ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report -20090702

Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable



"My Comments" - Fourth of July is a most special day for me, as daily I take a minute to thank God for the historical wisdom of our founders of the Declaration of Independence, the great men and women whom continue to keep our Constitution pure, and the many members of our US Military, some more than 600,000 Americans whom have given their lives on the battleground, and many others whom have served, and continue to serve so well, protecting our US flag and the freedoms which are represented within the Constitution.

July 4, 2002 is also a day of remembrance as that was the day when I had a stroke. Upon awaking, I had a totally blank mind of any and all words. I did not even know my own son.

My speech therapy gave me required work on a weekly basis. At the time, it was tough for me to add 3 + 3 and come up with an answer of 6; add 4 + 5 and come up with an answer of 9; or to read and understand how simple words were pronounced, and/or what they meant. Oh boy, how blessed I am to recover, be able to read and write for some four (4) to ten (10) hours daily. I may not have totally recovered, but I am getting there. Thanks to God and for all whom have helped me along the way. Fourth of July is America's Birthday! - oyh

We will be taking Friday, July 3, as a ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report "All American" holiday.

God Bless you all!

Oscar Y. Harward



Lee Greenwood - God Bless The USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssIN3ustUw



4th. of July

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acyfaAd1LV8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3D4th%2E%2Bof%2BJuly%26rlz%3D1I7ACEW%5FenUS331US331%26oe%3DUTF%2D8%26sourceid%3Die7%26um%3D1%26ie%3DUTF%2D8%26ei%3D48pDSqDRNJ6qt&feature=player_embedded



"Daily Motivations"

Time, indeed, is a sacred gift, and each day is a little life. -- John Lubbock



"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Romans 16:20

God is more powerful than all the rulers on earth. Do the nuclear capabilities, chemical weapons, and military strength of other countries frighten you? We do not need to fear. The prophet Isaiah writes, "All the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with Him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales." (Isaiah 40:15)

We need not fear that any one person or nation will put God to the test. He is so far above our earthly governments that they can do nothing outside His power. No ruler or army can change any plan that God has made.

God is also infinitely more powerful than Satan and his evil legions. God is not intimidated by the devil's rebellious hatred. God is the Creator; Satan is a created being who can operate only within the prescribed limits God places on him.

The Book of Matthew records Jesus' encounter with two men who were demon-possessed. The demons immediately recognized the Son of God's power by saying, "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" They requested that He let them go into a nearby herd of pigs. He said one powerful word---"Go!" And they did. In response, the pigs ran over a cliff to their deaths. (Matthew 8:28-32, NIV).

As Christians, sometimes we feel that the forces of evil have the upper hand. But our almighty God fights for us. How encouraging it is to know that God is all-powerful!



"The Patriot Post"

I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and glory; I can see that the end is more than worth all the means, and that posterity will triumph. -- John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head! -- John Hancock (attributed), upon signing the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. -- Benjamin Franklin (attributed), at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

The flames kindled on the 4th of July 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, September 12, 1821

"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams

"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams



THE GIPPER

"'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,' Solomon tells us. Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise and hope of fatherhood. Such is the gift that our fathers give us. Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor." -- Ronald Reagan



OPINION IN BRIEF

"The Senate is considering a so-called 'Cash for Clunkers' program. The idea behind the legislation ... is that if you trade in your older car or SUV, the government will provide you with a voucher up to $4,500 to purchase a new car or SUV that is more fuel efficient. Supposedly this would boost new car sales and help the beleaguered auto industry while also reducing global warming. In reality, it's a big government idea with many startling, unintended consequences. Meanwhile, even the intended consequences are bad for taxpayers, because this legislation is estimated to cost between $3 and $4 billion. One unintended consequence of this bill is that it would further hurt the poor. That may seem counterintuitive. Yet the best way for a family to qualify for the program is for it to purchase an overpriced hybrid vehicle. If a family is struggling to put food on the table, even a $4,500 voucher doesn't make such a car affordable. The only way for a low-income family to participate is to incur more debt. If you own a 'clunker,' you would be harmed by this legislation, because it would remove old cars, and old car parts, from the market, making older cars even more expensive to buy and to fix. Because the government plans to destroy the 'clunkers' traded in -- even if they are perfectly good vehicles -- the supply of used cars will dwindle and both used -- and new-car prices will increase. Environmentalists don't see this as a problem, nor do automakers, because they want to use the power of the state to drive new car sales. But conservatives should be wary. As we have seen repeatedly over the past year, when special interests win, the ordinary American loses." -- Heritage Foundation director of U.S. Senate Relations Brian Darling



