What do you put on the line?

[drhalle]

The 4th of July is Independence Day.
The Birthday of The United States of America.
The most unlikely country to have risen from a land filled with scoundrels, outcasts, rejects and debtor prisoners. This was the prevailing opinion of the European population in the 1700's carrying thought to today.
In fact, this country was full of great men and women, learned men and women, forward thinking men and women. Such as, Nathaniel Greene from Rhode Island, who was born to a Quaker farm family. Self educated he studied military tactics and was promoted from militia private to Brigadier General in one day at the start of the war. He became George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. He wrote this to his wife, "It had been happy for me if I could have lived a private life in peace and plenty, enjoying all the happiness that results from a well-tempered society founded on mutual esteem. But the injury done my country, and the chains of slavery forging for all posterity, calls me forth to defend our common rights, and repel the bold invaders of the sons of freedom." He also was quoted with this, "We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again." Truly the inspirational quote for the Rocky movies. And speaks volumes about the American spirit shown during our storied history.
Just stop and think about Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Hancock, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin just to name a few of our great forefathers. Boy, could we use some of these guys today. By signing the Declaration of Independence they willingly put everything they owned including their life on the line. Thank God for these men and all the men who have stood for freedom. Freedom and the rights of men and women in this country is what today is about. Freedom, not fireworks...Freedom, not food and beer...Freedom, the thing we take for granted.
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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Freedom and the Rights of Men, that's what today is about.
America will always be the greatest country in the world as long as we have great men and women who will to put it all on the line for Freedom.

[uncballzer]

Dead on with that post. Thanks to our founding fathers, and this great country, and I'm truly blessed to be born and raised AMERICAN!