If I was still in school, I would have a great example of why this Country is great to tell. I just spent a week buried neck deep in American History. I went to Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and Washington DC with my wife, kids, and father-in-law. I want to show you a few photos, and then tell you about a demonstration I found myself in the middle of.
Our first full day out was spent in Gettysburg. It was about my fifth trip there, but my family had never been there before. I love the place, and so did the family. This was my first trip since the new visitor’s center opened. It is fantastic. It rained the entire time we were there, but we bought the auto tour CD and saw the battlefield that way. Here are a couple of pictures:
The Angle:
The Lee Monument:
In Philadelphia, we saw Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and many of the sights around the old town. The weather was a little rainy, but the temperature was very nice. In Philly, the entire family participated in an experiment to see which steak sandwich was better, Geno’s or Pat’s. After buying $60 worth of Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, the original vote was 2-2, but my father-in-law said both were good, so Geno’s wins 2-1-1. I liked Geno’s better.
In Washington, we took the Capitol Tour through the new visitor’s center. It was very well organized and time well spent. After that, we went to another of my favorites, Arlington National Cemetery. This was also the first time for the family. This place never ceases to leave me with feelings of awe and thankfulness.
On the second day in Washington, and as I walked up to the front of the White House on 17th Street, I looked to the left and in Lafayette Park, a Pro-Iranian rally was taking place. I immediately told my wife that this is the reason America is an incredible Country. Here was a group of mostly Iranian nationals, peacefully demonstrating within 500 feet of the President of the United States. The group was loud, but I never felt like they were violent. What would have happened if this group was in Iran? They would be getting the crap beat out of them. Look at the coverage out of Iran and how the protestors are being dealt with. This is the same Iran is that Obama wants to engage in talks? We don’t even know if they will survive this crisis. It is the same thing that happened in Venezuela, fake votes to keep a regime in power. I wonder if Carter thought the Iran election was fair too?
Here is my close-up view of freedom of speech in action:
We must all remember that we did not just receive the freedoms we enjoy because we deserved them. Many men and women fought and died to provide us with this gift. Hopefully our use of their gift honors their memory and sacrifice.
