Independence Day

Freedom is Never Free!

This morning I want share some thoughts about our upcoming Independence Day.  You may have heard this before, but freedom is never free!  Consider the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence and what happened to them in the following months:

§  Five were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.

§  Twelve had their homes ransacked and destroyed by fire.

§  Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; two others’ sons were captured.

§  Nine fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.  What kind of men were they?

Well, they were just like you and me.  24 were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants and business owners; nine were farmers and plantation owners. They signed the Declaration knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships and his shipping company burned and destroyed by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in penniless.  

Vandals or soldiers looted many of their properties.  Others had their homes taken over to be British headquarters and when they were done, the homes were destroyed and their families were imprisoned and torn apart.  Most of those men died bankrupt.

These are true stories about the men of the American Revolution. They were well educated and they had their security, but they valued their liberty and freedom more.  Here was their pledge…

"For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of THE divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave us a free and independent America. During the Revolutionary War they didn't fight just the British. They were British subjects at that time and therefore fought their our own government!

Some today take our liberties for granted and many don’t realize we owe a debt of gratitude to the patriots who came before us. So, it’s not just another “holiday weekend” at the beach.  The 4^th is a holiday with a true purpose. 

This is the best weekend of the summer in my opinion.  We have the Freedom Festival, time with family, a picnic, a ball game and awesome fireworks.  At some point pause to reflect on the history, struggle, sacrifice and significance behind your celebration.  Tell your kids and grandkids about this.  

I am very grateful we have an “Independence Day” in America and for those patriots who went before us.  Remember, freedom is never free!  This is our news for this Friday, June 27, 2014.   
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Quote Me

Can I Quote You on That?

Good morning my fellow Rotarians, what a beautiful day in the neighborhood. I always get a good laugh out of funny quotes so I thought I’d share a few with you this morning…

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." -Don Marquis

"People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov

"A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man." -Lana Turner
"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." -Steve Martin

"A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice." -Bill Cosby

"A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths." -Steven Wright

"Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?" -Robin Williams

"The day I made that statement, about inventing the internet, I was tired because I'd been up all night inventing the Camcorder." -Al Gore

"I found there was only one way to look thin, hang out with fat people." -Rodney Dangerfield

"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." -Jim Carrey

"Here’s all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy and men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid." -George Carlin

Can I quote you on that? Everyone have a great weekend and that is the bottom of our news on this Friday, June 13th, 2014.

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News: Fat Labels

New ‘Fat’ Size Labels!

Good morning my fellow Rotarians.  Here are some of the latest REAL news stories that happened just this past week…   

Aubrun, AL, June 5 (UPI) --An Alabama woman was unhurt yesterday after being run over by a train.  According to Auburn police, 22-year-old Lynsey Horne fell asleep on the railroad tracks and was not injured when "a train passed over her."  The train was only two engines and one car and was moving relatively fast and police say she was “very fortunate" she was laying flat on her back and between the tracks.  Capt. Lorenza Dorsey told the paper, "I’ve never seen anything like it."  Horne was charged with disorderly conduct, causing disruption by forcing a train to be stopped and with public intoxication.  She was released from the hospital last night unharmed. 

     

SAGINAW, MI, June 4 (UPI) --A Michigan Family Dollar manager was fired this week after being caught on camera spraying Febreze at suspected shoplifters.  A video showed the manager confronting the shoplifters yelling profanity at them and spraying Febreze in their faces.  "The safety and security of our customers and Team Members is our first priority and we take situations like these very seriously," Family Dollar corporate spokesman said to local media.  "I wasn’t trying to harm anyone,” said the manager, “They were stealing stuff and they didn’t smell nice so I gave ‘em a few shots of Febreze!"  The manager is looking for a new job and has been contacted by Febreze with a potential offer to do a commercial. 

TOKYO, June 4 (UPI) --Most clothing companies offer sizes in small, medium, large and extra-large, but Japanese brand Fatyo has decided to take a less conventional approach by offering four sizes: "Twitch, Skinny, Fat and Jumbo."  Japan often uses alternative sizing labels and their brand ‘Fatyo’ is supposed to promote the idea that fat is "cool." Many people don't like being called fat, however many more don’t like the term ‘twitch’ which is used as a derogatory term for attractive Japanese women who attractive, promiscuous and vindictive.

There you go, can’t make this stuff up, headlines this week.  That’s the Bottom of the News on this Friday, June 6th, 2014!  

       

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