One of My Favorite Characters Is Often Heard To say: "Everyone Counts, or No One Counts."

That's pretty much the sentiment that this country was founded upon. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Sad then, that these words, written 163 years ago, are still true for a large swath of our own citizens.

For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and cyphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian’s God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!

Join me, please, in trying to move our country closer to those ideals espoused in our Constitution.
 

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Happy Independence Day!

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Author: Emma Lazarus

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

- Declaration of Independence

 

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 

- Preamble to the United States Constitution

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

- Amendment IV, the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights

 

Hey, LOOK . . . . . . . a Flag!

With all the fighting about the 1st amendment (freedom of religion, speech, & press) and the 2nd amendment (right to bear arms),

We seem to have forgotten about the 4th amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

We also might want to remember the 9th amendment:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

And the 10th amendment:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

9 & 10 kind of go together.


In fact, most of what I see in the news today makes me think that we need to go back and read what our Constitution actually says,  especially our politicians.

Many patriotic people would be surprised.


If anyone is interested, here are links to: 

the DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE,
the CONSTITUTION,
the BILL of RIGHTS (that's Amendments 1-10),
and AMENDMENTS 11-27.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 

- U.S. CONSTITUTION, Bill of Rights, Amendment IX.

FOR THOSE WHO ORIGINALLY BROUGHT US THIS DAY

 

AND THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO FIGHT, SUFFER, AND DIE,

SO WE DON'T HAVE TO, 

THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO REREAD YOUR CONSTITUTION. 

KNOW THE RIGHTS THEY ARE FIGHTING FOR.

(just click the links to go to the documents in question) 
(also, a link to Founding Fathers info HERE)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL

Lately, I feel a great deal of sadness and anger as I watch good people turn their backs on compassion and mercy, and count their fellow humans as having less value than the dirt beneath their feet. This phenomenon has crossed all barriers; age, class, politics, economics.

Times are frightening and uncertain for most of us, citizens of what our founding fathers called "The Great Experiment."  And like starving dogs, people are ready to trample the homeless, poor, uninsured, sick, different, at the mere thought that these people might take something from them. And this is the time of year dedicated to peace, love, and charity.

The past few years have been hard for my family. We have, and continue to, deal with many trials. But so, so many are suffering much worse than we are right now. Shelters, Soup kitchens, pantrys, and charities of all kinds are finding themselves unable to meet the need. People who work hard are finding themselves in a place they never thought they'd be.

The hole that was dug the past few years is deep, and it will take many more before we have recovered. So what do we do in the mean time? Remember the starving, homeless people who came to this country over 200 years ago. Without the kindness of strangers they might surely have faced a different kind of fate.

There are really many options. In my side bar are two charities which directly benefit Victims of domestic violence, and Needy classrooms, respectively.

And listed below are some links for volunteering locally. This is also a way to help our kids learn valuable skills they will need to be good citizens when they grow up. It is also a way to show them the real spirit of thanksgiving.

And to those who would incite hatred and acrimony. Remember, we declared our independence by proclaiming that ALL are equal. And in our Constitution, if WE does not stand for ALL it stands for NONE.

LINKS:
inforUm
A Nationwide Dialogue About Housing, Poverty, and Homelessness.

VolunteerMatch
Where volunteering begins

Habitat For Humanity
Connect with Habitat in your community

Helpindisaster.org
Register to volunteer in disaster recovery

GREEN IS A GOOD COLOR

In Foundation, Issac Asimov said (as Salvor Hardin) "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

Our world seems to be awash in incompetence these days.

Political discussions are so often bereft of common sense or empathy, something that frustrates and confounds me. We look at the struggles in the world around us, and often forget that we have been there too. It can be very tempting to step in where we are not needed, but just as devastating are the times we fail with our support when it is needed. I'm not talking about guns and bombs, but a true respect for all human rights, the spirit of our own constitution; forgetting economics, and saying, "No! This is unacceptable!"

I am following the valiant struggle for justice going on in Iran at this moment. There is so much I would like to say, but my thoughts are muddled so silence would be the better choice.


The green ribbon at left is their symbol for victory, and below it I have posted a feed with current information. It links to The Daily Dish, by Andrew Sullivan, a respected British blogger and political commentator. There is an almost real time following of the events on the internet as they unfold. The internet has given us a way around the censorship and propaganda of the oppressors as well as the disinterest of a profit driven media.