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Three Cheers For The Red, White and Blue
of the rest of the world; food so plentiful
overeating is a major problem; food processing
advances which give us all-season menus; clothing
that is more durable, longer lasting, and easier to
maintain; a press nobody can dominate; a ballot
box nobody can stuff; churches of our choice; 120
million jobs; freedom to go anywhere we want,
with the planes, cars, and highways to get us
there; automobile tires that last as long as some
cars; Social Security; Medicare; hybrid synthetics,
metals and plastics that can even replace some
body parts; near-miracle drugs which can help us
live longer and feel better; unemployment
insurance; public and private schools, plentiful
scholarships, etc. Yes, we literally are a people
''free"
to do anything we want, if we have the
''enterprise"
to c1o
it.
Will we get in touch with our heritage through a
renaissance of patriotism? Will we use the opportunity
to place greater emphasis on citizenship education?
Will we make the Constitution and our flag an
immediate part of our lives and forestall the day when
each might become ancient history to us?
''Eternal
vigilance,"
said Thomas Jefferson
''is
the price of
liberty.
II
Truly, the Star Spangled Banner is still a comforting
and inspiring symbol.
It
is comforting to know that the
flag is still there, still whole, still preserving.
''let it rise!
Let it rise!
·Ti/
it meets the sun in his coming,"
said
Daniel Webster.
''let the earliest light of the morning
gild it, and the parting day linger and play on its
summit"
Alas, this will remain the
11
•••
land of the free
.. . .,,
only as long as it is the
11
•••
home of the brave."
So,
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