Date: Fri 03-Jul-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-Fourth-of-July

Full Text:

ED INK: Showing The Colors

When we put out the flag on Independence Day, we almost always think for a

moment of Betsy Ross and her famous imperative: "Shoot if you will this old

grey head, but spare my country's flag." Fortunately no one is sniping at us

as we put out the flag, except an occasional displaced wasp. We like to

believe, however, that if courage were called for in showing the colors, we

would be up to it.

The Fourth of July, as we celebrate it today, does not require much in the way

of sacrifice ... maybe a little post-picnic dyspepsia, but that's about it.

Great rewards accrue to a free society, and the United States is living proof

of that, so we shouldn't feel guilty about living in a time of peace and

prosperity. We know these rewards have been bought and paid for by generations

of patriots, who, like threads, lead us back through history to the flag of

Mrs Ross, and to that incredible time in our history when the genius of our

democracy emerged from the crucible of British oppression.

Being at peace and prosperous, however, does not absolve us of the abiding

duty of free men and women to safeguard our democratic traditions for future

generations. We venerate the American ideals of self-reliance and rugged

individualism, but a visit to the nearest cemetery should remind us that our

rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are not just individual

rights. They are universal rights. We do not seek them just for ourselves. As

a free people, we insist -- sometimes at the cost of our own lives -- that

these rights apply even to the least of our citizens: the poor, the weak, the

disenfranchised, the old grey heads whose humanity and dignity we should

celebrate as we do our country's flag. This is our duty, and it does require

continuing service and courage, even in the best of times. We like to believe

that we are up to it.