The Year Of Campaign Chaos
Yet Freedom
McCain Replaces Palin With Startled Deer
Blaming Homeowners For This Crisis? Please
Memo To Republicans - Politics Is War
The Uplifting Debate
A Movement to Break the Silence of Churches in Political Campaigns
Of Generals And Victories
Post - Wall Street
Michelle Obama's Fearful Vision
Only Ourselves To Blame
Interesting Times
Memo To McCain: Take The Gloves Off
Main Street Need To Support Bail Out
A Heartbeat Away
The Curtain On The Last Act
Trust Us? In A Pig's Eye, I Say
Hoover-Era Ghost Stories No Longer Apply
America's Nervous Breakdown -- And The World's
Harper's Index
Why Independents Care So Much About Health Care
Gagging On Wall Street's Bailout
Does McCain Still Agree With Reagan That Government Is The Problem?
The Grip Of Bad Ideas
Who Needs To Pay Their Mortgage And Who Doesn't?
In Sunny Santa Monica, A New Appreciation Of Life
The War To Promote Terror
If Rescue Passes, Here's Who Gets Credit And Blame
Hail Mary Vs. Cool Barry
GOP To McCain: Attack Obama Now
Biden Can't Abide By The Truth
Adult Supervision Required
Pols, The Press And The Financial Crisis
Dear Congress: Put The Gun Down Now
No Country For Liberals
Palin Wins Big With A Reagan-Like Flair
Boon For Voter Fraud, Bust For Democracy
Village Idiocy
And In Other News …
What Is A Loophole?
It Was Palin's Night To Avoid Losing
Compassion, Certainly, But Justice, Too
Gotcha Questions For Katie Couric (And Her Colleagues)
Palin Alone Disqualifies McCain
Taking Stock of Testosterone
Whodunit ?
The Worst Of Both Worlds
The Change That Has Already Happened
The Supersize Bailout
Pundits Side With Wall Street Over Main Street
How To Talk To Someone Who Sounds Racist
Tough Speeches Instead Of Tough Choices
Palin Dominates VP Debate
Why the Bailout Is a Crock -- Opinion
Catholics And Abortion (Again)
Blind Defense of Koran Abrogates Reality
The Sky is Falling
What McCain Learned From The Rough Rider
McCain's Debate Challenge



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Bless This Great Beacon of Freedom
Donna Brazile 7/3/2008
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Every day should be celebrated like the Fourth of July, complete with fireworks, flags, marching bands, a heralding of troops past and present, and a gathering of family and friends with all the hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and potato salad you can eat.

As a young girl, the Fourth of July was Christmas in July. No presents under a tree, of course, but lots of family and friends gathering together to eat, drink and rejoice. My grandmother, Frances, loved the Fourth of July. The daughter of former slaves, this celebration of freedom held a special meaning to her.

She never let us go to bed after the fireworks without each of us knowing exactly how special and dearly loved we were. Grandma didn't have a formal education, yet she could recite the Bible as well as any Baptist preacher. She knew the Declaration of Independence and Constitution -- maybe not by heart, but definitively by their shared importance to her as any words in the Bible. (She was also talented in the kitchen and could stir up anything from scratch; all these many years later, I'm still trying to rid my waistline of her famous buttermilk biscuits and homemade ice cream.)

By the Fourth of July, Grandma would have finished sewing our special dresses and shorts
to wear to family gatherings that day. We Braziles looked sharp! And along with the newly made clothes, Grandma would make sure all the Brazile girls had matching ribbons in their hair -- red, white and blue, of course.

That day held a special meaning for her because it was a time to gather her family together and rejoice in the many gifts bestowed upon our country and its citizens. For Grandma, the Fourth of July was a time of renewal, reflection and, literally, thanksgiving.

For many Americans, this will be a special Fourth of July as they hold their right hand and take the oath of citizenship. Let us all use this day to reaffirm our citizenship and call upon those who serve us as public officials to bring forth new ideas that revive America's can-do spirit, refuel American ingenuity, relight America's beacon of freedom, and reunite our common purpose.

The Fourth of July should not be just one day of celebration, but a time of renewal of our democratic values and principles of equal justice under the law. This should be a time to reflect upon what a truly remarkable country America is, how blessed we are to be able to call it home, and how breathtakingly varied a mosaic are her citizens and landscape.

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Fireworks
By Parker - Florida Today * Posted 07/03/2006
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Fireworks
© Copyright 2006  Parker - All Rights Reserved.

Posted By: P. Eischen  on Friday, July 04, 2008

Quite a revitalizing article Ms. Braziel. Thank you.

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