I Ask Unanimous Consent To Revise And Extend My Remarks

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"Knowledge is, in every country, the surest basis of public happiness." ~ George Washington, First Annual Message, 1790

In my last blog, I questioned the patriotism of those who would break our nation's laws on her birthday. While I stand by the assertion that criminal behavior is inherently unpatriotic, I hope I didn't give the impression that most of the spectators fell into such a category.

Out of the thousands who were in attendance, I'd estimate only 5% of them were flaunting authority via illegal incendiary devices. The majority of the people were occupied with picnics, games of Frisbee, cook outs, and other acceptable forms of recreation. The trouble makers simply stood out more.

Isn't that always the way though? We tend to have a global reputation for being polluters, war mongers, and "ugly Americans." Yet, I'd argue our good works far outweigh our misdeeds & mistakes.

The following was written by an Australian Dentist, and arrived in my Inbox this morning. It does a superb job illustrating my point.

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"To Kill an American

You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navajo, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan . The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion.... For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return......

When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must.. Hitler did. So did General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world.. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself . Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American."

Our Nation's Birthday

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"The government is the potent omnipresent teacher. For good or ill it teaches the whole people by its example." ~ Justice Louis D. Brandeis

Seaside, Oregon is a coastal town to built, primarily, on tourism. Broadway, its version of The Strip, leads from downtown to the sea front boardwalk, and is packed with shops, restaurants, and amusements. Every day, a pudgy good natured candy man stands on the corner of Broadway & Columbia, singing his jingle and handing out samples of salt water taffy to passers by.

We spent our 4th of July weekend in Seaside. Walking along the boardwalk, one couldn’t help but notice signs stating that no illegal fireworks would be tolerated. Thus, during a late night stroll, on the 3rd, I was surprised to see the beach being illuminated by unsanctioned explosions of color. Figuring the police were on their way, I shrugged and continued the stroll. However, upon reaching the main staircase to beach, I witnessed a Hispanic family, mom, dad, and two little kids, being frisked by officers as they were leaving the beach. To make sure I was seeing things correctly, I asked a man, with his two kids, if he’d seen the family being searched as explosions continued to erupt on the beach. He said, “Yes, my kids and I were just talking about that.”

Let me pause to say that I’m a huge fan of law enforcement. I spent years volunteering for my local department, and will always give them the benefit of every doubt. I don’t know what the Hispanic family’s behavior was like before I arrived on the scene. There may very well have been probable cause to search them. It was simply the choice to do it as others were blatantly breaking the law which threw me for a loop.

The next night, the beach was crowded with tents, lawn chairs, and blankets as citizens waited for the pyrotechnic extravaganza to come. We claimed our spot at 5pm along the dividing wall between the boardwalk and the beach. Rain spit from the cloud covered sky periodically, forcing us to huddle under blankets. Music from local radio station 94.9, which had set up speakers along the beach, entertained the crowd.

Between music sets, a recording of Police Chief Robert Gross stated, in no uncertain terms, that illegal fireworks would definitely not be tolerated. As this public service announcement filled the airwaves, unsanctioned fireworks were booming on both ends of the beach, decorating the gray clouds, and a group of four young officers nonchalantly made their way into the alley between the Shiloh Inn and the next motel. The smoke from the illegal incendiary devices was eventually thick enough to burn my eyes, forcing them shut.

I’m not against people having fun. I’m not even against allowing illegal fireworks in designated areas, as long as kids and alcohol are kept from those areas. What bothers me is stating something won’t be allowed, then allowing it. There’s no better way to breed contempt for the law than failing to enforce laws which you’ve stated will be upheld. Children witness such contradictions and grow up thinking that laws are merely suggestions which can be disregarded on a whim.

To my knowledge, no physical harm was done that night, other than the junk being left on the beach, by the thoughtless. Broken chairs, beer bottles, and spent rockets gathered sand and laid forgotten, and the candy man assumed his customary post on Broadway & Columbia as visitors headed home. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what it means when people celebrate our nation’s birthday by ignoring her laws?

On a final note, remember the man who witnessed the search with his kids on the 3rd? That witness was none other than Congressman David Wu. I hope he walked away asking the same questions that I have.