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Show Just a thought By SCOTT SUMMERILL i b True story about 4th J of July revealed The 4th of July is upon us again, and it's amazing how many people ' don't know the real reason for all the hoopla. This, of course, is the day the father of our country, John Hancock, set aside for all Americans from other countries to celebrate the landing of the Mormon Mor-mon Pioneers at Plymouth Rock by setting fire to parklands, forests and other dry grassy areas. We all should remember the story of how Alexander Graham Bell sprang from his cabin when the ark arrived at that famous port waving wav-ing the Constitution, which he wrote during the long voyage across the Pacific Ocean, high above his head and proclaiming with urgent conviction, "The British are coming, com-ing, John, Paul, George and Ringo." When all the people had disembarked disem-barked from the three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, they gathered around a large table that the local Indian chief, Sitting Bull, had decorated with paper cutouts in honor of their arrival, and feasted on turkey, which was later proclaimed the national bird. After the meal. Bell read his document to the group. The crowd was so impressed with the first few words that they decided to sign it so all would know they were in complete com-plete support of the ideas expressed. Unfortunately, not everyone's signature got on the document because of George Washington, who signed it bigger and bolder than anyone else (of course, George was nearsighted and had to wear wooden glasses, so he may not have known he signed his name so big). Even now, more than 200 years later, those famous words that inspired in-spired the pioneers can still be heard on the streets of America every day. Whenever a small group of people gather, at least one will be saying the immortal words, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you." Another incident during that fabulous feast lent to the method by which we celebrate the birth of our nation. During the meal, the navigator of the convoy, George Armstrong Custer, recognized the threat of his small group of pale faces on the survival of the natives and formed the American Civil Liberties Union to fight for the rights of Indians. Together with a well known coppersmith, cop-persmith, Paul Revere, Custer effectively effec-tively eliminated anti-Indian sentiments sen-timents by burning civil rights violators at the stake in Salem, Oregon. Custer later formed a strong alliance alli-ance with another patriot, Benedict Arnold, and came up with the design of the American flag. Once the two had the pattern, they set out to find a quiet, domestic woman to sew it together. Their search, of course, led them to Susan B. Anthony, An-thony, a soft-spoken daycare - 'j operator in Cape C6dl( Massachusetts. Custer's patriotic involvement with the formation of a new nation has recently gained new enthusiasm from many groups, and they are symbolizing their devotion to the ideals of America by combining the most significant of Custer's contributions, con-tributions, the American flag and fire. The history of this nation is full of colorful stories just like this one. But, often they get confused in romanticism and unverified facts. It's nice to know that with diligent research and logical deduction we can sift through the records preserved by our heritage of truth and justice to arrive at an accurate presentation of why we celebrate the 4th of July with cheers and highly combustible materials, i So, keep the home fires burning, and remember the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, "What this country needs is a good five cent cigar. ' ' |