A View from the Country

Al Holman, Publisher
July 01, 2011

Here it is the Fourth of July - the time every year when we celebrate our declaration of independence from an oppressive government. It is interesting that very same government is arguably now one of our greatest allies. We as a country have a history of being involved in the global fight for democracy wherever it may be.

Our founding fathers got together and wrote some of the most powerful words to describe and justify the foundation and future of our country. The document started with:

"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."

No more powerful words have ever been written in my opinion to explain and justify the formation of a government. Over the years we have gotten involved in freedom fights all over the world and in most cases we have gone into these fights believing that our leaders understood the long term costs and also believed that they had some idea as to how long it would last. We have always known that there would be cost in that involvement.

We often forget that this country has always come together and paid the price to maintain this Union, which in and of itself helps explain in some part our propensity for jumping into others' fights for freedom. Every time this country, this Union of States, is asked to help - men and women come forward to serve. Make no mistake, throughout history, freedom has always had one price that is paid. That price is the blood of our servicemen and women. Now at this moment in our history they are all volunteers; they have come forward from large towns, small towns and rural America to serve. What better statement of memory and celebration of our July 4th 1776 document that set the course of our country than to thank and recognize our servicemen and women.

This issue of The Town Crier contains a centerspread that we have talked about doing for some time. I am pleased to offer this as a public thank you to our military men and women for their service to our country and there personal sacrifices and the sacrifices that their families make everyday. Every time I see a service person in uniform or recognize one out of uniform I make a point of shaking their hand and thanking them.

And that's looking out my window, thanking those who come forward to volunteer to serve.