration. We were planning on staying here for a little less than a year, so we timed things so that we would be able to get in the 4th of July before heading back overseas. Turns out we stayed, and that made the 4th even more enjoyable.

I'm proud of my country, warts and all. I know there are issues out there, serious ones. But we have procedures in place to correct those issues if we all choose to participate. It's a wonderful, wonderful system, but it is fragile just the same. Our freedom is to be tempered with responsibility and participation, and if any of those carry more weight than the others, it ceases to become a democracy.

I have problems with high profile people, such as actors,actresses and singers, who feel the need to disparage our country TO other countries. I will not buy a Dixie Chicks album, and I will not watch a Sean Penn movie because of this. I don't mind them using their position in our country, because heck, it will either get people involved for their cause or against it. But to go to another country and disparage this nation...well, I can't stomach it, and I think it's the height of ingratitude to do so.

This day takes on a whole new meaning when you celebrate it in another country. I was able to celebrate this day with my family at an American consulate in Thailand one year. It was such a good day, and we spent it with total strangers who had little in common but the country of our birth and celebrating it.

Look. America has it's problems. We can be prideful. We can be ignorant of others in the world. But we are giving. And we do like to help others. We LIKE to be the ones to send aid and support to those in need. In that way, we are a shining example of true charity, and I'm...yes, proud...to be a part of it.

Happy 4th of July all.