what so proudly we hailed...

...whose broad stripes and bright stars...
I get emotional when I say the pledge of allegiance to the United States of America or sing the National Anthem.

When I was 20 years old, I boarded an airplane in Houston for the very first time in my life and flew 7941 miles (as the crow flies) to Ad Dammam, Saudia Arabia. Upon my return, I remember commenting to my father how primitive many of the conditions were. There were so many things that I had been taking for granted back at home. My father listened patiently until I finished and he said these words that I have quoted so often since 1976. "To LOVE America - leave it." As soon as you leave the confines of 'these here United States' you realize how good we have it here.

It strikes me that at the base of the Statue of Liberty, inside a brass pedestal, is a quote

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I can truly understand how so many risk their lives to arrive in this country. I remember standing in the North African desert on July 4, 1976. The American history of some 200 years is a brief passage of time compared to some of the cities that have been established for more than twice that number of years. Despite all of our progress, America is a fledgling country and must learn to better manage ourselves.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful season of celebration of 231 years of independence in this country. Freedom is a wonderful thing. If we neglect it, we may soon be victims of our own arrogance. As the smoke drifts through the sky in your evening firework celebrations tomorrow, look for the Stars and Stripes and think of Mr. Francis Scott Key. What a sight must he have seen, and what joy it must have been to know that the virtue of Freedom still continues today, despite attacks on all fronts.

My desire is that you have a Happy 4th of July - and may God Bless America.
- that's my prayer for you -