Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois © Bill Oliver 4 July 2006 Vol 5 Issue: #20 ISBN: pending Osiyo, Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt There were thousands and thousands of people out late last night to celebrate our National Holiday in my small town business district. Beginning in the afternoon, every green patch had some activity going on – bar-b-que, hotdogs, elephant ears and other venders – and, of course, music. And, then about eight o’clock the local law enforcement departments from two communities, separated by a river, closed off access to the connecting bridge and set up for a fireworks display later. This crowd was, with one exception, an extremely well behaved group. [And, he I just called a grouch.] His ‘trouble’ was simply one of not liking to be told, that due to any potential emergency, he couldn’t set up his seats in a pathway designated for emergencies. A most grand display of pyrotechnics brought the evening to a close. Even my young granddaughter, who was so concerned that she wouldn’t be able to see them, because she was sitting low and couldn’t see through the lady in front of her, thought they were wonderful and – she had “no trouble seeing them at all”. On this day, Independence Day, America/Americans have reached an unprecedented level of patriotism and enthusiasm for celebration. So, it occurred to me to use some quotes from the famous which illustrate America. For as James T Farrell wrote: “America is so vast that almost everything said about it is likely to be true and the opposite is probably equally true.” I love America more than any other country in this world; and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. ~James Baldwin America is a tune. It must be sung together. ~Gerald Stanley Lee, Crowds There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. ~William J. Clinton The American people, taken one with another, constitute the most timorous, sniveling, poltroons, ignominious mob of serfs and goosesteppers every gathered under one flag in Christendom since the end of the Middle Ages. ~H. L. Mencken Some Americans need hyphens in their names, because only part of them has come over; but when the whole man has come over, heart and thought and all, the hyphen drops of its own weight out of his name. ~Woodrow Wilson America is a nation with many flaws, but hopes so vast that only the cowardly would refuse to acknowledge them. ~James Michener Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian. ~Robert Orben Of all the supervised conditions for life offered man, those under U S A's constitution have proved the best. Wherefore, be sure when you start modifying, corrupting or abrogating it. ~Martin H. Fischer What we need are critical lovers of America - patriots who express their faith in their country by working to improve it. ~Hubert H. Humphrey What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds. ~Will Rogers You cannot spill a drop of American blood without spilling the blood of the whole world.... We are not a nation, so much as a world. ~Herman Melville If America ever passes out as a great nation, we ought to put on our tombstone: America died from a delusion she had Moral Leadership. ~Will Rogers The metaphor of the melting pot is unfortunate and misleading. A more accurate analogy would be a salad bowl, for, though the salad is an entity, the lettuce can still be distinguished from the chicory, the tomatoes from the cabbage. ~Carl N. Degler America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense... human rights invented America. ~Jimmy Carter I just don't know why they're shooting at us. All we want to do is bring them democracy and white bread. Transplant the American dream. Freedom. Achievement. Hyperacidity. Affluence. Flatulence. Technology. Tension. The inalienable right to an early coronary sitting at your desk while plotting to stab your boss in the back. ~Hawkeye, M*A*S*H, "O.R." We have the Bill of Rights. What we need is a Bill of Responsibilities. ~Bill Maher In America, with all its evils and faults, you can still reach through the forest and see the sun. But we do not know yet whether the sun is rising or setting for our country. ~Dick Gregory, 1964 Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally I know she is better than every other country. ~Sinclair Lewis There are some very poignant and some very cynical words above, and no matter what else, the next quote [the last] without a doubt, sums up what I think we are: September 11, 2001: “Today our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the BEST of America.” ~President George W. Bush [emphasis added]. We hope your day was a Happy and Safe Fourth of July, the celebrated birthday of our nation. e-la-Di-e-das-Di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) and Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: PostScript: = = = = http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html