"Re-Writing History Makes Liars Of Us All"
By: Peter Ferrara
Because I do a "live" radio show called "Just For Fun" at WHAY (98.3FM) on Saturday nights from 8pm to 10pm, I only caught the very tail end of the fireworks display in downtown Stearns, Kentucky.
Still, I saw enough to know that it was a magnificent show. As I watched in awe as colors flashed and shells exploded across the night sky, it set me to thinking about why we hold this annual orgy of pyrotechnics. What are we doing this for?
When Francis Scott Key wrote a poem called "Defense of Fort M'(c)Henry" on the morning of September 14, 1814, he had no idea that it would become "The Star Spangled Banner," our national anthem. A lawyer, Key had been sent to secure the release of a friend from a British warship in Chesapeake Bay. He watched all night as the British ship attacked Fort McHenry and when morning came and the American flag still flew over the beleaguered fort, Key was moved to write of "the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air." His poem was published in the Baltimore Patriot, and later set to the music of an English drinking song "To Anacreon In Heaven." Key's creation became our national anthem in 1931. It is that battle in the War of 1812 that we are "re-enacting" when we shoot off our fireworks on Independence Day-- July 4th.
This July 4th has had special significance for those of us living in McCreary County. In a narrow decision, the United States Supreme Court has handed down a ruling which has mightily upset a good many of our fellow citizens. The Court has ruled that hanging the Ten Commandments in our Courthouse violates the U.S. Constitution. The Court reasoned that the Ten Commandments was hung there in order to advance the idea that America is a Christian nation. While Christianity has and continues to play a vital role in our country, we are no more a Christian nation than we are a Jewish or Muslim one. This doesn't mean we are being told to turn our backs on Christ, The New Testament, or the Bible as a whole. What it means is that this great country was not founded on any single religion or set of religious principles. We are "one nation, under God," and not "one nation, under Jesus." If we fail to accept this pillar upon which this country was founded, we fail in our duty as American citizens. In a democracy like ours, when our highest court does something you don't like, you don't "pick up your marbles and go home." You best serve this nation by trying to understand the thinking that went into the decision with which you disagree.
You will hear a lot of people in the days and weeks ahead posturing and pontificating about this Supreme Court decision, but the law of the land is what keeps us free and what defines us as Americans. The Founding Fathers recognized this from the very inception of this country. On that first Independence Day, July 4th, 1776, a handful of the best and brightest generation of leaders and thinkers this country has ever produced put their own lives at risk and wrote a document proclaiming our liberty from the British Crown. When they did, all they had going for them was their belief in the cause of freedom. They were squaring off against the "superpower" of their day, and had no reason to believe their enterprise would succeed. That it did succeed, and that it has survived for 229 years under the U.S. Constitution (okay, 216 years if you date it from 1789) is a testament both to their wisdom and the "consent of the governed," which is all of us as Americans. Democracy isn't perfect. It's messy. It's just better than all other forms of government. Our leaders tell us it's why we're in Iraq, and we sure as heck better make it work at home if we're to have any chance of helping others make it work around the world.
Take out a one dollar bill and look on the back of it. Above the "ONE" are the words "In God We Trust". On either side is the Great Seal of the United States. The front of the seal, called the obverse, shows the bald eagle, our national symbol. Benjamin Franklin favored the turkey, but lost that argument. Above the eagle are thirteen stars, representing the original American colonies which became our first states. Holding the olive branch of peace in one claw, the eagle holds thirteen arrows in the other, symbolizing our nation's strength. There are thirteen stripes on the shield. The founding fathers, particularly one named Charles Thompson who designed the final version of the seal, did not fear the number thirteen.
To the left of "ONE" is the reverse of the Great Seal. This shows an unfinished pyramid with (you guessed it) thirteen "strata," or steps, indicating that America is a work in progress. Above the pyramid floats the all-seeing eye of Providence, with the Latin words "Annuit Coeptis" on either side. This translates into "Providence has Favored Our Undertaking," which acknowledges how often our revolutionary origin was saved from disaster by a benevolent God.
Below are the words "Novus Ordo Seclorum," signifying a "New Order of the Ages." We celebrate that new order every day as we live in freedom and equality under our Constitution, as best as we are able to achieve it.
So before we fall prey to those who wish to re-write our history and replace God with Jesus in our rule of law, I ask that we honor the sacrifice of all who have and currently are risking everything to keep us free. Trust that the Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they established the United States of America under a secular government. We face real enemies around the world who would destroy us and this country if they could. This is not a time for us to seize upon what divides us. If we stand united, we will fulfill the destiny that those who created this country had in mind. If we don't, may God have mercy upon us all. Our history is great. Don't re-write it-- and may God continue to bless America! Happy Birthday, Uncle Sam!
Written By: Peter Ferrara
Peter Ferrara has written and produced for NBC; was a writer for Johnny Carson; has produced numerous major television shows and....has been my friend for what seems like eternity. BluePower wishes Peter and his lovely wife Phyllis a "sparkling" Fourth of July.
