Something to ponder about the upcoming 4th of July

I rarely pass along an email that is being circulated, but this one was so outstanding, an exception was made.  While we are witnessing the systematic dismantling of our Constitution by hoards of left-wing ideologues, July 4th is a good day to remember those who gave us our way of life by, in many cases, sacrificing their own.

 In just a very short time, the damage that has been done to this country will take an untold number of years to correct.  This creeping rot didn't begin with the current administration.  It has been going on for decades while we closed our eyes and enjoyed the fruits of our labors.  We were hoodwinked into believing the people we elected governed in accordance with the will of the people, while the fox in the hen house was ripping the feathers off all of us chickens. We trusted that the system would work.

The reality is that the system worked just fine for those that placed themselves in the halls of power.  Everything is exactly as intended.  We need to face this reality before any rebuilding of the system can begin.  Every time a new political voice makes a decent speech we wonder if this is the "one" who will save us.  We are still lulled into thinking that somewhere, somehow, a certain person or group will turn this whole debacle around.

The reality is this: if you are waiting for someone else to fix this, you've got a long, long wait.   Like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, we must be willing to sacrifice for our beliefs.  Our world has been "fundamentally transformed" and it will never be exactly like it was before.  That news is both good and bad.  We must focus on purging the bad and building something that is even better.  Will it happen?  I have no idea.  That's up to all of us.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,

and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;

another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or

hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,

and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants,

nine were farmers and large plantation owners;

men of means, well educated,

but they signed the Declaration of Independence

knowing full well that the penalty would be death if

they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and

trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the

British Navy. He sold his home and properties to

pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British

that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.

He served in the Congress without pay, and his family

was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,

and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,

Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that

the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson

home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General

George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,

and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.

The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.

Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill

were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests

and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his

children vanished.

 

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and

silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many

people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism

is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has greater meaning than beer,

picnics, and baseball games