With the above words, President Eisenhower was describing what he thought made America strong. But it's that and so much more. America is strengthened by ideals that were not conjured by kings or dictators. These ideals were not contrived to protect the rich, rank one religion over another or to support an elite minority. Rather, these ideals were founded on freedom - the principle that society is better off when ordinary people are given the ways and means to achieve extraordinary goals. And we are a nation of such people.

But what are those ideals? What are the ideals that make America strong?

The Constitution

"We the people.....do ordain and establish this constitution...." In America, the people rule, not kings or emperors or unchangable tradition. I realize that a lot of people were left out of the original document - women, slaves..etc. but at the time of it's inception, nothing had ever existed that was even close to it, no nation had ever been "self-governed". I realize that the Constitution has been changed or added to (amendments) over the years, but that's what makes it work. Our Consituttion is essentually "unfinished" a perpetual work in progress.

The Vote

The right to vote....although many of you might disagree, voting is our way of having a say in the political climate of America. And YES your vote does count. Election day is like a trial and the voters are the judges. We cast our ballots as votes of confidence or no confidence in our governement - we essentially hire and/or fire our representatives. So in practice our liberty derives from the actual and effectual sovereignty of the people made possible by the secret ballot.

Our Military

What is it about the United States and it's military? This is the military of George Washington, George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower. But it's also the military of private and seaman and airman who risked his life at Omaha Beach, Cu Chi, and at Kuwait City as well as in Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan. It's a military in which the officers take care of the troops and the troops take care of the officers. This is the military where everyone enters as equals, where some are designated as officers and some as sargeants or seamen. All have the same degree of dedication to country. They come from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. They come as Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists and they soon learn the goodness of each other and what it's like to be a member of a proud organization. They learn leadership at its best, along with the fairness and the unfairness of life. They may know the pain of losing a comrade who stood by their side. They may have shed tears for conrades lost on battlefields around the world in pursuit of something they knew to be important. And what makes our military most special are the men and women who have, for some reason, seen fit to risk their lives to be in it, to keep America strong.

Our Faith

"No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States."
-George Washington inaugural address.

"Brave and hardy, like the wilderness which they subdued, they could not endure the idea of yielding their independence to even the boldest invader.......In these circumstances, our only method is to resist force with force, to repress the violence which we do not provoke, and to let them know that we will defend with our lives the liberty and the happiness which God has given us."
- Rev. Peter Thatcher referring to those who fought at Lexington and Concord

Patriotism

President Lincoln taught us that a nation divided cannot survive. A true patriot is one who loves, supports, and defends one's country. "Support" and "defend" are the operative words. It is clear that in terms of terrorism, one is either with us or against us. We should be just as clear with patriotism - you are either a patriot, one who supports and defends America, or you are not a patriot. Is your choice clear to you? Your actions make it clear to the rest of us.

Education

"Education, beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of conditions of men - the balance wheel of the social machinery."
- Horace Mann

Giving

Acts of kindness play over and over in thousands of communities across America everyday. Contrary to those who believe neighborliness and generiosity left with the good old days, the fact is we still do our best to help fellow Americans, in good times and bad. We reach out in ways that range from multibillion-dollar endowments to a couple of hours a week playing piano for nursing home residents. We are a giving people.

Diversity

The names of those who lost their loves on Sept. 11 read like a global roll call: Aoyama, Barbuto, Chung, el'Sharul, Frank, Hanson, Intarchz,Ivantovich, Koecheler, Lyles, Mbaya, O'Brien, Ogonowski, Shefi, Vasquez and the list goes on and on for pages. Some 150 nations were represented among the victims of the World Trade Center attacks. If the ethnic origins of all the American born citizens who perished that day were included, the number of nations impacted by the event would probably be even more. One does not need a tragedy yo remind us of America's diversity. "The diversity of America has always been a great strength of this country. Here you can be proud of your cultural heritage, proud of your ancestry, proud of your native language, and still be a proud American".
- President George W. Bush

Opportunity

The liberty to choose one's own destiny makes the United States a jewel among nations. More than any country in the world, America is the land of opportunity. This is usually understood in economic terms: the ordinary person has a better shot at success in the United States than anywhere else in the world. America is the only country where we are the architects of our own destiny. This is the place where we get to write the scripts for our own lives. If there is a single phrase that captures this, it is the "pursuit of happiness." America doesn't guarantee happiness but it guarantees you the opportunity to discover happiness for yourself.

Humor

The ability to laugh, even in the wake of tragedy, sets us apart. "I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful."
-Bob Hope

Heroes

Heroes - dedicated, selfless, brave, courageous. These words describe a group of human beings who are different from most of us. Theirs is not a job, it is a calling. They are fiercely proud of what they do and who they are. We were not surprised when we learned that more than 10% of the fatalities at the World Trade Center were olice officers, firefighters and EMTs - specifically 338 firemen, 23 New York policemen, and 47 Port Authority Police officers. These brave men and women saved tens of thousands of lives and sacrificed their own. They are truly American heroes. May God bless our emergency workers!!

All of the above are an influence of the strength that America enjoys, but there's more. It takes you and I, living our lives in a way that brings honor to ourself, our family, our neighborhood, our hometown, our state and our country. And as long as we do that, we are doing our part in keeping America strong and the best place this side of heaven to live.

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~Note: Some content adapted from "The American Legion" magazine.

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