Patriot's Day

 

Stand your ground

Don't fire unless fired upon

But if they mean to have a war

Let it begin here. 

Concord Hymn 

 RALPH WALDO EMERSON

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

   Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood

   And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;

   Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

And Time the ruined bridge has swept

   Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,

   We set today a votive stone;

That memory may their deed redeem,

   When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare

   To die, and leave their children free,

Bid Time and Nature gently spare

   The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Patriot's Day

 

Stand your ground

Don't fire unless fired upon

But if they mean to have a war

Let it begin here. 

Concord Hymn 

 RALPH WALDO EMERSON

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

   Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood

   And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;

   Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

And Time the ruined bridge has swept

   Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,

   We set today a votive stone;

That memory may their deed redeem,

   When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare

   To die, and leave their children free,

Bid Time and Nature gently spare

   The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Patriot's Day 2023

 

Stand your ground

Don't fire unless fired upon

But if they mean to have a war

Let it begin here. 

Concord Hymn 

 RALPH WALDO EMERSON

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

   Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood

   And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;

   Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

And Time the ruined bridge has swept

   Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,

   We set today a votive stone;

That memory may their deed redeem,

   When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare

   To die, and leave their children free,

Bid Time and Nature gently spare

   The shaft we raise to them and thee.

We Are

*This is the post I wrote on the tenth anniversary, but I think it deserves a re-run.  We no longer live in a safe world. And with the current administrations bungling in Afghanistan, it's more dangerous than ever.  We need to remember who we are.  In spite of that mashed potato in the White House, we need to remember that we are We The People.  We are America.  We will hold the line.

   

They thought they'd break us, that day back in 2001. 

They thought they'd break us. 

They thought we'd roll over, give up, submit as so much of Europe has done. 

They thought they'd break us, that day back in 2001. 

But they forgot one thing. We are not Europe. We are America. 

We are the land of Don't Tread On Me. Of Come And Take It. 

Of Patrick Henry. Of John Paul Jones. Of Remember The Alamo.  Of the Minutemen. Of the Tuskegee Airmen. Of Jesse Owens and the US. Track & Field team. 

Of gun totin' rednecks. Country boys and Swamp People. Of "Give me liberty or give me death" and "Choot em!" 

We are America. The land where rights come from God, all men are created equal, and governments that can be altered or abolished. 

America was not always there, like Europe has been. America came screaming into the world in a violent and bloody birth, under the light of the rockets' red glare, to the lullaby of bombs bursting in air. They will not break us. 

For we are strong. 

We will pause this day. We will remember. We will bow our heads and mourn those who were lost. We will pray for the ones who lost them. We will give thanks for those who rushed into burning buildings when everyone else was rushing out. And for those who stepped forward and answered freedom's call.

But we will not break. We will not bow down. We will not submit. 

Then, in one great Nationwide act of defiance, we will go on living our lives. We will go to church. We will go to work. We will barbecue. We will tailgate. We will watch football. 

And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave 

and we will be free.  Because we are 

 America.

Patriot's Day

Note:  I normally post this on Patriot's Day, which is tomorrow, April 19th.  However, tomorrow is also Good Friday, and that takes priority.  Therefore, I'm posting this a day early.  

Never Forget -- Concord and Lexington, and the Shot Heard 'Round The World. 

Concord Hymn

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

   Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood

   And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;

   Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

And Time the ruined bridge has swept

   Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,

   We set today a votive stone;

That memory may their deed redeem,

   When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare

   To die, and leave their children free,

Bid Time and Nature gently spare

   The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Patriot's Day

Concord Hymn

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

   Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood

   And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;

   Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

And Time the ruined bridge has swept

   Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,

   We set today a votive stone;

That memory may their deed redeem,

   When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare

   To die, and leave their children free,

Bid Time and Nature gently spare

   The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Never Forget

Never ever forget.

And this gives me hope for our country:



Close to a million bikers rode to D.C. to ride in remembrance of those who died, and to uphold the Constitution.

But it isn't just the bikers that gives me hope. It's all the thousands of people lining the streets cheering them on.

 It's the flags hanging from the overpasses.

It's the children waving, and the bikers waving back.

 It's because these people, not the government, are all of us.

They are America.

We Are

They thought they'd break us, that day back in 2001.

They thought they'd break us.

They thought we'd roll over, give up, submit as so much of Europe has done. 

They thought they'd break us, that day back in 2001.

But they forgot one thing.  We are not Europe.  We are America.

We are the land of Don't Tread On Me.  Of Come And Take It.

Of Patrick Henry.  Of John Paul Jones.  Of Remember The Alamo.  Of the Minutemen.  Of the Tuskegee Airmen.  Of Jesse Owens and the US. Track & Field team.

Of gun totin' rednecks.  Country boys and Swamp People.  Of "Give me liberty or give me death" and "Choot em!"

We are America. The land where rights come from God, all men are created equal, and governments that can be altered or abolished.   

America was not always there, like Europe has been.  America came screaming into the world in a violent and bloody birth, under the light of the rockets' red glare, to the lullaby of bombs bursting in air.  They will not break us.

For we are strong.

We will pause this day.  We will remember.  We will bow our heads and mourn those who were lost.  We will pray for the ones who lost them.  We will give thanks for those who rushed into burning buildings when everyone else was rushing out.  And for those who stepped forward and answered freedom's call. 

But we will not break.  We will not bow down.  We will not submit.

Then, in one great Nationwide act of defiance, we will go on living our lives.  We will go to church.  We will go to work.  We will barbecue.  We will tailgate.  We will watch football.

And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave

and we will be free.  Because we are

America.