Women In Community Service Inc.

CELEBRATE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

God Bless America, Land that I Love...

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.

Tribute to America

This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
America: The Good Neighbor.
Widespread but only partial news coverage was
given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto
by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television Commentator. What
follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in
the Congressional Record: "This Canadian thinks it is time to
speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the
least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to
a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris
of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and
forgave other billions in debts.

None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its
remaining debts to the United States. When France was in danger
of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up,
and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets
of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that
hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were
flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the
Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged
countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about
the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over
the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane.
Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the
Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10?

If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International
lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land
on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You
talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk
about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about
American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once,
but several times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in
the store window for everybody to look at. Even their
draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our
streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian
laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to
spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down
through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the
Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody
loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of
other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when
someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think
there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is
damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come
out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they
are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating
over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."

One Week Lesson

On Monday there were people fighting against prayer in schools.
On Tuesday you would have been hard-pressed to find a school where
someone was not praying.
On Monday there were people were trying to separate each other by race,
sex, color and creed.
On Tuesday they were all holding hands.
On Monday we thought we were secure.
On Tuesday we learned better.
On Monday we were thought of athletes as heroes.
On Tuesday we relearned what hero meant.
On Monday people went to work at the World Trade Center as usual.
On Tuesday they died.
On Monday people fought the Ten Commandments on government property.
On Tuesday the same people said 'God help us all' while thinking 'Thou
shall not kill.'
On Monday people argued with their kids about picking up their room.
On Tuesday the same people could not get home fast enough to hug their
kids.
On Monday people ran errands, met for lunch, and worked out at the gym.
On Tuesday they stayed home.
On Monday people were upset that they had to wait in line at the bank.
On Tuesday they lined up to give blood for the dying.
On Monday politicians argued about budget surpluses.
On Tuesday, grief stricken, they sang 'God Bless America.'
On Monday we worried about things like the traffic and getting to work
late.
On Tuesday we worried about a plane crashing into our house or place of
business.
On Monday we didn't give people in Afghanistan a second thought.
On Tuesday we saw people in Afghanistan celebrating the deaths of people
in the USA.
On Monday some children had solid families.
On Tuesday they were orphans.
On Monday our president went to Florida to read to children.
On Tuesday he returned to Washington to protect our children.
On Monday we e-mailed jokes.
On Tuesday we did not.
It is sadly ironic how it takes horrific events to place things into
perspective, but it has. Lessons learned in one week, things we have
taken for granted, forgotten or overlooked, hopefully will never be
forgotten again.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you
have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24


Conscience and Conduct

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." --Thomas Paine