The Great Experiment

Today, on this 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, most of us celebrate.  We are not celebrating the founding of our country so much as we celebrate the freedom to self-government.  We celebrate a beginning which initiated the great journey which we continue today.

There are those who find reason to criticize during this time of celebration.  They focus on struggles that we have dealt with along the journey.  There are those who point to the Emancipation Proclamation as the true beginning for them.  Others point to Civil Rights Legislation of the 60's and 70's.  Many of them press a valid argument that for some, freedom did not come with the Declaration of Independence from England because there were those who were enslaved or treated as only partial citizens.  However, those steps which led to broader freedoms for those who were oppressed were part of the journey which makes this country great.

There are many steps yet to be taken.  Corruption has been a part of this Great Experiment from the very beginning.  No institution designed and implemented by mankind is perfect, and darkness is never far away.  Unlike many believe, pure democracy is not the answer.  Democracy leads to tyranny of the majority.  However, power should not be further concentrated in the hands of a few.

The next steps along the journey of this Great Experiment must be made from a unity of purpose, not the fragmentation of factions.  Power prefers fragmentation because they know that when like-minded people unite to oppose tyranny, miracles happen.  Let's all celebrate this 250th Anniversary of the miracle that we are privileged to enjoy.  (Photo of the Declaration of Independence copied from the National Archives.)

Iconic Inspiration

As promised, above is an image of the completed puzzle from the post of a few days ago.  I apologize for the poor quality of the image, but puzzles are highly reflective of light and it is difficult to get the picture without a bright glare.

The puzzle was a Christmas gift from our grandchildren.  It was challenging in all of the normal ways, plus the fact that I couldn't use my usual method of assembling the border first and then filling in the interior.  Because of the unique shape, the border pieces often looked like interior pieces and vice versa.  It also had a peculiar cut to the pieces so that the corners often didn't match and what looked to be space for one piece ended up holding two or, more.

The theme of the puzzle was perfect; "Images of Texas."  There were a couple of items that seemed a bit out-of-place, however, such as putting the pelicans in the deserts of West Texas near El Paso and including a few saguaro cacti with the free-roaming horses in what might be the Guadalupe Mountains which should be where the pelicans are, sans saguaro, of course, since that particular cactus is native to regions further west.  It is found in the Sonoran Desert, not the Chihuahuan Desert, which covers parts of western Texas.

I realize there is limited space in such a puzzle, but other iconic images of Texas might have been included such as The Lighthouse formation in Palo Duro Canyon, or something representing technology such as NASA or, the computer industry of Austin.  They left out the oil and gas sector, miles of giant wind turbines, cattle feeding, farming, and most importantly, the diversity of people that grace our great state.

I am quite certain the puzzle was designed by a non-Texan and built in another country.  I didn't check the box to see.  The images chosen for it, though, are revealing in their nature; they show what people who didn't grow up here think of when Texas comes to mind.  Western films, many of which were made in Arizona or, northwestern Mexico, are the reason for the inclusion of saguaro.  The modern mindset that the energy business is "bad" and wild horses are "good" also comes through in the chosen images.  Inclusion of the Alamo is interesting because it represents so many things.  Its iconic facade moves a Texan's heart into his throat and fills him with a patriotic fervor that inflames the will to fight against the odds, even with knowledge that ones own efforts are merely to buy time for and to inspire those who will continue the battle.

It is also interesting to me that the images on the puzzle include a number which appear to be at sunset, or twilight.  I wonder if such were subliminally implanted in the creators mind due to the idea that such a place -- Texas -- was fading; that it was, or is, in the twilight years of existence; I would choose the bursting light of sunrise instead.  There is something which subtly differentiates the two times of day which comes across even in photographs, or paintings, if composed correctly.  I choose the optimism of sunrise rather than the pessimism of sunset. 

Even today, in many ways Texas stands alone -- apart -- a lone star resisting the tide of socialism that is sweeping the coasts of our country.  It isn't the resistance represented by the Alamo, but one more nearly represented by the central figure riding out of the flag with the blue of loyalty, white of purity, red of bravery and a single star which represents unity of all for God, state and country.

Yeah, I'm Texan through and through and proud of it.  The pride isn't one of being better than others, it is the pride of being tied to values which transcend the passing fads and vagaries of political winds with adherence to a code of independence reflective of those who fought and died for freedom rather than subservience to a government -- no matter the form of tyranny or, bureaucracy.  I pray that Texas will remain true to those values and that throughout the world (no matter where puzzles are made) we will continue to represent those things which inspire.

Let Freedom Ring

The song, "Yankee Doodle," is synonymous with the Revolutionary War.  The tune is said to have been brought over by the English soldiers who fought in the French and Indian War.  During the Revolutionary War the British soldiers used a derisive set of lyrics to mock the shabby colonial soldiers.  "Yankee" was a contemptuous nickname the British used for the New Englanders, and "doodle" meant "dope, half-wit, fool."  The Colonial Soldiers responded with their own lyrics that eventually became their battle cry.

Father and I went down to camp

Along with Captain Gooding,

And there we saw the men and boys

As thick as hasty pudding.

Chorus:

Yankee Doodle keep it up,

Yankee Doodle Dandy,

Mind the music and the step,

And with the girls be handy.

There was Captain Washington

Upon a slapping stallion

A-giving orders to his men --

There must have been a million.

Then I saw a swamping gun

As large as logs of maple

Upon a very little cart,

A load for Father's cattle.

