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Show ROLLO-gyphics KLIEN HOLLO The following comments are not original with me but they do express something that I believe is needed in this country. coun-try. Patriotism. Recently a resident res-ident stopped me to suggest that I say something about the disrespect that Is shown our flag in parade. The reference was to the Independence Day parade, but it was evident on Pioneer Day that most people in our community do not respect re-spect the flag. The following is a text tak-en tak-en from the Washington, D. C. based U. S. Press Association publication, and is entitled: "It's Great to be an American." It is not unusual today to hear good Americans complain: com-plain: "I love my country BUT there's a lot wrong with it. )ur foreign policy is terrible , . . Washington is filled with socialists (or opportunists, or eactionists)....our youths are losing all sense of responsi- bility ... I wouldn't send my on to fight in Vietnam and but they were brave and they were courageous, They fought for independence with odds against them and they won. , Tile United States became rich in men and women who could see the beauty of this land, who let It touch their hearts and fire their imagination and who make it a greater land. We haven't changed that much in the past 2U0 years, Being an American is still the richest privilege to be conferred confer-red to anyone. The riches are still here, the goodness is still here. Yes, there are improvements improve-ments to be made but nothing noth-ing is wrong with America that can't be fixed. Our land is too great for hatred, for vandalism, for despair. de-spair. The time has come for loyal Americans to stand up for this country, for its constitution, con-stitution, for its flag. Whatever What-ever may be right or wrong at io moment, it is still our country a country that is every bit worth fighting for, and if necessary, dying for. i lose his life if our government ioesn't care enough to let him know what he's fighting for and doesn't have a policy to win ..." etc., etc. True, there are things that are "wrong" in America .... but not nearly as many things that were "wrong" 200 years ago, or 300 years ago, or even 50 years ago. This country is 'till the greatest nation ever known to man; in terms of hu-.nan, hu-.nan, individual freedom; in terms of opportunity; in terms of material wealth; in terms of our spiritual heritage; by any number of yardsticks, America excells. This is still a country where one can dream and make his dreams come true. Dangerous days? Certainly Cer-tainly but no more dangerous danger-ous than the new frontiers that were faced and overcome were few and they were poor; by the pioneers. The colonists |