Archive for the Let's Learn from History Category

Happy Independence Day!

July 6, 2008 by admin.

I realize this is a couple of days late, but I just came across another sound clip that reminded me of this one. Below is transcript of the attachment given by comedian Red Skelton on 14 January 1969. (You can download the commentary in mp3 format at the bottom of this entry.)

When I was a small boy in Vincennes, Indiana, I heard, I think, one of the most outstanding speeches I ever heard in my life. I think it compares with the Sermon on the Mount, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and Socrates’ Speech to the Students.

We had just finished reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he [Mr. Lasswell, the Principal of Vincennes High School] called us all together, and he says, “Uh, boys and girls, I have been listening to you recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester, and it seems that it has become monotonous to you. Or, could it be, you do not understand the meaning of each word? If I may, I would like to recite the pledge, and give you a definition for each word:

I — Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge — Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity.

Allegiance — My love and my devotion.

To the Flag — Our standard. “Old Glory”; a symbol of courage. And wherever she waves, there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts “Freedom is everybody’s job.”

of the United — That means we have all come together.

States — Individual communities that have united into 48 great states; 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country, of America.

And to the Republic — A Republic: a sovereign state in which power is invested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern; and the government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation — Meaning “so blessed by God.”

Indivisible — Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty — Which is freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice — The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For All — For All. That means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.

Now let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

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

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said, “That is a prayer” — and that be eliminated from our schools, too?

Click here to download the Commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton

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What if today’s mentality were around during WWII?

June 6, 2007 by admin.

As some of you may know, 63 years ago today was D-Day. It is a day that we should never forget. Millions of people owe their lives and freedom to those soldiers. However, one thing that many people do not know is that 749 America soldiers lost their lives in a single training exercise in preparation of the D-Day invasion. Yes, you read that correctly; they died while practicing the invasion landing.

I find myself wondering how different the war would have turned out if that eras society had the same mentality that it does today. Let’s imagine that what happened 64 years ago were happening now, the same people we have now, would still be around, but instead of being in the middle of the the war in Iraq, we were in the middle of WWII. Would Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in the training exercise, have called the whole invasion plan a travesty and demanded that we retreat immediately and that all soldiers return home? Would Hillary Clinton, who, was for the war when Japan invaded Pearl Harbor, have flip-flopped when we lost ship after ship to the German U-boats? Would CNN emphasize that according to some estimates one in 26 Merchant Marines were loosing their lives?

We can only be grateful that these people were not around during WWII. Had WWII’s society had the same mentality that society does now, would we have given up the war and retreated when things were not going as well as everyone hoped? If so, would the D-Day invasion have never happened. German could have been the national language of France. Marxism and Nazi-ism would have spread all over the world. We should be get down on our knees and thank God that it didn’t happend that way. Maybe we should then look back in history and see that giving up and retreating never amounted to anything good; staying the course only maintained our freedom and brought that freedom to others.

Well, those are my two cents. I would love to you to post yours. Feel free to post your comments.

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