Opinions:Independence celebrates sacrifice

I loved standing in front of Henson’s, watching the horses prance by, two by two, their riders proudly carrying American and Texas flags. Rodeo queens, decked out in their colorful finery, came next. An ancient fire truck, with siren wailing and firemen gently tossing candy through the warm July air, followed closely behind. We had to be careful when scrambling to grab the candy scattered among the horse apples. The Fourth of July parade remains one of my finest memories of growing up in Clarendon.

After the parade we would congregate on the courthouse lawn for the Independence Day barbecue. The line would snake along the shaded areas of the sidewalk as we slowly made our way through the line, helping ourselves to heaping portions of barbecue and all the fixings. While eating, we would listen to the adults converse about patriotic aspects of our history.

That evening, as the July heat slowly ebbed, everyone would head out to the rodeo grounds for the rodeo, the finest entertainment of the year. The last event, bull riding, was the apex of the show, and was the stuff of dreams when our heads finally hit our pillows that night.

As I grew older, I began to think more of our founding fathers and the sacrifices made while founding this great country. Independence Day has, for me, become a time to reflect on the enormous cost of keeping this great republic free.

Our freedom was purchased with the blood and suffering of countless soldiers, sailors, and their families. Throughout the ensuing years our freedom has come at a terrible cost, in the blood and lives of our military men and women, many of whom continue to suffer from grievous wounds to body and soul.

I’m eternally grateful that I was born an American citizen and have the opportunity to live my life with the full blessings that American citizenship offers. Even so, I feel a strong obligation to pay homage to those who have gone before me and sacrificed their blood and lives so that I may enjoy the benefits of living in the greatest nation in history.

It’s my hope that we will not despoil our American citizenship by sharing it too freely with people from other lands, people who choose to illegally enter this great land and steal the freedoms and benefits paid with the blood, sweat, and tears of those who have gone before, and those who will come later.

This Independence Day, I will celebrate the founding of the United States of America and I will do so with a special appreciation for the sacrifices made by American servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in order to preserve our freedom. I’m grateful for our veterans and for those who now serve in our military.

While we may rightfully disagree politically, all Americans have an obligation to treat our military personnel with respect and dignity. I still remember how dishonorably our Viet Nam veterans were treated back in the 1960s and 1970s, by a small segment of our population. Their treatment was inexcusable.

Another wonderful attribute of the American experience is freedom to disagree politically. For example, the recent Supreme Court ruling has definitely added fireworks to the national debate about health care. Earlier this year, when the Court announced that it would consider the Affordable Care Act, I told Roger that I felt like the Supreme Court would, in fact, affirm Obamacare. Roger was, and is, of the opinion that it is unconstitutional.

I based my opinion on reports that I had read about Chief Justice Roberts when he was going through the confirmation process. Anyway, I predicted that the Court would affirm the Affordable Care Act six to three.

When the Court announced its decision Roger was absolutely apoplectic. Rather than trying to explain his disappointment I encourage our readers to read his column in this week’s edition of the paper. His position is well thought-out and cogently presented.

The Supreme Court’s decision will most assuredly add some much-needed fireworks to the elections of 2012, perhaps the most important elections in our lifetime. The decision may just be the catalyst needed to get Mitt Romney elected president.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Independence Day. We live in a truly magnificent country, a country worthy of our respect. Let’s not forget those who sacrificed so much to keep her free.