When I woke up this morning, I was aware it was a national holiday across the country for many people, which to some means a chance to avoid a clock alarm or to disable it. Then, I could stroll into the kitchen for a morning protein shake, others of you might select coffee, and check the headlines of several news outlets, including the paper to see what happened overnight.
Our country is not currently in an outright engagement of war with any other country, although we have service personnel dispatched around the world in service of peace seeking and peace keeping endeavors. I have the ability to engage with social media and speak my mind on any topic. I usually keep my opinions on hot-pulse-item subjects off social media, but I am still free to write anything I want without fear of oppression from my government.
Any day of the week I have the freedom to walk into any church I want and pray to a higher power of my choosing with any words of my choice without fear of punishment for being wrong or worse, unlawful. If, heaven forbid, I should be pulled over for what one person says is speeding, and I beg to differ, I have the right to contest the charge in a fair trial if I so choose. If several of my friends and family want to gather on a street corner and hold up signs that protest anything (say the destruction of an historic building that has been standing for 126 years), I have that right and I will not be arrested for protesting (civilly).
The First Amendment to the U.S. constitution, the first of the Bill of Rights is not only the expression of thought freely—it is the right to believe and think the way I want. No one is telling me who or what I can/should/ought to believe. It’s all up to me to decide, without penalty, without rejection, and most importantly, without fear.
In any one of these sentences, it is not my intent to offend any reader, yet if I do, there is no penalty because I have the freedom to express myself, in print or in writing, as my personal opinion.
The cost for all of these freedoms came 247 years ago. We were people who previously were part of the British empire. We were loyal to a monarchy and our forefathers worshiped, for the most part, in a singular religion that was the official religion of the country. Taxation was not part of what we could set, but we did have to follow the rules. Then, many of our ancestors came from other countries run by different rule sets and leaders but, by and large, free will was not part of the theme of one’s life back then. Freedom in general was a nice word in a sentence, but it was not reality for so many for so long.
And then a group of rebels came along and decided to create something brand new, somewhere else, and to leave behind the world they’d known all of their lives to that point. They escaped tyranny, and in general sought to give their families “better” than they’d had thus far in their lives.
The cost was steep. Human lives, hard times, fierce weather, tremendous challenges, and things reduced to words and a few pictures in a history book don’t really portray reality for what the founding fathers, and patriotic, spirited spouses and children experienced. Especially when the sun is out, we hop into our vehicles, safe from the elements, many of us in air-conditioned comfort, and experience a day of rest from our daily jobs.
It’s rare that anyone give thought to the struggles of George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War. The soldiers for the most part didn’t even have blankets, strong coats or even decent shoes to wear, yet they were defending their position against the British, who were camped out in Philadelphia. With the cold weather came deadly strains of flu and typhoid, and there were no modern conveniences of medicines and hospitals. Everything around us today, creature comforts and modern conveniences makes it so easy to forget what brave souls did for us so long, long ago. It’s human nature not to want to conjure up images of sacrifice and pain, or to think of those who gave their lives for generations of people who had not even yet been born.
The American Way. That is a phrase that is used often sometimes correctly, other times not so much. The word to insert in “American” is “freedom” and perhaps that makes it come to life a bit better. Freedom of, freedom to, freedom with.
It is amazing to see where we are in modern day governmental operations among parties of both extremes of thinking. The battles are not fought across the aisles with weapons but the exchange of words as weapons flows so freely that it is sometimes scary to hear the day’s events. Civil behavior has become open to interpretation as day after day we hear phrases offered about colleagues that we would never have thought up, much less said out loud, to our competitors in life and work. Some days I wonder how today’s Continental Congress could have ever mustered an agreement over simple decisions were today’s leaders the ones to make their choices.
That’s probably where the phrase “Those who do not learn from history are destined (or doomed) to repeat it.” I don’t have cause to commit or convict those of one side or another in writing. Instead, I offer one suggestion that can be either considered or disregarded. Today in the Brazos Valley, we have many young people straight from high school who have begun their military service and training to protect our nation in times of war and peace. They’re nowhere near able to grab a hot dog and soft drink and sit back and wait for the water sports today or fireworks displays tonight that the rest of us are planning to enjoy this holiday.
May we say a prayer for each of them, of thanks for their intention of service, of hope for their interest in a military career, of love for the sacrifice of precious young life days spent to learn from older, wiser instructors, and for peace that they may never have to dive into a fox hole for anything other than practice.
If you can text them, call them, Facebook post them, or otherwise communicate with them, let them hear from you. Tell them “thank you for your service” and know it will make a difference to them. When you see an active military duty service person in town, stop and thank them, visit the various memorials, monuments, and grave sites of those who served and be proud of your friends and loved ones.
Most of all, I thank God we live in the United States, and in the Brazos Valley, where everywhere you go, you see red, white and blue all around you. Neighborhoods have flags up and down their esplanades; the Bryan Rotary Club has the Field of Flags at the Veteran’s Cemeteries. You’ll find small U.S. flags on grave sites where generous individuals have made provisions in advance, and when the patriotic music begins tonight, know that we are indeed blessed to say “God Bless America,” we can pledge allegiance to a flag that waves strong and proud, even in sweltering heat, and we as a people stand for the concept of freedom.
One special request: if you are anywhere near where loud fireworks will be set off (even the illegal ones that seem to go off in every neighborhood around, despite numerous pleadings of neighbors for fear of fire exposure), please remember that so many of us have animals, particularly dogs and cats with super-sensitive hearing skills, far beyond human hearing capacities. The fireworks amplify at least five or six times as loudly to them as you are hearing. Please keep your pets inside during all the fireworks and if you can put on the TV or music at a level that can help counter the fireworks, that will bring them comfort. If your pets are inside fenced-in yards, please remember that they will be likely to jump fences because they are highly unsettled. Stay safe this holiday and keep all your loved ones safe as well.
May God continue to bless America and as long as possible and may old Glory wave strong and proud. Thanks to all of our service personnel, active and retired. We know freedom is not free and we thank you for your gifts and sacrifices to keep us from harm. Happy 4th of July to all of you!
Cody D. Jones ‘02
Owner & Community Member
