Proud to be an American

Well, how was everyone's Fourth-Fifth of July? Mine was grand! I got to go and wake up the city of Layton with a rousing "To the Colors" for the flag raising ceremony on Monday. It was pretty cool. Several retired military people came to me afterwards and said how much they appreciated having the bugle call when the flag was being raised. After the flag raising, we listened to a series of patriotic songs performed by elementary school students. My neighbor across the street has been in charge of the Fourth of July flag raising ceremony and she has always put together a very nice patriotic program. After the music, we listened to Rep. Marty Stevenson speak about what it means to be patriotic and what we need to do to maintain our freedoms. What really stood out to me and that I remember having a strong opinion about was the fact that we have to keep an eye on our elected leaders and not stand idly by when things need changing. We need to become involved in the political process. I don't particularly like politics (especially this blasted partisan noise we hear all the time), but I do think that if we are to maintain our freedoms that we need to become aware of the issues and do something when freedoms are not maintained. Hey, if that takes getting arrested to get something changed, then so be it. That's the great thing about this country. If something is not the way we want it, we can change it. This country was founded on the premise of social disobedience. I am not saying that just because you want the speed limits changed to 200 mph on the freeways, that you should drive like that and get arrested for it. Some things are in place for safety reasons and they are common sense. However, there might be other things that the government has in place that may very well impose on your rights and if you want it changed, do something about it.

Something else that is important for us to do is to pray for our elected leaders so that they may have the proper guidance in making the decisions that will lead to freedom and peace. I'm not trying to impose any religious beliefs on anyone in saying this, but we really need to support them and assist them in whatever way we can. We don't have to politically agree with them, but they are our leaders and they need our help. The problem with the political scene today is all the backstabbing and airing of dirty laundry. That, for me, at least, does not win my vote. I don't want to know how much dirt a candidate can muster about another candidate. I want to know what kind of leader he or she will be. Backstabbing is not leadership. Anyhow, I think I have rambled on long enough. In this time of patriotism, be sure to think of your own role as citizens to maintain freedom. We live in a great nation. It's not perfect, but I challenge you to find a better land anywhere in the world. Find another land as rich with opportunities as this great land of the United States of America.