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Ed Phillips' Arizona Almanac

"The Way of Life Called Arizona"

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234 Years of the Spirit of Liberty

In the hot desert wind today, something caught my eye. The bright sun was illuminating the colors that have come to represent the liberty that each American citizen enjoys. Waving in the breeze was not only a single flag, but a long winding row of them.

The scene was more poignant for me since it was not a celebration by Government.

It was not part of a military celebration either.

It was a private company that was, in a small way, saying thanks.

Thanks to all of those before us, upon whose shoulders we stand, that have fought and died to keep us free. That freedom is what has enabled that company and countless thousands of others to thrive. Their success has helped to make us the most successful country in the history of the World.

Pausing to take in the moment, I sighed when the thought of an expanding Government and our inconceivable debt crept into my consciousness. What we are passing to our progeny would have the founders of our nation stunned in disbelief.

Then I caught myself and thought more deeply about those flags. They are only colored cloth, but what they represent is still the nation that is a living and breathing organism still yearning for that freedom for which our forefathers sacrificed. 

Our strength is in our faith and in our people. We will survive our current troubles. We will not be the same any more than our parents and grandparents were the same after two World Wars and a Great Depression. But as an entire Nation, our spirit is strong, our goals honorable and freedom is still our passport to the future.

Today, I was again very proud to be an American.