DAD, WHAT's UNABHÄNGIGKEITSTAG?

Vanity | July 4, 2024 | nathanbedford

[nathanbedford]

DAD, WHAT's UNABHÄNGIGKEITSTAG?

"Is that when the thirteen colonies broke away from England?" My ten year inquired out of nowhere at 6 AM German time this morning. "Yeah, why do you want to know, eat your breakfast," I mumbled, too sleepy to be very curious. "Because I am afraid my teacher will ask me, since I am wearing this T-shirt and I'm the only American in the class." With an effort, I adjusted my gaze upward to his white T-shirt. It was brand new. Prominent on his breast was an image of the flag and below that:

OLD NAVY

FREEDOM 2005 TRADITION

Waking up now, I reflected that if the Old Navy company could so shamelessly trade on the image of the flag, it ought in decency at least amend the line below to:

FREEDOM 2005 COMMERCE

But then I thought, what could be more traditional in America than commercializing the flag?

"Waddayamean, you're the only American in class, what's that got to do with the Fourth of July?" My paternal antennae were also coming to life. I remembered that the kids had sometimes returned from Gymnasium, German high school, and recited seemingly off-hand remarks from professors disparaging America and especially George Bush. Some of the hearsay reports had been pretty rough, describing America as killing Iraqis or causing global warming and the like.

"I think he will call on me to explain the Declaration of Indepencence to the whole class," masking his apprehension. "So, what will you tell them?"

"That is how we got free of England," he replied, in German. "That's right, as far as it goes. Never mind breakfast, lets get to the computer, it time to search FreeRepublic." A few minutes later we had a copy of the declaration printed out, with the font changed to italics for psuedo verisimilitude to the venerable document.

"There is actually a couple of ideas in here that are more important than announcing our break with England," I said, highlighting with a yellow marker this passage:

that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights

And this passage too:

Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed

"This means that who you are, what rights you have, come directly from God and not from the government. In fact, the government is there to serve you, as a child of God, not the other way around, and when the government takes away your rights, the government is not legitimate, and you can change it."

"What's legitimate?" Ah, " berechtigt," I answered. I must have gotten it right for he seemed satisfied with the translation and his Deutsch is better than mine. Handing him the printout, I said, "take this with you, read it on the bus, and when you get to class you tell them these ideas are America's gift to the world. A lot of people in Europe think your rights come from the government, not the other way around. No one had ever done this 'for real' before. Look what it says here just before where they signed it, it means they knew they were risking their lives:"

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor

"OK, dad, see ya."

An hour later, his mother asked me, "Did you give him a printout of the Declaration of Independence?" "Yup," I proudly responded.

She laughed, "He said, 'Dad really expects me to read this on the schoolbus'"

[nathanbedford]

Every year my wife asks, "are you going to post your vanity about the Declaration of Independence again this year?" Her question is really rhetorical, she knows I intend to post it because it has become a tradition in the family much like whether your family opens your Christmas presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. A family tradition for us as familiar as Thanksgiving turkey.

For us, living as we do here in Germany, it is our way of holding fast to our America. Every year we keep the tradition and then await the reactions of FReepers which have been consistently gratifying and even heartwarming.

So the tradition goes on well into its second decade as the imperative to cling to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution becomes more urgent as our country founders in the midst of a terrible cognitive break down imposed upon us by a stealthy marxist ideology that despises the nation created by the very Declaration of Independence we conservatives properly revere today.

We are buffeted by a sinister and powerful philosophy, Marxism and its evil issue, arrayed against the principles which founded America. There is not a single American institution of note that has not been co-opted by this pernicious and mortal doctrine. Our representative democracy is rendered more vulnerable, almost defenseless, by the malevolent censorship of media in league with a government regime bent on establishing one party rule. No honest patriot can confidently believe in our institutions and certainly no thinking person believes in the integrity of our elections. The judiciary as with virtually every major institution, rather than acting as the Protector of the Constitution, seems to have turned its face from us.

The 10 year old boy in the anecdote exchanged his Tee shirt for a tie and a real suit years ago and we all went proudly off to his German high school graduation, his Abschluss from Gymnasium. Our parental expectations had been, to paraphrase John Kennedy, to send him into the world and onto college equipped with the best of both worlds, a German education and an American birthright, bequeathed to him by the founders in the Declaration of Independence. Recently, he graduated from University.

