What Is Patriotism to Me?

I'm thankful to the VFW for giving the Patriot's Pen prompt; "What is Patriotism to me?" This has allowed me to further understand my country and what is going on with it, and put my personal values into words that can be shared with the masses and hopefully inspire other people. The following video is what inspired the direction of my essay. - Karina

What is Patriotism to Me?

        Perhaps you've watched the video circling the Internet of a little league baseball team where the umpire announces "The National Anthem will not be sung .... Play Ball!" The teams run to their respective dugouts. You hear the cheering of the audience, and what sounds like a cacophony of voices. Gradually, the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner," become discernable, although not everyone is in tune, or singing in unison. You see one team run back to the field, taking their caps off, holding them in their right hand over their hearts. As the video pans, you can see the other teams and parents doing the sane. Towards the end of this song, these patriotic individuals' voices are united. (Crowd Sings National Anthem)

        According to Webster's Dictionary, a "patriot" is "one who loves and supports his/her country, a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors." (Webster)

        A patriot upholds The Constitution and The Bill of Rights in many ways. He protects freedom of religion regardless of their faith, the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, regardless of who the speaker is or what is written, and protecting the freedom to assemble, even if you are not with the assembly.

        While defending the country is frequently viewed as joining the armed forces through active-duty or reserves, others who protect us include police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. A patriot supports those mentioned, the president, and other government officials, even if you do not agree with them. They should be respected for the office and the responsibility they hold.

        Defending our country is an act of patriotism.  Thousands of men and women, including myself and family members have felt this calling to serve. From hearing the national anthem, seeing other soldiers deployed, returning home, or even seeing those on a nearby base, and feeling awe-struck from their duty and responsibility.

        To me, patriotism is honoring our living veterans on Veteran's Day and any time we can and putting out flags on Memorial Day for those deceased, standing at attention for the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance. In these and other ways, we show respect for our country and those who risk their lives to protect us.

        As you can see, patriotism can take many forms. We may not always agree. While we are not always in tune or singing the same words in harmony, we are the United States of America.

Works Cited

The crowd sings the national anthem after the announcer says it will not be played before baseball little

Jecrgre.16 October 2020. 8 November 2020.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqfliHuezcou>.

Webster. P¢tri.a/. n.d. website. 27 October 2020. <htry://www.Webster dictionary.

net/definition/patriot>.

Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?

 Hello, everyone!  It's been a while since our last post, but we will be working to be more active with our content.

We have been writing papers for the Patriot's Pen and Voice of Democracy essay competitions for several years through our local VFW. The VFW has offered an opportunity for young people to share hope and patriotism with the country through these writing competitions, and it has been a blessing to be able to participate in them.

The essay topics this year were suitable to reflect on this last year and prior years. The Voice of Democracy prompt asked if this is the country the founders envisioned, and my initial response gave a negative outlook as a reaction to all the negativity projected on the American people through peers, social media, and other sources.  Instead of penning a paper that highlighted our disunity, I strived to create something that reflected a passion of mine: bringing out the positive and good aspects of people and situations.  The judges of our essays found both of our papers inspiring for the American people, which meant more to us than winning the first place awards.  Reading our essays in front of the other participants and moving them to tears was reward enough.

We hope you enjoy reading our essays and more importantly take something away that gives you a different perspective of our country and our world.  We enjoyed putting our hearts into these essays, and our goal is to unite our fellow mankind and bless others with the gift of hope. 

Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?

    America: the land of the free and the home of the brave.  According to the Declaration of Independence, “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable rights…” (Jefferson)  In the Constitution, we read that as citizens of the United States, we, “…establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”  (Madison, Hamilton, and Jay). Through these documents and our history books, we have learned of and admired the ingenuity and historical knowledge of the people who went to countless lengths to help America reach its highest potential of greatness.  They created the American Dream to be, “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone… achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and challenging work, rather than by chance.” (Barone) 

        America has been a refuge for Europeans fleeing religious persecution from the beginning.  They knew there was a chance of a new life where they could not only worship freely but have access to abundant natural resources that they did not have the luxury of obtaining in the Old World.  They risked their lives and their livelihoods for this glimmer of hope that America had to offer.  Still today, immigrants seek out the American Dream and hope to have a chance for a better life for themselves and for their families in religious freedoms, abundant job opportunities, and free, high-quality education.  The Founders realized the importance of education and sought to instruct and instill the principles of freedom into the future generations, noted by Thomas Jefferson that “No nation could expect to be ignorant and free.” (Foner)  Most countries in the world do not have the free education that our country offers, which keeps their citizens subjugated with low incomes, resulting in high crime and frequent revolutions in the worst situations. The limited opportunities for those who have free education have the government determining how high a student can go to achieve their goals.  Renowned figures like Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Carnegie, and Ted Cruz are examples of immigrants who started from the lowest levels of society, but through the power of the American Dream rose to the top and achieved some of the greatest feats in their lifetime. 

