July 2019 Articles

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Just Rambling July 2019:

Just Rambling: I want to start my “Just Rambling” by wishing each of you a happy Independence Day or 4th of July. Do we take this holiday for granted or so many times don’t even think about what it means? I try not to because this holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We declared our dependence from the British Empire. I wonder how many of our young adults even know this or care to know this. When President Trump recently announced his run for 2020 in Orlando, Florida there were thousands there cheering him on. Apparently there were protestors on the other side of the bridge from President Trump who were protesting who knows what—just to protest I guess. They interviewed a young Caucasian lady to ask her about Trump’s catch phase, “Keep America Great”. Her reply was that “America has never been great”. When I hear this type of response I want to say, If America is not great or has never been great, then why are you still here. If I were you I would leave America and go to live in that great country. Good Luck young lady and others of the same mind set. We have more and more of these individuals that condemn or criticizes our nation. I think it all boils down to the fact that they haven’t been taught to work or they just don’t want to work. They want everything given to them as proposed by several candidates running in the 2020 elections. This nation was built on hard work by its population and sacrifices of its men and women in wars before and after our Independence in 1776. I can’t think of a better nation to live in than the United States of America. We should be ever thankful to our Founding Fathers and to the men and women who have preserved this nation and the freedoms we enjoy. In today’s times we have many people in America that disregard our “Pledge of Alliance”, our National Anthem—”Star Spangled Banner”, “God Bless America” and other patriotic songs. Why? I don’t know but we should all remain respectful of our nation and its flag. I recall a story Red Skelton told on his television show concerning the Pledge of Allegiance & his teacher, Mr. Laswell. The story goes like this: Mr. Laswell told his class the following, “I’ve been listening to you boys & girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester & it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it & try to explain to you the meaning of each word.” I - me an individual, a committee of one. Pledge - dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity. Allegiance - my love & my devotion. To the Flag - individual communities that have united into 48 great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride & dignity & purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love for country. And to the Republic - a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people. For which it stands, one nation - one nation, meaning “so blessed by God” Indivisible - incapable of being divided. With Liberty - which is freedom - the right of power to live one’s own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation. And Justice - the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others. For All - which means, boys & girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine. Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country & two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance. Under God - Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that it is a prayer & it would be eliminated from schools too? God Bless America! Red Skelton.
May God continue to bless our nation and may our nation’s population turn back to God’s principals on which our nation was founded upon. Van Bennett
About the Front Cover: Another photo by my daughter, Velvet, of one of her horses, “Holly” and the Stars and Stripes of America July Scripture to Live By:
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.