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RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM IN THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES The Great Seal of the United States of America is a cornerstone document in the foundation of the American Republic, created in 1782, midway between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention. Its creation was entrusted to the brilliant classical scholar Charles Thomson (1729–1824), Founding Father, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Secretary of the Continental Congress throughout its entire duration — the second-highest ranking office in the nation at that time, after only the President of the Congress. The Great Seal was approved by Congress on June...

The coiled snake might seem a strange symbol today. But it was and is effective. No American who ever sees it forgets — and that's just the kind of message the revolutionaries wanted to send. For those early Americans, the rattlesnake had special significance. Like liberty, the rattler was found only in America. But that wasn't all. That wily serpent was usually just a harmless, humble creature. But aroused, angered, and prodded, first it warned with violent rattle then it struck with a deadly bite. Gadsden emphasized this by printing the legend "Don't Tread On Me" on his flag.

A Labour minister has sparked controversy by claiming that an alternative symbol is needed for the Red Cross because of the logo's supposed links to the Crusades. Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant said that the historic emblem risked undermining the work of the humanitarian organisation. His intervention came as MPs debated the adoption of the 'red crystal' - a diamond

Interesting State Symbols So we have all heard of states having a state bird, a state flag, a state flower, even a state gemstone. But since those declarations are left up to the individual state, the categories can be as obscure as any state will allow them to be. Here are some of the stranger ones: State Beverages 19 states have declared milk as the official state beverage. How original. However, in addition to milk, Nebraska has Kool-Aid because the beverage was invented in its town of Hastings in 1927. Florida’s orange juice should come as no surprise, but what...

Emblems to Stamp Projects Funded by the Stimulus Package March 03, 2009 2:09 PM ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: Put a stamp on it -- that’s what the White House says. President Obama announced today that his administration will begin stamping an emblem on projects funded by the economic stimulus package so that people can easily recognize the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. All projects will be stamped with the ARRA logo (short for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and lists the recovery.gov website on the emblem. Aara_logo_2 In remarks at the Department of Transportation this...

President Barack Obama unveiled a new emblem Tuesday that will be used on projects funded by the economic stimulus package. The emblem covers most of the basics of the $787 billion package — gears representing infrastructure, a red cross representing health care, a plant representing green technology — as well as flag-like stars and Recovery.gov, the Web site that will track the progress of stimulus projects. A White House press release said the emblem “is a symbol of President Obama’s commitment to the American people to invest their tax dollars wisely to put Americans back to work.”

This is the true Obama change comeing to America if he is elected President of the USA.

John Wayne explains the damaging use of the hyphen in our American name.

It started life as the emblem of the British anti-nuclear movement but it has become an international sign for peace, and arguably the most widely used protest symbol in the world. It has also been adapted, attacked and commercialised. CND logo It had its first public outing 50 years ago on a chilly Good Friday as thousands of British anti-nuclear campaigners set off from London's Trafalgar Square on a 50-mile march to the weapons factory at Aldermaston. The demonstration had been organised by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC) and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) joined in....

State police say they found three dogs hanging and burned over a pile of burning tires in Fayette County. Police say the dogs were found about 5 a.m. Thursday in Redstone Township hanging by ropes from a tree. Theresa Linden, manager with the Fayette County Humane Society, says officials don't know if the dogs were alive when they were hanged. Linden says authorities also found the image of a pentagram on the ground, a five-pointed star commonly associated with Satanism. The back of one dog was burned off. Another had puncture wounds to its neck.

WASHINGTON — Conspiracy theorists take note: The myths surrounding one of America's oldest and most enduring national symbols are about to be debunked ... if you believe the government, that is. The keepers of the Great Seal of the United States, the emblem on the back of the US$1 bill, want you to know what it is not. It is not a sign that Freemasons run the country, it has nothing to do with the occult, and it does not contain clues to a fabulous hidden treasure. It is rather the nation's stamp of authority, sovereignty and power, gracing cash...

9/14/2007 - CAMP TAJI, Iraq (AFPN) -- Senior U.S. and Iraqi air force officials witnessed history in the making with the dedication of the Iraqi Air Force Training School and the commissioning of 11 officer candidates into the Iraqi air force. Lt. Gen. Kamal Brazanjay, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force; Brig. Gen. Robert R. Allardice, commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team; Col. David Penny, the 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Squadron commander; and members of the Taji Air Base community attended the dedication ceremony one day after commemorating the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001,...