GOVERNMENT

"Big government depends, in large part, in going around the country stirring up apathy -- creating the sense that problems are so big, so complex, so intractable that even attempting to think about them for yourself gives you such a splitting headache it's easier to shrug and accept as given the proposition that only government can deal with them. ... I get a lot of mail each week arguing that, when folks see the price tag attached to Obama's plans, they'll get angry. Maybe. But, if Europe's a guide, at least as many people will retreat into apathy. Once big government's in place, it's very hard to go back." -- columnist Mark Steyn



"The Web"

96 Hours AFTER the cap-and-trade vote, final bill released

When the Democrat majority in the US House voted on the so-called "Stimulus" (H.R. 1 (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) on February 13, 2009, no member in the House of Representatives could raise their hand to confirm they had read that legislation. Republican Party members wanted to read and understand the Democrat Party so-called "Stimulus" legislation, as the Democrat Party leaders had denied almost all Republican Party members amendments. The Democrat Party leaders pressed on saying that legislation had to be passed that day, and the legislation could not wait until over the weekend, as time was of the essence. Then President Obama did not sign immediately and waited until a ceremonial signing on February 17, 2009 in Denver, CO.

Now the Democrat Party majority has done it again. Earlier in the afternoon/evening, Republican Party leaders asked for the opportunity to wait until Monday, June 29, 2009 to vote on this measure, as a three hundred one (301) pages of amendments had been presented and at 3:09 AM on Friday morning, and the Republican members wanted to read and understand what these Democrat Party amendments would alter the previously presented legislation. Prior to, and upon voting and passing the "Cap and Trade" (H.R. 2454) legislation on Friday evening June 26, 2009, again, no member in the House of Representatives could raise their hand to confirm they had read the amendments and/or the entire legislation.

Is this the legislative activity which "change" America voted for; for elected members on Capitol Hill to blindly vote for unknown legislation? I hope not!

Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio said, "This is the biggest job-killing bill that has ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives. Right here. This bill," - oyh

To read the entire 1428 pages, just click the link below!

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h2454eh.txt.pdf

From Brian M Johnson

http://www.atr.org/hours-cap-trade-vote-final-bill-a3460

I'm no Congressional Parliamentarian, but shouldn't the full bill be released before the vote and not after?

Oh wait...I forgot, Obama didn't really want transparency, he just said he did to get elected. Kind of like that "I won't tax people who make less than $250k" line. I guess people who make less than $250k don't do silly things like turn on the lights or drive to the store - because those are the actions that this bill, supported by the President, will tax.

Click here for the full text of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly referred to as the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade or cap-and-tax bill.



Troubled Seas Ahead

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280542/posts

I'll try to stay off my soapbox, but two points are worth mentioning. First, as noted by McNeal, is that the primary function of the federal government is to provide for the common defense -- not health care, green initiatives (readers: please don't try to combine global warming projections into security, as some are wont to do. It's lame) and corporate bailouts.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that our powerful military exists to prevent a war as much as it exists to win a war. Si vis pacem, para bellum, if you will. One can argue that our strategic nuclear deterrent accomplishes this well enough, but I'm not convinced. I'd rather spend 5%-6% of our GDP on ensuring we never have to suffer through another WWI or WWII. One can argue Vietnam, Iraq, et al... but neither of those conflicts came close to the cost of the major theater level wars -- both in lives and treasure lost.



