Honoring Our American Heritage

This last weekend was the first time I have had the opportunity to sit here on Marco and enjoy a quiet weekend at home. I’m not complaining about the wonderful travel Janet and I had the opportunity to do during the six weeks we visited many sites from Chicago to New England and eventually returning to the Chicago area.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our special stop at Niagara Falls and confess that this would be the first time I’ve ever viewed this beautiful combination of the three waterfalls at the southern end of the Niagara Gorge, which spans the border between the Ontario Province in Canada and New York State. 

In my opinion, the beauty of the Falls can only be made greater by seeing it in the evening. The lighting of this spectacular creation of the Ice Age over 18,000 years ago truly warrants a return visit by Jan and I to see it in all its splendor—something which I have added to my bucket list. 

Enough of my travel log because it could go on and on. I guess that is because of my appreciation for this wonderful nation I was raised in. I do appreciate it, and as such, I feel a responsibility to give back and show my appreciation.

One of the ways we did so when growing up was by showing respect to our parents and others, and that could do with a little improvement today. While we are on that subject, we could step up the respect we have for this great country we live in and the symbol of that nation, the American Flag. I’m tired of seeing it disrespected and I have to blame ourselves for that as we have taken some of the “education” of why we need to respect that symbol out of our everyday culture. We might add a little bit of that back into our schools to ensure the next generation understands more of what that symbol means and why it's important.

Yes, it was a simpler time, one which many of us today long for a return to. A time in which public service was something that was seen as a responsibility to help better our nation and our communities, as well as our fellow citizens. 

As some of you know, I take great pleasure in the fact that my grandparents on both sides of my family were of an immigrant background. My grandfather on my mother’s side was from Ireland, and my grandmother was from Belgium. On my dad’s side, they would come from an area in northern Greece. I guess it is why I took great pleasure today to listen to a speech given by President Reagan in 1984 when he visited the small Irish town from which his family roots sprang. It is inspiring to watch and listen to that speech he gave on a rainy day in Ballyporeen, Ireland, where he was warmly welcomed as he spoke about the love his family had for their new adopted home.

Looking back today, we owe a great debt to those 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence and put their lives on the line to create this great nation. However, as we fast forward from that fateful day in 1776, some today might be wondering if we are witnessing the possible unraveling of that dream of Jefferson to create his vision for a new form of government for those 13 original colonies. One which would replace what was seen as a corrupt and patronage-ridden system that trampled on the rights of the individual and failed to treat citizens equally, regardless of their station in life. His vision for a great Republic has lived on until this day.

Have we begun to revert back to what we rebelled against in 1776? Have we lost sight of some of those Jeffersonian ideas? Should elections be won and not bought by corporations and special interest monies? Today we find that close to 90% of candidates are victorious who spend the most money running for Federal posts. This continues to give credence to the argument that elections are about money, not the candidate or ideas.

Even in local elections, we are finding that money seems to continue to flow into the process, as witnessed with the recent referendum voting in regard to the “short-term rental registration vote” here on the island. The attempt to defeat that vote, however, may have backfired due in part to the negative advertising and huge special interest monies which were funding the anti-vote on that issue.

I’m not convinced that the basic foundation of Jefferson’s dream is at its end. For I have great faith in the American people who continue to believe that the great strength of this country lies in its people and their beliefs as outlined in those carefully crafted words by those learned men in those founding documents of our great nation. Documents that are held in high regard by free men and women around the world to this day and have survived the test of time.

If anything, a little dose of “common sense” needs to be consumed from time to time to help clear our vision to allow the nation to focus on the great gift we have been granted by those scholarly men from our past to help guide us as we proceed into the next 247 years.