Tag: holidays

Happy Fireworks Day

Warning: Undefined array key "adf" in /home4/hpvcxhmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/similarity/similarity.php on line 69

Warning: Undefined array key "sim_pages" in /home4/hpvcxhmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/similarity/similarity.php on line 70

photo credit: Camera Slayer

Regardless of how much some people may talk about the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States during their celebrations on the fourth day of July each year, and despite reports suggesting that participation in such celebrations makes children more likely to identify politically as Republicans, it seems obvious to me, based on the situations that we currently face as a nation and the fact that they have been steadily building under the leadership of both major parties, that what is really being celebrated on this day is fireworks.

Certainly some are celebrating as much as fireworks, parades, and traditional American cuisine all at once, but none of this constitutes a celebration of American independence, of our nation, or of our system of government. True celebrations of these things may only take place in the most insignificant of ways on this national holiday. Some may argue that a real celebration of our nation’s independence and of our system of government takes place at the polls each November. I would agree that voting is a real form of such a celebration, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Only those who do as the generation of Americans who actually won our independence and established the foundation of our government can truly be said to celebrate our independence. That requires days, weeks, and even months over the course of each year. It means getting informed about the issues of the day. It requires participating in civil, if spirited, debates about the proper solutions to the challenges that are most pressing. It means helping family, friends, and neighbors to also understand the issues and participate in the debates. Of course it includes carefully choosing the people who will represent us in the various offices of government for which we are able to vote. It also means raising the next generation with an understanding of what we have been given and the continual effort it takes to keep our citizen-driven government operating.

The only place fireworks factors into any of those things is in possibly capturing the imagination of our children with the opportunity to connect that excitement with the type of government we have now. While there is apparently some evidence to suggest that these displays of pyrotechnics tend to coax children toward the conservative regions of the political landscape there is no evidence to suggest that they help the children to understand and appreciate the realities of government and what it takes to preserve the liberty that our nation was built to preserve.

In short, the true celebration of our independence is in the perpetuation of that independence.

Independence Day Observations

Post author By David
Post date July 6, 2009
2 Comments on Independence Day Observations

I attended the Freedom Festival parade in Provo with my family on Saturday and I found it very interesting to watch. I was proud to notice that there seemed to be more people who actually knew what to do whent he flag passed by. Unlike some years there was no hesitation in the crowd as the flag approached and people stood and placed hands over their hearts. I also took note that when Senator Bennett approached in his car the crowd got silent – I heard one person supporting Bennett but everyone else acted as if the parade suddenly became invisible. When Senator Hatch rode by there was no reaction from the crowd, but everybody began cheering very loudly for the high school band that followed him. I take that as yet another sign that it’s time for both of them to retire – I’ll help in any way that I can.

Overall it was a good parade except for the fact that the first entry was a band which was followed by the many fire engines blaring their horns. The parade organizers really should not place a band in front or behind the fire engines – save those slots for floats that are not displaying their musical skill.

Later in the evening as we were watching fireworks I got talking to my wife and mentioned that I found it somewhat ironic that many people celebrate their liberty and living in a free land by breaking the law – buying fireworks that are clearly illegal in our state. I know the arguments that some people will make that the state should not be regulating our fireworks as much as they do. I stand against the nanny-state as much as anyone else, but I believe in obeying the law even when you are actively trying to change it (so long as its possible to do both). Laura commented that in some ways it might be fitting that people wuld celebrate their freedom by exercising it in defiance of laws they don’t care for – I can see the logic of what she says.

Tags Bob Bennett, holidays, liberty, Orrin Hatch

culture National

Inauguration Day

After reading/hearing news coverage of today’s activities I have come to a couple of conclusions. First, I have made a goal to attend a presidential inauguration – not just the parade, but the actual swearing-in ceremony with the inaugural address. I will not be picky about what president it is because for me it will be a celebration of the office and the government of this great nation. Second, I’m sick of the news coverage. The inauguration is certainly newsworthy but aside from some brief description of the crowds, the weather, and possibly some background about previous inaugurations the only coverage that the media can really offer of any value is the text of the inaugural address. (Here’s the official copy.) Besides that nothing that is planned is particularly newsworthy out of these events.

The fact is that this very important celebration is not made more real or valuable to me by all the extra commentary (beyond what I listed above). If the media wants to cover it all day that’s fine, just roll the cameras and stream the audio but get the talking heads off the screen – they have nothing to add.

So, congratulations to President Obama. I hope he enjoys this day and then gets right to work preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution. And if I’m very lucky I could attend an inauguration as early as 2013.

