{"id":702,"date":"2011-07-04T23:56:26","date_gmt":"2011-07-05T03:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/?p=702"},"modified":"2011-07-05T08:49:35","modified_gmt":"2011-07-05T12:49:35","slug":"july-4-2011-235-years-of-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/?p=702","title":{"rendered":"July 4, 2011: Reflections about my adopted country"},"content":{"rendered":"

We got back earlier tonight from a celebration of Independence Day with the usual fireworks display. <\/p>\n

The longer I have lived in the US, the more I have come to appreciate the greatness of the country and its people. Sure, we make our share of mistakes but there is no other country in the world that so many people aspire to live in, if they just had the opportunity.<\/p>\n

There is no question in my mind, that my decision to come to the US in 1971 was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself and my family. I was able to sponsor my brother and his family and I know that he feels the same way about this country and what it has offered to him and his family. Having lived for varying lengths of time in India, Kenya and the United Kingdom, there is no question in my mind that I have the greatest sense of “belonging” to the US – and this is not a knock on any of the other countries where I have lived. Each of those countries were important in molding me into what I am today!<\/p>\n

The US has been correctly described as a land of opportunity and a nation of immigrants; unlike other countries, it is generally welcoming of immigrants and the dynamism of the country is in large measure because of these immigrants. As Mort Zuckerman said about the US:<\/p>\n

“Immigrants come to America for many reasons, but mainly they come because it’s the land of opportunity and upward mobility where achievement is more important than inheritance. Uprooting themselves from the familiarity of family, community, and even language and culture, they are self-selected risk-takers, which is why they tend to be hardworking, self-starting, creative, and smart. It’s also why immigration has been such an economic plus for America and why so many of us look so favorably on legal immigrants.”
\n<\/em>
\nSo, my posting for today is a tribute to USA <\/p>\n

For the Love of Lady Liberty<\/strong>
\nHer shining beacon held aloft.
\nabove a radiant crown,
\nsending the light of liberty
\nacross the seas<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/center><\/p>\n


\ninviting the huddled masses,<\/strong>
\nthe forlorn, the impoverished,
\nthe down-trodden, the imprisoned,
\nthe beleaguered,
\nthose who suffered, subsisted,
\nsurvived and endured
\nconditions of tyranny, brutality and oppression
\nyearning to breathe free.<\/strong>
\nRespecting the laws of this land,
\nmany came and answered the call,
\nto see for themselves,
\nand seek out what had been
\noffered and promised:
\nchances to be able to live a life
\nworth living,
\nfinding, however, that it came with
\ntasks and duties to be mastered,
\nthat freedom sought
\nwas not just free for the taking.
\nFreedom came with a guarantee,
\nfor all willing to pay the price
\nof commitment and dedication
\nto the causes of liberty.
\nLet no-one compromise,
\n shortchange, undercut or circumvent
\n the profound meaning
\nof the message of liberty.
\nLet no-one betray the promises made
\ngiven, earned and guaranteed
\nLet those in government at all levels
\nabide by the rules and laws,
\nstatutes and edicts,
\nrespecting the imitations of power, upholding
\nThe Constitution of the United States,
\nand
\nThe Bill of Rights.
\ndoing their sworn duties
\nto protect and defend our rights
\nto life, liberty and justice for all
\nRemember today
\nall who had gone before,
\nand who had sacrificed,
\nnot for transient causes,
\nbut for the perpetuity and permanence
\nof liberty and freedom.
\nCelebrate the day
\nwith sincere thoughts
\nof rededication and loyalty.
\nLady Liberty,
\nnoble, serene, and confident,
\nwill show you the way!
\nJust look for the beacon
\nheld high,
\nshining the light of liberty
\nfor all to see
\n.<\/center><\/p>\n

Thanks to Gerhard A. F\u00fcrst for providing the above tribute<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We got back earlier tonight from a celebration of Independence Day with the usual fireworks display. The longer I have lived in the US, the more I have come to appreciate the greatness of the country and its people. Sure, we make our share of mistakes but there is no other country in the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":964,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions\/964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephclan.com\/tjblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}