Unique Thracian Symbol of Royalty Discovered in Bulgaria 11 June 2007, Monday Archaeologists have discovered the most ancient ruler's symbol on Bulgarian territory, what was once the kingdom of the Thracian tribes. The Bulgarian archaeologists Daniela Agre and Deyan Dichev, who are leading the Strandzha expedition, made the announcement for the exceptional finding on the Bulgarian National Radio on Monday. The artifact was unearthed near the village of Golyam Dervent. Dichev and Agre were researching a dolmen (dolmens were the first Thracian tombs) when they noticed a frieze of intertwined zoomorphic and geometrical elements carved on the entrance of the...

The Yin Yang symbol from Chinese Philosophy represents opposing natural forces. Yang, literally translated, means the sun or sunny. Yin, being the natural opposition is thought to be the moon, darkness or shade. Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: - To every action there is an equal but opposite reaction - is an extremely pure definition of the Yin Yang symbol. While natural balance, God’s fulcrum if you will, is accepted by the mortal mind even when the opposing forces have complex dependencies like “morality” and are thusly, vague. Chinese philosophers commonly apply Yin Yang symbolism vaguely, including, among...

Koreans think that the country's best symbols are the taegeukgi, South Korea's flag; gimchi; hangeul, the Korean writing system (and the book Hunmin Jeongeum, written in 1446 to explain its invention); the mugunghwa, or Rose of Sharon, the national flower, and the Dokdo islets, according to a Gallup Korea survey of 1,509 adults over the age of 20. The survey, completed May and June this year, was commissioned at the request of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Nearly 35 percent of respondents said the taegeukgi, the national flag, is the cultural symbol that represents Korea more than any other....

Muslim countries use procedural moves to block progress at conference. An attempt to end Israel's long isolation from the Red Cross humanitarian movement hit a snag Tuesday as Muslim opponents used procedural moves to block progress at a decisive international conference, delegates said. The International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which opened Tuesday and is expected to conclude Wednesday, is being asked to approve changes to meet Israeli demands of almost six decades that it be granted full membership without using the cross or crescent to identify itself. But Red Cross officials hosting the conference confirmed that...

FORT HUACHUCA — Soldiers are guardians of two special flags — the American and the Army banners. More than two centuries ago today, the Continental Congress adopted two resolutions on June 14, one in 1775 and the other two years later. The first established an Army. The second gave them a flag to fight under. For Spc. Richard Edminson, a member of the fort’s honor guard, the Army flag represents the need for a service to ensure democracy is protected. “It represents our freedom,” the soldier said. From the top of the flag, campaign streamers honoring battles from the Revolutionary...

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2006 – Flag Day, June 14, pays tribute to an emblem millions of Americans fight for every day. In 1777, America adopted the stars and stripes designed for the American flag. However, Flag Day traditions did not begin until 1885. It wasn't until President Truman passed an act in 1949 that Flag Day became nationally recognized. "From our nation's earliest days, 'Old Glory' has stood for America's strength, unity and liberty," President Bush said in a recent press release recognizing the upcoming holiday. "During Flag Day and National Flag Week, we honor this enduring American symbol...

Some Christians celebrating the holiest day of their year may look askance at baskets of decorated eggs and mad dashes for chocolate bunnies. But these Easter traditions are more than a takeover of the holiday by the card and candy industries. To be sure, there is commercialism. An estimated 80 million Easter cards will be exchanged this year, and a record $2 billion will be spent on Easter candy. But Easter eggs are a part of the rich symbolic thread of the Easter story.

While Congress was in recess, immigrants and supporters continued to rally for humane immigration reform throughout the country. In Los Angeles, religious leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions and several thousand people gathered downtown for a vigil and procession that emphasized American pride, inclusiveness, peaceful demonstration and affirming the democratic process. =============================== Importance of symbols Immigration reform leaders have become increasingly aware of how every symbol is being perceived by American citizens as they watch television and read newspapers. Some citizens have become alarmed at seeing foreign flags being waved during demonstrations. Prior to the vigil Cardinal Mahony asked...