Tags holidays, media, Obama

life

Christmas Present

My wife surprised me for Christmas this year by giving me a pocket edition of the Constitution (which also contained the Articles of Confederation, the Annapolis Convention, the Massachusetts Bill of Rights, the Virginia Statute on Religious Liberty, and various other documents) – I was very excited. This morning I was at Lowe’s talking with an employee there who asked me what I got for Christmas. When I told her that I got a pocket edition of the Constitution she paused for a second before responding, "Is that what you wanted?"

Sometimes the only thing I would like more than that would be to have the ability to give a copy of the Constitution to every voter who has not already read it.

Tags Christmas, Constitution, holidays

culture National

Bill of Rights Day

Today is Bill of Rights Day, the day when the Bill of Rights was ratified 217 years ago. This holiday, along with Independence Day and Constitution Day, represents the real celebration of the great country we should be striving to maintain. Interestingly, while Independence Day is the most celebrated of the three our independence did nothing to guarantee any future liberties in this country. Our Constitution was supposed to help preserve our liberties by setting up a government structure that would be capable of securing our liberties from both internal and external forces which would seek to infringe upon them. The structure that was devised could not, in itself, guarantee that the government itself would not be an abuser of liberty – that is where the Bill of Rights comes in. The Bill of Rights spelled out the rights of citizens where the federal government would not be allowed to infringe (in theory). This is where the rubber meets the road. A monarchy with such a bill of rights – where those rights are truly upheld – would be as good a government as the three pronged government that the founders defined in the constitution. The real difference being that a monarchy would more easily overrun the individual rights without the checks in place of an independent judiciary etc.

The original Bill of Rights had 12 amendments adopted by Congress. Numbers 3 – 12 were ratified in 1791. Number 2 was ratified as the 27th amendment in 1992. The first amendment proposed has not yet been ratified.

On this Bill of Rights Day I look with trepidation at a government and society where the first question of government is "What responsibilities can be assigned to the government?" The question should be "How can the government more fully ensure liberty among her people?" The first question brings an intrusive government which attempts to do the impossible. The last question would bring a government which is content to enforce liberty, thus setting the conditions where the society could accomplish greater things than ever before.

Tim Lynch of the CATO Institute has a great rundown of how our Bill of Rights is faring in modern government. Jim Babka has some ideas about how we can get our government to protect those rights that they are so prone to trample.

Tags amendments, Bill of Rights, Constitution, documents, government, history, holidays

National

Happy 221st Birthday

221 years ago today the Constitution was signed. In honor of that, today is known as Constitution Day (and also known as Citizenship Day). Unfortunately, the Constitution is treated by many as an aging parent that may deserve our respect and admiration for a lifetime of accomplishment, but only receives our occasional grudging visit and our concerted efforts to find a suitable retirement home where we can safely ignore its existence and go on about our lives.

Tags citizenship, Constitution, holidays

culture National

Patriot Day

I appreciate the idea of Patriot Day as a way to mark our modern “day of infamy.” It is unfortunate that the event has been used so effectively to manipulate our politics. Once upon a time, America represented more to the world than simply a big bully who was allowed, because of might and wealth, to impose his will on others. Our only hope of regaining that once-deserved prominence is to fix our own government and stop worrying about the rest of the world. We need to ensure our own security as a nation wiht a government that adheres to sound financial principles rather than relying on smoke, mirrors, and the boundless faith of the rest of the world to prop up our economic place in the world.

Some will accuse me of being isolationist. They would be wrong. There is no reason that we cannot lend a hand to other nations and participate in the international community, but our foreign policy must focus on our own actions. In other words, we should be policing ourselves more than policing everyone else.

Being a patriot means doing what is best, rather than what is easiest or most popular. We need more patriots in the nation who are willing to talk together, identify the real serious problems we face, and find solutions rather than politically expedient (popular) patches. I still believe this is possible, but not if we run our nation in reaction to the events of the past. Let’s fix America and let the other nations ask for our help if they want it.

Tags connections, history, holidays, international, patriotism

culture

Living Memorials

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am lousy about any traditional holiday celebration, but Memorial Day just passed me by without making any more impression than any other rainy day. No, I’m not bitter at having my plans ruined by the weather – my plans proceeded without any interruption. It’s not that I dislike any aspect of the holiday – I think Memorial Day is among the better holidays on the calendar.

I guess this grinch just wonders what value there is in one more day for us to have a small ceremony for an hour and then spend the rest of our lives neither thinking about those who paid the price for freedom nor working to ensure that we don’t throw away what they paid so dearly to obtain.

