July 4, 1776

July 4, 1776

A date and a cause that changed the course of history

We are a country founded on the ideals of liberty, personal freedom and independence, and those same ideals still make us who we are today almost 250 years after our founding fathers risked their lives to give us those unalienable rights. We are a country founded on the efforts of Real Men, who were rugged individuals and independent thinkers, men of honor and personal courage, for they fully knew the risks they were about to face.

But they were also men of conviction. Borne true in the words Thomas Jefferson stated as he signed the Declaration of Independence, “We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

And they also knew what the Bottom line was and the consequences awaiting them if they failed, for as Benjamin Franklin then said, “We must indeed, all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately.”

Anyone who knows me knows I have never been shy about letting you know how I stand on things.

I will not retreat into the darkness of night or hide my face behind a mask.

I will not run cowering into the corner. I will not be bullied, intimidated, threatened, cajoled, cudgeled or canceled into keeping my voice silent. For I am not one – I am many.

And a real man stands firm for his convictions against all assaults. A real man is never defined by the judgement of others. He is defined by keeping his convictions at the cost of being judged by others.

In spite of what now seems to be anarchy and chaos among us I know that we are still a conservative nation and that we honor the Constitution and the sacrifice that has been made by so many to defend it. And I know in my heart that we are the majority. But, we are civil, we have manners and we respect the opinions of others. So we do not scream and shout, or do harm or use violence as a tool – no a weapon to get our way. But do not ever mistake my kindness for weakness for we are strong and we are steadfast. And at times when we may feel outnumbered or alone in our beliefs, it is only because they have sought to divide and isolate us. But in this, as hard as they have tried to make it so, they have not nor will they ever succeed in doing so. Let me assure you that in the darkest times of doubt, you are not the last of your kind, for the Bottom Line is that they have now awakened a sleeping giant and filled it with a terrible resolve.

Let everyone know who you are and what you stand for.

Say it loud and Wear it proud – As I do.

Stand Tall – Stand Firm – Stand Strong!

God Bless America

Happy Fourth of July!

Ernest Emerson