4th of July

As I sit here on this 4th of July waiting for my baby Evan to wake up from his nap so we can start our celebrations/festivities .... I am thinking of many things. Some of which I'd like to share. You dont have to agree with all I have to say but these are my feelings and opinions for today :).

*God Bless all of our American Soldiers that have served and protected this country from day 1 through the present, they are in all senses of the word True American Heroes. I saw a guy on the news this morning and I cant remember his name, but he has made it his mission to provide flights from his own personal airplane for the WWII veterans from around the country so they are able to visit the WWII memorial in Washington, DC. What an incredible way to give back to our American Heroes.

*Today also marks the day my Grandmother died in 1966 at the young age of 54. I never met her (duh) but Ive heard a lot about her and I know she was a wonderful lady, after all she raised my mother, who is, as I always say, a SAINT. I know this is a sad day for my mom and her siblings even as they try and celebrate the holiday, sadness lurks in their minds.

*Today has also marked the day of the death of Sen Jesse Helms R-NC, who was also a WWII vet I do believe. I really didnt know much about him, but I read an article online today about his death and the type of man he was serving his time in the US Senate. He did his share of stirring up controversy with his beliefs on certain issues like freedom, Foreign Policy, Bill Clinton, Abortion, United Nations, AIDS, and even at times disagreeing with his own fellow republicans on the issues. None-the-less ... he never forgot where he came from and he always stood for what he believed in no matter what the "in crowed" was doing. I highly respect that in a man, especially one that serves as Congressman. Whether you agree or not with his issues, one has to respect him on that alone. When reading through the article I found myself agreeing with most of his views on the issues. Here are a few quotes that I particularly liked that he has said:

~"Compromise, hell! ... If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?" Helms wrote in a 1959 editorial that foretold his political style.

~"Well, there is no joy in Mudville tonight. The mighty ultraliberal establishment, and the liberal politicians and editors and commentators and columnists have struck out again," he said in 1990 after winning his fourth term

And this is my favorite quote from him:

~ "I will never be silent about the death of those who cannot speak for themselves," he said when speaking on the topic of abortion.