Tags holidays, liberty

culture life

Fireworks and Personal Responsibility

Post author By David
Post date July 20, 2007
2 Comments on Fireworks and Personal Responsibility

It doesn’t take much thought to realize that a hot, dry summer does not mix well with fireworks. Governor Hunstman called on cities to ban personal fireworks because of our conditions this year. The Deseret News Editorial on the idea notes that legal fireworks seldom create problems. The fact that we make laws which we don’t enforce encourages unlawful behavior. We should not be waiting for the government to tell us what is smart.

This situation, and my personal feelings leave me in a bind. Tomorrow all the cousins are getting together to celebrate and the families decided that we would purchase fireworks jointly instead of individually. None of us take the time to purchase illegal fireworks (which are expensive and pale in comparison to the professional displays anyway) but with the extreme fire season we are having this year I believe that it is irresponsible to act as if personal fireworks are some inalienable right. If it were not for the fact that our family has already agreed to do fireworks together I would choose not to do any personal fireworks this year – I’d just stick to the professional displays.

Tags citizenship, family, holidays, responsibility

culture life

Independence Day

Let it be known openly that the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love this country. I love what it stands for. I love the way that we celebrate it (family, fireworks, and food). I think my love for the country stems from my youth as I participated in Boy Scouts (which is a very patriotic organization) and studied history, government, and our constitution.

I love the sentiments of American by Choice. (thanks to Scott for linking there)

The idea of being an American by choice points to an important, and perhaps unintended truth: being American is not simply reducible to the happy accident of birth. Americans, both natural and naturalized, must be trained–they must be made.

Peter Schramm asked his father when they were moving to American why the family chose America. The reply:

“Because, son. We were born Americans, but in the wrong place.”

Dad, in his way, was saying that he understood America to be both a place and an idea at the same time. Fundamentally, it is a place that would embrace us if we could prove that we shared in the idea.

He continues:

Because America is more than just a place, being an American citizen is different than being the citizen of any other country on earth.

Because ours is a bond of principle and not of blood, true American citizens are made and not born. This is why, odd as it may seem, we must all learn–those who are born here, and those who come here by choice–what it means to be an American.

In recent weeks, there has been much talk about immigration, but very little informed discussion about what it means to be an American–about what is necessary to make Americans. . . . I hear frequent conversations about failures in integration and assimilation, even among recent legal immigrants. This is not new. What is new is that America’s own natural citizens increasingly have forgotten what it means to be American. . . . If we no longer understand or believe in that which makes us Americans, then there is nothing substantive to assimilate into. We become many and diverse people who share a common place, rather than E Pluribus Unum.

. . . If government “of the people, by the people and for the people” is to endure, its endurance can only come from the devotion of Americans–born here and away–who have been so made.

The question remains – how can we make Americans? Dennis Prager talks about “the mother of American holidays, July Fourth, the day America was born” and suggests that we learn from the Jews who have transmitted their culture across millenia while we struggle to maintain ours over mere centuries.

His suggestion:

Our national holidays were established to commemorate the most significant national events and individuals in our history; they now exist primarily to provide us with a day off. . . . National memory dies without national ritual. And without a national memory, a nation dies. That is the secret at the heart of the Jewish people’s survival that the American people must learn if they are to survive.

When Jews gather at the Passover Seder — and this is the most widely observed Jewish holiday — they recount the exodus from Egypt . . . as if it happened to them. In the words of the Passover Haggadah — the Passover Seder book — “every person is obligated to regard himself as if he himself left Egypt.” . . . That has to be the motto of the July Fourth Seder. We all have to retell the story in as much detail as possible and to regard ourselves as if we, no matter when we or our ancestors came to America — were present at the nation’s founding in 1776.

The Seder achieves the feat not only through detailed recitation of the story, but through engaging the interest of the youngest of those at the table (indeed, they are its primary focus), through special food, through song and through relevant prayer.

I think that the key lies in repetitive recitation. Scott has a personal Annual Liberty Pilgrimage to maintain his patriotic spirit. I have been flying my flag since before Memorial Day and I hope to make that a year-round reminder to my family that our nation is more to us than merely the place we happen to have been born. We must make our celebration of independence mean more than just family, fireworks, and food. Those things should engage the children, but lets make sure to tell them the meaning behind the floats and fireworks.

Can we imagine ourselves at the nations founding? Can we imagine ourselves leaving the old world behind, where nationality was a matter of geography rather than ideology, and coming to America where the ideals that bind us together are thicker than our past allegiance? If we can’t imagine that journey then we should probably work a little harder to make ourselves into true Americans.

Tags holidays, patriotism