He has a piece of paper, written out in German, certifying his accomplishment of the course of study laid out in an elite German high school. There is a piece of parchment reposing in the Library of Congress drafted by Thomas Jefferson but written in blood at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, Chosen Reservoir, Tet, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan.

Both belong to him.... If he can keep them.

Happy Independence Day to all from all of us in Germany!

[KC Burke]

Greetings to you fine fellow.

[budj]

And don't forget to thank Charlie!

[libertylover]

Our representative democracy is rendered more vulnerable, almost defenseless, by the malevolent censorship of media in league with a government regime bent on establishing one party rule.

Yep! See Tagline.

No honest patriot can confidently believe in our institutions and certainly no thinking person believes in the integrity of our elections. The judiciary as with virtually every major institution, rather than acting as the Protector of the Constitution, seems to have turned its face from us.

Sadly, truer words were never written. Thanks for your comments.

[The Mayor]

Thank you! I can’t believe that in over 20 years I have missed this.
Well said and bravo!

[PGR88]

DAD, WHAT's UNABHÄNGIGKEITSTAG?

I think its a large cabinet sold at Ikea.

[C210N]

DAD, WHAT's UNABHÄNGIGKEITSTAG?

That's exactly something that bidAn would say.

[FLT-bird]

There’s much more in there and the federalist papers and the anti Federalist papers and the Constitution it would behoove Europeans BESONDERS DEUTSCHE to learn.

The first amendment....your god given right to say whatever you think. If it hurts somebody else’s feeling that’s just tough crap for them. There is not a damn thing they can do about it.

The 2nd amendment....since you are a citizen and not a slave, you have the right to defend yourself and the government cannot take that away. In fact since....key part here WEIL REGIERUNGEN KANN MAN NIEMALS VERTRAUEN, MUESSEN SIE NIEMALS EIN MONOPOL AUF GEWALT HABEN.

Have the German kids and most especially their teachers read and hear that one multiple times until it starts to sink in.

These two alone will cause their heads to explode. Frag’ mich wie Ich die Deutsche Weltanschauung so gut kennen......... :^)

[Man from Oz]

Greetings and Happy Independence Day to you and your family from Manhattan, Kansas!

[Alas Babylon!]

Good for you!

I lived off base in Hohenecken (outside Kaiserslautern).

I used to have a big party on July 4th and invite all my German friends. I then read them parts of the Declaration, as you have outlined.

[aklurker]

That was my take as well, sounds like a Biden created word...

[FamiliarFace]

Happy Independence Day!

May God bless this great country!

[Fiji Hill]

On July 4, 1968, I was sojourning with a German family in Kindenheim, West Germany. I told them, "heute ist Unabhängigkeitstag" (today is Independence Day) and explained its significance. We couldn't celebrate with fireworks, so instead, we drove down the German Wine Highway (Deutsche Weinstrasse) to Bad Dürkheim for some food and white wine.

To get there, we passed through Kallstadt. None of us could have known at the time that this wide spot in the road was once the home of Frederick Trump, grandfather of our 45th president.

[ConservativeMind]

This is a gentle, touching story to share. I do believe your son has gone on to be quite the productive man.

You each have a heritage back here in the United States.

Continue to represent us well, and Nathan, we truly care about each of you.

Thank you for sharing this moment in time with your family.

May God bless and guide you and your loved ones.

[Verginius Rufus]

The “Frank and Ernest” cartoon today has Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and two others at a table and one of them is saying “I think we should start out ‘When in the course of human events...’ Ben...not ‘Inasmuch as King George is a chowderhead.’”

[kawhill]

Greetings and Happy Independence Day to you and your family from Windom, KS!

[Billthedrill]

And a Happy Independence Day right back atcha!

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America...I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776

"Happy Second Of July" just doesn't have the same ring to it...

[Flaming Conservative]

His mother wore those threads so wonderfully; he cannot hold a candle to her.

[Twotone]

That’s a terrific story, & I’m sorry I’ve missed it if you’ve posted it before. But now I want to know the REST of the story. Was your son actually asked about this American holiday & what was the response to our Declaration of Independence?

It’s been a few years, but I’d read that little study groups had started up in many places in Europe, looking at our constitution. Today I hear more & more ‘collectivist-speak’ here in our country. Terribly sad...

[grey_whiskers]

Happy Fourth, belatedly, considering your time zone.

When in the course of human events...