Because I do a "live" radio show called "Just For Fun" at WHAY (98.3FM) on Saturday nights from 8pm to 10pm, I only caught the very tail end of the fireworks display in downtown Stearns, Kentucky.
Still, I saw enough to know that it was a magnificent show. As I watched in awe as colors flashed and shells exploded across the night sky, it set me to thinking about why we hold this annual orgy of pyrotechnics. What are we doing this for?
When Francis Scott Key wrote a poem called "Defense of Fort M'(c)Henry" on the morning of September 14, 1814, he had no idea that it would become "The Star Spangled Banner," our national anthem. A lawyer, Key had been sent to secure the release of a friend from a British warship in Chesapeake Bay. He watched all night as the British ship attacked Fort McHenry and when morning came and the American flag still flew over the beleaguered fort, Key was moved to write of "the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air." His poem was published in the Baltimore Patriot, and later set to the music of an English drinking song "To Anacreon In Heaven." Key's creation became our national anthem in 1931. It is that battle in the War of 1812 that we are "re-enacting" when we shoot off our fireworks on Independence Day-- July 4th.
This July 4th has had special significance for those of us living in McCreary County. In a narrow decision, the United States Supreme Court has handed down a ruling which has mightily upset a good many of our fellow citizens. The Court has ruled that hanging the Ten Commandments in our Courthouse violates the U.S. Constitution. The Court reasoned that the Ten Commandments was hung there in order to advance the idea that America is a Christian nation. While Christianity has and continues to play a vital role in our country, we are no more a Christian nation than we are a Jewish or Muslim one. This doesn't mean we are being told to turn our backs on Christ, The New Testament, or the Bible as a whole. What it means is that this great country was not founded on any single religion or set of religious principles. We are "one nation, under God," and not "one nation, under Jesus." If we fail to accept this pillar upon which this country was founded, we fail in our duty as American citizens. In a democracy like ours, when our highest court does something you don't like, you don't "pick up your marbles and go home." You best serve this nation by trying to understand the thinking that went into the decision with which you disagree.
You will hear a lot of people in the days and weeks ahead posturing and pontificating about this Supreme Court decision, but the law of the land is what keeps us free and what defines us as Americans. The Founding Fathers recognized this from the very inception of this country. On that first Independence Day, July 4th, 1776, a handful of the best and brightest generation of leaders and thinkers this country has ever produced put their own lives at risk and wrote a document proclaiming our liberty from the British Crown. When they did, all they had going for them was their belief in the cause of freedom. They were squaring off against the "superpower" of their day, and had no reason to believe their enterprise would succeed. That it did succeed, and that it has survived for 229 years under the U.S. Constitution (okay, 216 years if you date it from 1789) is a testament both to their wisdom and the "consent of the governed," which is all of us as Americans. Democracy isn't perfect. It's messy. It's just better than all other forms of government. Our leaders tell us it's why we're in Iraq, and we sure as heck better make it work at home if we're to have any chance of helping others make it work around the world.
Take out a one dollar bill and look on the back of it. Above the "ONE" are the words "In God We Trust". On either side is the Great Seal of the United States. The front of the seal, called the obverse, shows the bald eagle, our national symbol. Benjamin Franklin favored the turkey, but lost that argument. Above the eagle are thirteen stars, representing the original American colonies which became our first states. Holding the olive branch of peace in one claw, the eagle holds thirteen arrows in the other, symbolizing our nation's strength. There are thirteen stripes on the shield. The founding fathers, particularly one named Charles Thompson who designed the final version of the seal, did not fear the number thirteen.
To the left of "ONE" is the reverse of the Great Seal. This shows an unfinished pyramid with (you guessed it) thirteen "strata," or steps, indicating that America is a work in progress. Above the pyramid floats the all-seeing eye of Providence, with the Latin words "Annuit Coeptis" on either side. This translates into "Providence has Favored Our Undertaking," which acknowledges how often our revolutionary origin was saved from disaster by a benevolent God.
Below are the words "Novus Ordo Seclorum," signifying a "New Order of the Ages." We celebrate that new order every day as we live in freedom and equality under our Constitution, as best as we are able to achieve it.
So before we fall prey to those who wish to re-write our history and replace God with Jesus in our rule of law, I ask that we honor the sacrifice of all who have and currently are risking everything to keep us free. Trust that the Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they established the United States of America under a secular government. We face real enemies around the world who would destroy us and this country if they could. This is not a time for us to seize upon what divides us. If we stand united, we will fulfill the destiny that those who created this country had in mind. If we don't, may God have mercy upon us all. Our history is great. Don't re-write it-- and may God continue to bless America! Happy Birthday, Uncle Sam!
Written By: Peter Ferrara
Peter Ferrara has written and produced for NBC; was a writer for Johnny Carson; has produced numerous major television shows and....has been my friend for what seems like eternity. BluePower wishes Peter and his lovely wife Phyllis a "sparkling" Fourth of July.
