I’ll state the obvious right up front; other than having taken place outdoors, this column is not the typical outdoor adventure column I usually write, but rather about a recent patriotic small-town event, and a few other things on my heart.
Here in our small town of Inman, KS, our city council and the powers-that-be decided to hold all our 4th of July activities last Saturday, July 8th, which also coincided with the grand opening of our newest small business, a coffee house called Lighthouse Coffee. Joyce and I are both veterans, she was in the Air Force for 8 years and I the Army National Guard for 20 years, so we were privileged to ride on the veteran’s float in the parade. Six of us, including our county sheriff sat on a flatbed trailer decorated with red, white and blue banners with Old Glory on the front, and pulled down main street by an 18-wheeler. Following us was a golf cart carrying a senior king and queen from the retirement home, and floats from the museum, the bank and various businesses, plus 4H club members on foot and several riders on horseback. We were skeptical about the turnout because of the odd date, but our skepticism soon turned to pride.
The parade swung down a side street past the local nursing/retirement home, where several dozen residents and staff greeted us from the sidewalk. Once back on center street, dozens more greeted us from all along the street, and when we turned onto main street downtown, what I estimated to be a couple hundred people scattered along two blocks cheered at the arrival of our nations flag. The entire parade stopped in front of the bank where a local young man played the national anthem on his trumpet. Everyone stood with hands over their hearts, hats came off and the only sound to be heard was the anthem. The driver of our truck, a marine, even bailed out of the truck to stand at attention. I couldn’t have been prouder of the small-town patriotism and enthusiasm on display. The day ended with a fireworks display as good as I’ve ever seen, attended by more cars than I cared to count.
I’ll be the first to admit that our country is slowly but methodically being soured and hobbled by Godless and unscriptural behavior, thinking and lifestyles, and that we are being told to accept those things in the name of “equality and inclusiveness.” But what bothers me as much, is the status of the people who are trashing our country. We don’t hear homeless veterans who live in cardboard boxes in the park, people who, from where I stand, have cause to complain, cursing the United States. We hear it from millionaire and billionaire movie stars and professional sports figures who are living the American dream.
The most recent incident that prompted this column, was from a young, black, homosexual women who plays basketball professionally for the Women’s National Basketball Association, the WNBA. She stated, “This country is trash in so many ways.” When called-on-the-carpet about her comment, she stated “You don’t understand how hard it is living as a gay, black women in this country.”
I researched WMBA salaries, and she makes a mid-six figure income, very likely had a four-year college degree pretty much paid-in-full by scholarships, will most certainly be given high-dollar endorsements by sporting goods companies and the like, and is free to live her God and scripturally opposed lifestyle without fear of prison or even death as in some countries. Evidently, she failed to learn the lesson so many of us seemed to comprehend at a young age; don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” I want her to continue to have the freedom to live her lifestyle as she pleases, but not to expect and demand it to become the norm for my country.
In summary, I would say to everyone who believes this country to be trash, help us bring God back into His rightful place in our society, try voting for people who will not continue leading the USA down this path, and please make use of our most important freedom of all, the freedom to leave at any time. Maybe when you all are gone, there will be room for the millions of hard-working, non-complaining migrants who are willing to literally risk the lives of themselves and their families to come here illegally. And let me know when the moving van is in your driveway so I can come help you pack!
Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected].
