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<B> DAD, WHAT's <I> UNABHANGIKEITSTAG?</I></B><
Vanity | July 4, 2004 | nathanbedford

Posted on 07/04/2008 11:26:03 AM PDT by nathanbedford

DAD, WHAT's UNABHANGIKEITSTAG?

"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 antannae 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 verisimiltude 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'"


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: 4thofjuly; nohtmlintitle
Every Independence Day for several years I have published this vanity which has come to express for our family a great part of the meaning of the Fourth of July. In past years, Freepers have been kind enough to say that they too have enjoyed the post. So I presume to offer it again today.

Happy Independence Day to all!

1 posted on 07/04/2008 11:26:04 AM PDT by nathanbedford
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To: nathanbedford

I enjoyed it! Thanks!


2 posted on 07/04/2008 11:28:43 AM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Barack Hussein Obama=Jimmy Carter Part Deux)
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To: nathanbedford

After 6 years you’re still using HTML tags in the title?


3 posted on 07/04/2008 11:29:22 AM PDT by chesty_puller (70-73 USMC VietNam 75-79 US Army Wash DC....VietNam was safer.)
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To: nathanbedford
Thank you...

BTTT

4 posted on 07/04/2008 11:31:38 AM PDT by mommadooo3 (Old concept in justice. If the law won't take care of it, it's just us.)
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To: nathanbedford

Thank you for the story. What happened at school that day?


5 posted on 07/04/2008 11:33:57 AM PDT by stayathomemom
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To: nathanbedford

He may not have read it on the school bus, but I’ll bet he read it.


6 posted on 07/04/2008 11:38:09 AM PDT by seowulf
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To: nathanbedford

I will email this to my German son. He may be back in Germany, but he would prefer to be back in the U.S..


7 posted on 07/04/2008 11:45:51 AM PDT by notpoliticallycorewrecked ( Support Free Republic)
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To: nathanbedford
True story. My parents went to grad school in Munich. I was in Kindergarten (an international school) when "Watergate" happened. My German teachers asked us what "Watergate" meant to us. I had no idea. I remember being impressed with some kid who wondered out loud if it had something to do with a dam. I went along with that answer. The teacher was not pleased and started screaming at us-how corrupt the US was, how we were killing kids in Asia, etc....

Man, how I wish I could go back in time knowing what I know now. I'd give that *&^% a real history lesson.

8 posted on 07/04/2008 2:08:18 PM PDT by MattinNJ (I can't sit this election out. Obama must be stopped.)
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To: nathanbedford
Thank you for posting this! For me, it's the first time I've seen it.

I love kid/America stories!!

9 posted on 07/04/2008 2:13:40 PM PDT by CAluvdubya (A good man has come home to San Diego! Thank you Congressman Hunter)
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To: chesty_puller
After 6 years you’re still using HTML tags in the title?

And after 10 years you couldn't think of something nice to say? *sigh*

10 posted on 07/04/2008 2:16:23 PM PDT by CAluvdubya (A good man has come home to San Diego! Thank you Congressman Hunter)
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To: chesty_puller
After 6 years you’re still using HTML tags in the title?

I can't wait to read the criticism/critique of the posting's content.

Please, do not disappoint us.

11 posted on 07/04/2008 2:25:27 PM PDT by Thumper1960 (Unleash the Dogs of War as a Minority, or perish as a party.)
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To: nathanbedford
Photobucket
12 posted on 07/04/2008 4:37:24 PM PDT by Roccus (Someday it'll all make sense.....maybe.)
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To: nathanbedford

BTTT


13 posted on 07/04/2008 4:46:21 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
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To: Roccus

Cool graphic.


14 posted on 07/04/2008 4:51:45 PM PDT by patton (cuiquam in sua arte credendum)
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