Actually I am not much for displays of patriotism or a big hoo rah (whatever) type person. I do have friends who have family etc in the armed services and two of my better friends over the past eight years are crusty old retired soldiers. I was simply responding to someone above, who seems to have an affinity for the military. My comment would never be addressed to you or someone like me. I apologize if you find it offensive.
I do feel that I think about our country in a different way than many other people. I suspect you and others around here feel similarily. I think about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and our remarkable form of government throughout the year. I (and many of you I am certain) work to keep these liberties from vanishing from our country on a daily basis. Those who do this are patriots in the truest sense of the word.
So I will avoid town, because it will be jam packed with tourists. We will sit out on our lawn and watch the fireworks across the lake. That is if the mosquitoes don't have us for dinner first. Finally, I will try and contemplate what it really means to be an citizen of the United States of America.
BTW, I will say that one of the crusty retired soldiers worked as the other Investigator with me at the county. When I first met Joe in early March of 2001 (he started there two weeks after me), I thought I would absolutely hate this guy. When I was told that I would have to travel with him across the state to do a training, I thought I would die. Funny thing is, once we got underway, we started talking about politics, and we got on the subject of civil liberties and other issues of great import. I was as surprised as he, at how much we agreed. That is until the end of our passionate converstion about saving the country, and we were starting to lay blame for our worst problems. Joe said "and it's the left" at the exact moment that I said "and it's the right". I was driving, and I looked at him looking at me in shock. I am certain that my face mirrored his. Then, again in unison, we broke out into a fit of laughter. Then we became friends. When he quit to work for another county in early 2004, he took me aside and thanked me for helping him become a Democrat.
Happy Fourth!