Judge Puts Boies and Olson’s Prop. 8 Challenge on Fast Track to Trial

To me, it is unbelievable that Attorney Ted Olson would work for the California left-wingers who are making an effort to overthrow the November, 2008 election of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriages. Attorney Ted Olson is fighting for the left-winges and against Liberty Counsel. It bothers me as only a very short years ago, I recommended to President Bush that he consider Ted Olson as a nominee to the US Supreme Court. How wrong I was! - oyh

By Ashby Jones

In late May, shortly after the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, two same-sex couples filed suit in San Francisco federal court, challenging Prop. 8 on grounds that it violated the U.S. Constitution. The lawyers in the case: heavyweights David Boies and Ted Olson.

At the time, as we blogged, the mere filing of the complaint stirred up some controversy, even among other Prop. 8 opponents, who fear that setting a case on the path to the U.S. Supreme Court may not be the best strategic move.

Well, on Tuesday, the case took a baby step closer to the Supreme Court when the judge assigned to the case, San Francisco federal judge Vaughn Walker, said that while he was inclined not to issue an injunction halting the application of the law, he was eager to set the case on a fast track to trial. Click here for the SF Chronicle article.

Trial? Trial, you say? We had the same question — figuring if there was ever a case that could be disposed of by motions, it was this one. But, according to this article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Walker said the case raises numerous issues that may need to be considered at a trial, including the history of discrimination against gays and lesbians and the intent and effects of the state constitutional amendment.

Attorney Brian Raum of the Alliance Defense Fund, representing sponsors of Prop. 8, said he sees no need for a trial. “We think this is an issue of law” that does not depend on disputed evidence, Raum said. For example, he said, questions of past persecution of gays and lesbians are irrelevant because Prop. 8 allows them to marry, as long as they wed someone of the opposite sex.

Olson and Boies argue that Prop. 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by violating both the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process right as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Guarantee.

Olson said he was pleased with Walker’s approach, even though the ballot measure will remain in effect.

“He’s taking the case very seriously,” Olson said. “We’re prepared, willing and able to move as fast as the judge is willing to go.”



The Declaration of Independence

Military.com

http://www.military.com/independence-day/the-declaration-independence.html?ESRC=vr.nl

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country. We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration.

More Fourth of July Articles
The History of Fourth of July
2009 Fourth of July Celebrations
Soldiers in Iraq Mark Fourth of July
2009 Fourth of July Concert
Reminder to Celebrate Responsibly
Fun Facts About the Fourth
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.

They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton






* Independence Day July 4th *
On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream.

The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations.

We invite all nations to celebrate with Americans online this Fourth of July.

Happy Birthday, America!

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”



Full text of the Star Spangled Banner

http://usacitylink.com/usa/?file=/citylink/usa/ssb.html

"The Star Spangled Banner"

The Defense of Fort McHenry by Francis Scott Key
20 September 1814

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!



The History of Fourth of July

Military.com

http://www.military.com/independence-day/history-of-independence-day.html?ESRC=army.nl

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event.

Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence, although the resolution was not followed up on immediately. On June 11, consideration of the resolution was postponed by a vote of seven colonies to five, with New York abstaining. However, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case for independence. Members of the Committee included John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. The task of drafting the actual document fell on Jefferson.

On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, New York not voting. Discussions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence resulted in some minor changes, but the spirit of the document was unchanged. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"

Today, the original copy of the Declaration is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and July 4 has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day the United States laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation.



"Once upon a time there was honor among men."

Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up.. It was ready to fall out of the sky. Then realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to it. Now read the story below. I think you'll be surprised......

Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton , England .. His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.

After flying over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.

Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.

Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.

When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.

More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.

They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.

Research shows that Charlie Brown lived in Seattle and Franz Steigler had moved to Vancouver , BC after the war. When they finally met, they discovered they had lived less than 200 miles apart for the past 50 years!

http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp



"The e-mail Bag"

MARRIAGE SEMINAR

While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, "It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes."

He addressed the man, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"

Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?



CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles. The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.

He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.

She directs him down the correct aisle.

A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.

She says, confused, "Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?

He answers, "You see, it's like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper.

So, I figure if I have to roll my own ........... so does she.