Patriotism, the 4th of July and a good cigar.

Amen brother! Good story Ravyn!

Well said, RAVYN, having been a Marine during the VN era I used to wonder why I had served after we were denounced as stupid, and, amnesty given to those who fled to Canada. Today I know very well that it was so I could look these brave young Americans fighting as we speak in the eye without blinking. Regards

It's a Liberty weekend for me.

My brother was overseas for the 4th (for 18 months in Afghan) with Task Force Liberty. While he was gone, his wife got a new puppy Liberty (Libby) to keep her company when the kids were out. So I naturally collected the Camacho Liberty's from all the years and even found 2003 Liberty's with our birth years as their numbers so my brothers and I could share them when he gets home.

We'll do it again this year. :wink:

Every 4th of July, I read a book of quotes, handed down from my down deceased grandfather (who also taught me the art of the cigar). I have added some quotes I have come across and scrawled them in the margins, emply pages, etc. . My family, has had a member serve in each war, all the way up to Afghanistan.

These quotes make me think, and hope it does the same to you....]


The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. ~Thomas Campbell

Freedom is that instant between when someone tells you to do something and when you decide how to respond. ~Jeffrey Borenstein

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. ~Edward R. Murrow

You cannot parcel out freedom in pieces because freedom is all or nothing.--Tertullian

When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered.-- Dorthory Thompson

Freedom is like taking a bath -- you have to keep doing it every day! -- Florence Kennedy

It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have these three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence to practice neither. -- Mark Twain.

There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity, hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom.

The other vision finds its roots in the spirit of our founding revolution and in the leaders of this nation who embraced the age of reason. It loves freedom, encourages diversity, embraces science and affirms the dignity and rights of every individual. It sees America as a moral nation, neither completely religious nor completely secular. It defines patriotism as love of country and of the people who make it strong. It defends all citizens against unjust coercion and irrational conformity.

This second vision is our vision. It is the vision of a free society. We must be bold enough to proclaim it and strong enough to defend it against all its enemies. - Rabbi Sherwin Wine

And a few cigar quotes I have written down (since I think they are fantastic) as well....
If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, then I shall not go. -- Mark Twain

If I paid ten dollars for a cigar, first I'd make love to it, then I'd smoke it." -- George burns

"If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to,I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral."
--George burns at age 98

There are five things, above all else, that make life worth living: a good relationship with God, a good woman, good health, good friends, and a good cigar. " -- Prince Sinead Yar Maharg

"Blessed be the man who invented smoking, the soother and comforter of a troubled spirit, allayer of angry passions, a comfort under loss of breakfast, and to the roamer of desolate places, the solitary wayfarer through life, serving for wife, children, and friends." --Unknown

And finally a poem to the Cigar....

In Wreathes of Smoke
by Frank Newton Holman

In wreathes of smoke, blown waywardwise,
Faces of olden days uprise,
And in his dreamer's reverie
They haunt the smoker's brain, and he
Breathes for the past regretful sighs.

Mem'ries of maids with azure eyes,
In dewy dells 'neath June's soft skies,
Faces that more he'll only see
In wreaths of smoke.

Ebeu, eheu! How fast time flies--
How youth-time passion droops and dies,
And all the countless visions flee!
How worn would all those faces be,
Were they not swaithed in soft disguise
In wreaths of smoke!


Sorry if this was too long, or on too much of a tangent.... Happy 4th to One and All.

Scott

Absolutely right Ravyn. During my life I earned the Eagle Scout award, worked in law enforcement, and as a teacher. My wife is a high school teacher. The changes I have seen in the young people in this country is sometimes alarming. Then I see them on the news in foreign countries fighting and dying and I realize that some have learned the values that we all hold dear. There is still hope. We may not always agree on the course of action decided on by our leaders, but we can support them, and always support our men and women in the armed forces at home and abroad. God bless and protect them all.

Well spoken Kaz and Scott.....Definately a great Holiday, and one that I believe needs to be approached at first with a heavy heart in rememberence of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line and paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. To me, there is no hero higher, then the one who with little or no regret stares death in the eyes and calls it their duty, to them I tip my hat. But I think after showing respect to those no longer with us, the heart then needs to swell with pride, pride in a country that affords the freedoms and basic rights that we have. Pride in country that brave men and women volunteer, to protect and serve, remember, not everyone across the worlds military has a choice, Americans do! I was never able to serve do to a replaced knee at a young age, but I have always held a deep and sincere respect, and admiration for all those who have served.

So on this 4th of July, I will smoke my cigars and raise a toast to all of the folks serving and who have served in thanks!

Thanks for the right to smoke my stogies Boys!!!

OutStanding Brother!

This weekend we celebrate our independance and we must also remember how we got it and how we're gonna keep it!

The Tree Of Freedom is fed with the Blood of Patriots and tyrants.

Long Live the Republic!

RAVYN, I was saving my last Camacho 2004 Liberty for a special occasion and you’ve just help figure out what that was.

Happy 4th of July everybody!