Hello Barbara,
I am SO discouraged about the state of our Country & the
socialists in Washington and the monstrous national debt, and
the Dodd-Frank bill ... right now I foresee a bankrupt Country
in the future ... if we even continue to exist. Remember China
is just watching and waiting. I won't be here to see it, but I
hate to leave this legacy to my precious grand nephews and
nieces. We were so great during and after WWII. The decline of
America is so sad.
— Gabrielle
This e-mail came in on the Fourth of July while
Chip and I were at the annual Independence Day party at the home of
Don Feder, who hired me 32 years ago this month as his secretary at
Citizens for Limited Taxation. Two years later, he was working for
the Second Amendment Foundation in Washington state and I was
executive director of CLT.
Don soon returned to Massachusetts and wrote
opinion pieces for the Boston Herald for 19 years; he is now Don
Feder Associates, which organizes conservative events across the
country. For several years, I've been attending the party, which is
organized by his wife, Andrea, and attended by activists across the
conservative spectrum.
We all share a love of America and regard for its
constitution. After the shish kebab, potato salad and corn on the
cob, and before dessert, we gather around Don's pool and read the
Declaration of Independence aloud.
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From left, the Rev.
Brenda Bennett of Topsfield, Edward F. King (founder of
CLT), Christen Varley of the Boston Tea Party, her
husband Tim, Don Feder looking on, and Dan Hogan of NH,
listen as Barbara reads her poolside part of the
Declaration of Independence. |
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This year, I got to read the names of all the
signers. Don had introduced the event by telling us what happened to
all those brave men, many of whom, after pledging their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor, lost all but the last during the
Revolutionary War.
Chip and I took Chip's dad, WWII veteran Woody
Ford, who was delighted by this commemoration of the true meaning of
the Fourth of July. He also enjoyed another of its expressions that
evening during the Boston Pops concert, when Toby Keith sang
"American Soldier" while the cameras flashed on the servicemen and
servicewomen in the crowd. It was, I thought, one of the finest
Esplanade holiday performances ever.
I noticed that many of the younger people in the
crowd knew the words to the old songs during the patriotic singalong.
This validates my response to the July 2 Marist poll, which shocked
some people with its finding that 40 percent of those polled between
the ages of 18-29 didn't know from which country we won our
independence. As usual, I see the glass as half-full or, in this
case, 60 percent full. All it takes is a majority of voters to be
intelligent and well-informed, and we save America!
Before watching the Pops on television, Chip and
I watched the fireworks across Salem Harbor, down the street; an
excellent display, thank you, Salem merchants! Such a great Fourth —
I was still in a very good mood when I received the above e-mail.
Here is my response, which may remind you of a certain letter to
Virginia at another holiday:
Dear Gabrielle,
Sad to say that in the Marist poll, 24 percent of
people our age also didn't know from whom we won independence.
Believe it or not, the best showing was baby boomers, with 79
percent responding correctly. Truth is, all throughout history, a
lot of people have been ignorant and clueless in general. Yet life
goes on.
Specifically to your concern, for the 234 years
since the first Independence Day, there have been socialists and
politicians who don't "get" the principles of the Declaration, the
state of mind that has made America great.
All we need is those who paid enough attention to
know whom we fought in 1776 to also know WHY we fought, and we'll be
OK. We need a majority, this November, to fight not King George, but
our monstrous national debt.
Meanwhile, the British, as well as other European
countries, are realizing they must address their own debt problems.
Yes, it's embarrassing to see President Obama trying to talk them
out of fiscal restraint and urge them to spend even more, but trust
me, Gabrielle, embarrassed Americans are people who will vote for
someone else in 2012. They will also vote for many new congressmen
in 2010. Maybe Dodd and Frank will soon be gone.
Interesting you should mention China. I was
pregnant when the Red Chinese got the bomb, and feared that the
child would grow up communist. He turned 46 last week, and the
closest he's come to communist is voting Democrat. Meanwhile, also
embarrassingly, the Chinese are lecturing us about our debt; and
they're potential allies against fundamentalist Islam, which uses
terrorism because it's not smart enough to match our technology in a
real war.
America is having a few bad years, but I believe
we can turn it around — for your grandnephews and grandnieces, for
my grandchildren.
You are not alone in your concerns, many people
share them. Yet a healthy dose of optimism costs nothing and will
inspire many voters to do what needs to be done, come the election.
I trust we'll both be here to see it.
— Barbara