Every time they shot it off

It took a horn of powder

And made a noise like father's gun

Only a nation louder.

There I saw a wooden keg

With heads made out of leather;

They knocked upon it with some sticks

To call the folks together.

Then they'd fife away like fun

And play on cornstalk fiddles,

And some had ribbons red as blood

All bound around their middles.

I can't tell you all I saw --

They kept up such a smother.

I took my hat off, made a bow,

And scampered home to mother.

Happy Independence Day, America.  Long may your flag wave as a symbol of freedom.

Source:  "The Annals of America; Volume 2, 1755-1783, Resistance and Revolution," -- Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. 1976.

On This 4th of July

On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence from Great Britain. We claimed the right to self-governance with representation of the people's will in determination of the laws of our land. We claimed the right to reject an oppressive government and replace it with one that was both responsive to and responsible to the people of this land.

That oppression arose from our dependency on Great Britain. The original colonists needed the support of the mother country for survival. In return, the king required taxes. Those taxes paid for wars that caused a mounting debt. The response of the king was to increase taxes to finance his aggressive policies that sought to consolidate his power.

The people sought relief from the burden but were ignored. They sought representation of their views but were rejected. Over time, their dependency allowed the king to increase taxes to the point they could no longer be borne by the people and they rebelled.

Through the blood of committed individuals that Independence was accomplished over the course of 40+ years when we finally severed the control of Great Britain in the War of 1812. Yet, it didn't end there. We remained a nation seeking to find its way. We continued to seek a balance of power in how we were governed which culminated in a Civil War that consolidated power in the federal government. It was a result that led to better relations between the various races which comprise our people, but eroded the power of the people by consolidating it in the hands of the federal government.

We have survived global wars in which the United States came to the aid of nations whose values resembled our own. We have gone wherever necessary to combat the tendency of man to consolidate power through aggression. Yet we have allowed special interests to consolidate power within our own borders.

We have struggled with our own identity. We are a nation of many varied yet closely held beliefs. We have faced many issues that arise from the human frailties of self-interest and fear. We have made great strides in creating an environment of equality of opportunity for all. Yet we have allowed those same frailties of self-interest and fear to be used against us by the very politicians we elected to serve us.

We continue to struggle. Today we face some of the greatest challenges that we have ever faced as a nation. Many of those challenges are the result of the quest for power of individuals and groups who have only their self-interest at heart. They seek power for gain and not in service for the good of the nation and its people. They bully and intimidate through the power of the purse.

That such individuals and groups hold the reins of power is the fault of the people. Enough of us have allowed ourselves to be subjugated to the carefully orchestrated largess of the state and federal powers that our Independence has been lost. That subjugation has resulted in efforts to further consolidate power through expanding government services in ways that create further dependency. We see today an aggressive expansion and consolidation of power through the use of regulation and welfare (although not always by that name). We have become a nation controlled by dependency. Therein lies our downfall.

Our dependency on the government has created a situation of mounting debt that must be repaid. It is the tendency in such times to use taxation to repay the debt. The burden of government has become oppressive. We are facing a crisis in our nation that in many ways resembles the conditions prior to the War for Independence. It is time once again for our government to become both responsive to and responsible to the people.

(Also posted at Panhandle's Perspective)

When In The Course of Human Events....

An Independence Day of Prayer and Reflection

The day after tomorrow is the 4th of July. Where has the summer gone?

The 4th is honored in celebration of our independence from England. It has been so long ago that we don't truly understand what that independence means. Today, it is a rare individual that even stops to think that the liberties we enjoy arose from that period in the 1770's when previously loyal subjects finally had a belly-full of the capricious actions of the British Parliament designed to extract payment from the colonies for their many wars. It wasn't so much that the colonists didn't want to pay their fair share of the defense of their country (England) it was that they were being taxed without the opportunity of representation in making the decisions. They were treated as less than full citizens of their country.

That desire to have the opportunity to have a voice in the decisions of government is one that in many ways has died among a large portion of our citizenry. Voter apathy is high. Dissatisfaction with the government and leading political figures is extremely low. It is as though a large percentage of the American people have allowed themselves to become less than true citizens. They have been lulled by the relative prosperity that they enjoy and by their feelings of impotence, to merely endure the burdens of the government that they allow to continue on its merry way by their apathy.

It is much like the frog in the kettle illustration with which we are all familiar. If you try to put a frog into hot water he will jump out. If you put him in cold water and slowly add heat, he will boil to death. I believe that a large number of people in this country are allowing themselves to be boiled to death through the gradual creep of economic subjugation through the policies of our government.

This 4th of July is one that I believe should be spent in reflection on where we have been, what we have become and where we are going as a country. It is a time to examine the burden of government on our lives and our livelihood. It is a time to consider the role of each and every elected official and the part that they have played in adding to that burden. Are our lives truly better than they were ten or twenty or even longer years ago? If not, what has changed?

We must get out of the pot and get active. If the heat is building we need to put out the fire. It is time to get involve -- get energized. The election this fall could be a turning point if we will let our voices be heard. I believe in our system of government and I believe there are good men and women both in office and seeking office. I also know that there are those in office and seeking office that have nothing on their mind but their own self aggrandizement, power and wealth. We must seek wisdom in our choices. The only true source of wisdom that I know of is the God that created us. We all should hit our knees in prayer for the future of this great nation. The 4th of July is a great time to start.