232 & counting
If recent studies are any indication, America’s current college-aged generation lacks understanding of the very basics of American civics, including the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It couldn’t tell you, without researching it, which of those documents declares that all men are created equal and that we’re granted certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And it’s little wonder. As we celebrate this, America’s 232nd anniversary of independence today, we’ll stuff ourselves with burgers and bratwurst, watermelon and homemade ice cream, waddle down to wherever our town’s folk gather to watch the annual fireworks display (or put on our own display in the back yard), and never give a second thought to what it really means to be guaranteed these certain inalienable rights by the Declaration of Independence, the 56 men who signed it, risking their very neck to King George and the British, or the thousands and thousands of Americans who gave all to either gain or maintain that independence.
In my hometown in Tennessee today, we’ll join hometowns across America in celebrating America’s independence. And, hopefully, we’ll give pause between the burger and the beef brat to pay tribute to what it means to be an American, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and to the sacrifice that went into making this day possible.
“What other country throws out the welcome mat like America?” asks Judge Jamie Cotton, Jr., who has been the judge in my hometown since 1990. “You can move to Russia, and live there all of your life . . . but you will never come to be a Russian,” he writes in an essay about what it means to be American. “You can move to Iran and live there . . . but you will never come to be an Iranian. You can move to North Korea and live there . . . but you will never come to be a North Korean. Yet any person, anywhere, can move to America and come to be an American. That is the magic and wonder of this place we call America.”
“Think about it for a moment. If today, we opened up every border, every checkpoint, every harbor in America, wide open – the whole planet would roll in here like water over Niagara Falls,” he adds. “Each year, we take in millions of people from other countries, from all over the world. Many legally, many not. Most with good intentions, some not. We even allow people who have entered our country illegally to protest and scream out against America, and do so in public places, without fear of arrest or reprisal. Show me another country that allows that.”
Jack E. Lay has been the mayor of my hometown for the past 11 years. His father was killed in World War II. Mayor Lay, like Judge Cotton, knows what it means to be an American.
“We, as Americans, live in the greatest nation in the world. I know that we, as a nation, have stood tall, answered the call, and responded to the cries not only of this nation but other countries who don’t know the freedom and quality of life that we enjoy. What I havewitnessed firsthand throughout my adult life makes me realize how blessed we are as a nation,” Lay says. “We are not perfect. But still, ‘The American Dream’ is alive and available to those who are willing and able to work for it. We all have the opportunity to make that dream come true. I can worship my God in the freedom and peace that others everywhere should enjoy, but are not afforded the “luxury.” I can educate my children in good schools and send them to good universities. I can live in peace with my community and neighbors. I can vote in my local, county, state, and Federal elections. I can make a difference. I love America.”
“I believe that being an American is a principle on which the hopes and dreams of its people are realized,” says Dr. Danny Cross, an optometrist in my hometown, veteran of the Vietnam War, and active civic volunteer. “The dreams that have been realized for me and whatever I am today I owe to the grace of God, who in His sovereignty blessed me to be an American. I am proud to say that I am a Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
These are but a few of those in my hometown that understand, and richly appreciate, what it means to be an American. There is, truly, no other nation on earth like it. And that, if nothing else, is worth celebrating today.
Says Judge Cotton, “My great-grandfather came to America from Ireland, sailing the dangerous voyage across the vast open waters between continents. He fought with Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan Hill. He chose to come to [this] beautiful plaace to raise a family. He built a home and barn with his own hands. He worked hard, tilling the dirt, tethering the hay. He shared with his neighbors. He loved his family. He worshiped and prayed. He did all of these things, and you know – he never had to bow to anyone.
“That is why I love America.”