Once again, the Fourth of July holiday hovers just over the horizon. Perhaps by the time you’ve read this, Dear Reader, it will already be past.
It was 247 years ago, after a tedious time of separation from the “Mother Country”, resulting in the Revolutionary War, that our great nation officially came into existence.
Time wreaks many changes. There was a time that the school day began with the reading of a selection from the Bible, prayer was said, and the pledge to the American flag was dutifully recited.
By the time I became a student in elementary and high school, not every class did some or all of these things. I can remember the Pledge to the American Flag and use of the Bible as a prominent part of the “Thought of the Day” during 4-H meetings. I remember that every day, right before lunch, in Florence Chesney’s third grade, we recited a prayer, the same prayer:

God is great,
God is good,
Let us thank Him
for our food. A-men.

Even if we had a substitute teacher, we let that person know that we prayed before the meal.
In sixth grade at Maynardville Elementary and at Horace Maynard High School, the electoral system and civics were taught. There is undoubtedly a star in the crowns of my sixth and seventh grade social studies teacher Ann Crass and the legendary Harrell Edmondson, both who so faithfully taught scores of students love of country through study of the American system of government.
We were taught to revere our founding fathers. Their humanism and faults were downplayed, and that perhaps gave us a biased view that the founders of our nation were perfect, flawless individuals. Our young minds were not polluted with knowledge of the sometimes-corrupt dealings of some of our nation’s earlier leaders.
Later in-depth studies of history taught me that a lot of the information we were taught was possibly inaccurate, due to legends that were constructed to make the early figures of our nation’s history iconic to succeeding generations. For example, did George Washington actually chop down the cherry tree? Did Paul Revere singlehandedly warn the Bostonians of the British invasion? Was Ann Rutledge Abraham Lincoln’s first and only real love? Was Lincoln as honest as he was depicted? Did Lincoln actually write the Gettysburg address on the back of an envelope?
An in-depth study of history will demonstrate that our founding fathers were very human, even carnal at times; however, our young minds were not corrupted with knowledge earlier in our lives than our maturity might have been able to understand and accept. On the flip side, this withholding of information gave generations the idea that the early figures in American history were godlike, infallible.
One thing that promulgated the myths surrounding our revered American historical figures was lack of access of information. There was no social media to portray news (whether “real” or “fake”) instantaneously to the entire world. If anything, instant access to information has made it easier for the characters of anyone, especially politicians, to be tarnished.
It does seem, for whatever reason, that people wish to believe the worst. If Person A tells 99 wonderful things about Person B to Persons C through Y, chances are those kind things will rarely be repeated. But when Person A tells Person Z one bad thing about Person B, everyone from A to Z will know about that, almost immediately.
To show how bad things have become, I’m going to share with you, Dear Reader, a few of the things that I have received recently in emails that are negative toward the leaders of our nation and world.
Rather than talk about the virtues of democracy, I recently was informed of coinage of a new word—ineptocracy. This is defined as a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers. There are supposedly T-shirts with this word that have been sold on eBay. It has been predicted that this brand-new English word describes not only the present but our future.
It seems the evening news (which I’m sure is watched less by more now than ever) is where they begin with “Good evening”, then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
Someone noticed that when the two words “The” and “IRS”, put together, spells “Theirs”.
Another noted that “a penny saved” is obviously the result of a government oversight.
A recent email I received credited a United States senator to have said that he believed that “America was founded by geniuses but is now run by idiots”. Regarding voting, he was credited to have said that “we need an election day, not an election month” and that “you should be able to prove you are who you say you are when you vote”. Additionally, he offered free advice to friends, “If government tells you not to buy a gun, buy two”.
Someone else supposedly said, “We don’t let athletes bet on games they have the ability to influence. Why do we allow Congress to invest in companies they regulate?”
Yet another was quoted, “We’re churning out a generation of poorly educated people with no skill, no ambition, no guidance, and no realistic expectations of what it means to go to work.”
I have many more examples I could share on this line of thinking, but perhaps this one will summarize the general thought: “Is this a great description of America: Andy has left town and Barney is in charge?”
A lot of negativity is out there, and it is by such a focus on the negative that the positive will be oblierated. President John F. Kennedy had it right when he urged each individual American, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country.” Spreading negativity is not the answer.
I remember a slogan from the days of the Family Channel—"Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, Tune in to the Affirmative”. If you are like me, Dear Reader, it is all too easy to focus on the negative. Let’s use our energy to try to build each other up. Perhaps that will spread to those around us. Instead of complaining about bad situations, let us seek to find solutions, not excuses. America is not perfect—it has problems, as do we all. Yet America remains the best nation we have. Let’s try to build her up, not help others tear her down.
Happy Fourth of July to you, Dear Reader, Happy 247th, America, and thank you both for being you.

HAPPY EMAIL THOUGHTS

I just got a full tank of gas for $22.
Granted, it was for my lawn mower,
but I trying to stay positive.

Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's, radios nor internet, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to “go sip” some Ale and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times. “You go sip here” and “You go sip there”. The two words “go sip” were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term “gossip”.

I dropped out of the Communism class because of lousy Marx.

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are “ XL”.

If money doesn't grow on trees, how come banks have branches?

Survival Tip: If you get lost in the woods,
start talking about politics,
and someone will show up to argue with you.

"Getting older.
I used to be able to run a 4-minute mile,
bench press 380 pounds,
and tell the truth."
-- Conan O’Brien

“I have wondered at times about what the
Ten Commandments would have looked like
if Moses had run them through
the U.S. Congress.”
-- Ronald Reagan

When you do squats,
are your knees supposed to sound like
a goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?