Okay, this is not the montra for avoiding the treadmill, when you have no other option!!! Although I wish it were somedays, this statement, and the flag (Gadsden Flag) are a true meaning of American Independence. Unfortunately, this flag and its accompanying phrase, seem to long be forgotten and are slowly getting nixed out of the American history books. This piece of history, my friends, is one we cannot and must not forget. We also must not forget its "brother" at the time...."JOIN or DIE".
Anyone looking for a solid take on the era of the 1700s should go no further than HBO this weekend and watch the repeats of the miniseries JOHN ADAMS....amazing!
Think about it...."Don't Tread on Me" and "Join or Die" were symbols of patriotism over 200 years ago that truly meant what they said. If the colonies did not join in the fight against Britain, then they would have died...The yellow flag and the snake was a warning to the world that said "Go ahead, we dare you!!!! And if you do, we'll F*^! you up"!!!" If we brought back this symbol for America today, the entire world would just laugh at us and shake their heads. Why? Because since the days Ronald Regan left office we have not shown the world we are the "snake" in that picture...no, instead, we are the snake with its head cut off!!! I can go into several reasons why, but the main reason lies in the end of the Cold War. Bottom line, we need a good, common, enemy that each and every American can identify with. One that, no matter what your background, as an AMERICAN we can look at our neighbor and have common ground to stand up for something together. For 50 years it was the USSR and communism. For a very brief period after 9-11, it was Al Qaeda...however, I think Iraq messed that up. Imagine if after 9-11, GB 43 would have stood at ground zero with the Gadsden Flag and the Stars and Stripes...screaming at Osama..."Don't Tread on Me!!!".
We started off on the right foot shortly after by going into Afghanistan...in my opinion, ALL of our efforts should have been focused there and on the Pakistani border until every last Taliban and Osama was rooted out. BUT we couldn't find Osama, and we knew we could find Saddam...so we went for the low hanging fruit....BAD MOVE, GWB!!! In my opinion, the White House needs Osama for political muscle...why? Simple, answer...we are wimps!!! Instead of going full throttle into he Ahgani region and even into Pakistan, we opted out...as not to offend anybody. Believe me...had we done the right thing here, we would have gained respect of the entire world...including moderate Muslims, while instilling fear at the same time. Iraq, Venezuela, and all the rest would have stopped their sabre rattling and wondered who was going to be next. Instead, we came out with conspiracy theories, pointed the finger, and ran commercials about being tolerant to Islam. As far as Saddam...I really think he was needed in the region...because he would have been the one to attack Iran over the nukes...it would not have been tolerated.
Okay, so you can tell this is a hot topic for me...I guess I think about a lot when I run alone. The bottom line is that I respect the Gadsden Flag and truly believe in the "Don't Tread on Me" principal. I'm not happy with either candidate we have running for office and yes, I'll say it now...Obama is a joke! But really, I don't have much faith in McCain either.
All I ask of those that read this is to take all of this in...especially this 4th of July week. Take it in and be damn proud that you are American!!! If you are a guest here, then take a moment to say thanks, because even though you may not realize it, the U.S.A is one hell of a great place. Think about the Founding Fathers...over 200 years ago, and how sacred that phrase, "JOIN OR DIE" really was to them. Each night, they would fall asleep not knowing if the Redcoats would come and take their families and their lives. Funny...today, I don't think we are that much safer.
Long live the Jeffersonian Democracy!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_flag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_Democracy
2 comments:
Excellent blog entry, Patrick. I agree with you 100%. I will have to do some more reading about US history prior to the War of Independence. I'm happy to say I was approved for naturalization last week and will become a citizen on July 25. Looking forward to it greatly and will be very proud to call myself an American one of these days!
I'm a huge fan of T. Jefferson, Libertarian too boot. I too, love the old "Don't Tread on Me" Flag, I wish it were are national flag.
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