        America provides abundant rights and liberties granted through the Constitution, which was based on the strengths of other great documents and government systems.  From the mutinous acts of Shay’s Rebellion, the new U.S. Constitution was adopted to provide a foundation and framework of how our government was to operate and more importantly enumerate and protect the civil rights and liberties for Americans to pursue their own happiness within sound, moral boundaries.  (History.com Editors)  This pursuit of happiness was not imagined as a self-indulgent ambition but envisioned as one of the creative and selfless acts.  (Amadeo)  Though the Founders could not extend the same rights and liberties to slaves without dividing the country, they desired to do their best to unify the people.  Today, after the acceptance of the corresponding Amendments influenced by the publics’ desire for equality, people of various cultures, ethnicities, and religions, along with women of all ethnicities, share the same rights and liberties, such as the right to vote, equal employment, and rights to higher education. We have had female and various ethnic groups serve as Congress members, an African American president, and as of this year, the possibility of our first African American female Vice President.  

        The Founders had a dream to create a nation where her citizens lived in true freedom, had a say in who would lead their country, on what principles they were to be governed, and enjoy a home of peace and prosperity.  They desired future Americans to value their freedom and honor as they had, and recognized that the rights and privileges they fought so hard to obtain would be left in the hands of the next generation to uphold.  The Founders mutually pledged to each other their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor (Tourtellot)  and risked their very lives for the sake of freedom from a tyrannous monarchy. George Washington states that “…the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” (Berg).  Martin Luther King, Jr. also recognized this in his driving speech, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.  We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline… And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.  It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream…that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’" (King Jr.)  These ideas fueled the American people to action.  This is the kind of passion and drive Americans need today, to turn the American Dream into reality by utilizing the God-given talents and leadership abilities to serve and empower the American people.  This is what it will take to unite our nation and make this magnificent dream a reality.  This is the country that the Founders envisioned.

Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. What Is the American Dream? The History That Made It Possible. Ed. Somer G. Anderson. 20 October 2020. Article. 22 November 2020. <https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009>.

Barone, Aaron. American Dream. Ed. Brian Barnier. 27 March 2020. Article. 14 November 2020. <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/american-dream.asp>.

Berg, Desmond. FOUNDING FATHERS: WITHOUT VIRTUE THERE IS NO FREEDOM. 12 April 2019. Article. 9 November 2020. <https://sovereignnations.com/2019/04/12/founding-fathers-virtue-freedom/>.

Carter, Joe. BEING ON GOD’S SIDE: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT. Ed. Joe Carter. 22 December 2010. Article. 9 November 2020. <https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2010/12/being-on-gods-side-an-open-letter-to-the-religious-right#:~:text=During%20the%20Civil%20War%2C%20Abraham%20Lincoln%20was%20purportedly,often%20praised%20for%20this%20remark%20by%20those%20who>.

Foner, Eric. "Give Me Liberty! An American History." Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. Ed. Steve Forman. 6th. New York: W. W. Norton Company & Inc., 2020. 175. Document. 9 November 2020.

History.com Editors. Abigail Adams Urges Husband to "Remember the Ladies". 30 March 2020. A&E Television Networks. Article. 8 November 2020. <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abigail-adams-urges-husband-to-remember-the-ladies>.

—. Shay's Rebellion. 19 October 2019. A&E Television Networks. Article. 15 November 2020. <https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/shays-rebellion>.

Hudgins, Edgar. What Unites America? Unity in Individualism! 3 June 2004. Article. 14 November 2020. <https://www.atlassociety.org/post/what-unites-america-unity-in-individualism>.

Jack's Musings. What did the Founding Fathers want for America? 11 September 2016. Article. 9 November 2020. <https://jacksmusings.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/what-did-the-founding-fathers-want-for-america/#:~:text=The%20Founding%20Fathers%20were%20a%20revolutionary%20group%2C%20diverse,legitimate%20power%20from%20the%20consent%20of%20the%20governed.>.

King Jr., Martin Luther. Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream. 20 August 2020. Speech. 15 November 2020. <https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm>.

Kominiak, Tom. In his words: John Adams on Education and Democracy. 3 July 2019. Article. 8 November 2020. <https://www.k12insight.com/trusted/words-john-adams-education-democracy/>.

The WallBuilders. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson & Slavery in Virginia. n.d. Article. 15 November 2020. <https://wallbuilders.com/george-washington-thomas-jefferson-slavery-virginia/>.

—. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson & Slavery in Virginia. 31 December 2016. Article. 15 November 2020. <https://wallbuilders.com/george-washington-thomas-jefferson-slavery-virginia/>.

Thorne, Ashley. U.S Founding Fathers on Education, in Their own Words. 2 July 2010. Article. 8 November 2020. <https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/u_s_founding_fathers_on_education_in_their_own_words>.

Tourtellot, Arthur Bernon. We Mutually Pledge to Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor. Vers. 14.1. December 1962. Article. 14 November 2020. <https://www.americanheritage.com/we-mutually-pledge-each-other-our-lives-our-fortunes-and-our-sacred-honor>.

Poodle Skirts! Part 3

This is a progression of where I started on my project up to my completion. I'm so happy with how cute this turned out!!

Poodle Skirts! Part 2

Hello everyone!

Awhile back, my sister and I had started making cute poodle skirts as a fun project. Now we finally have them finished!  (No, they don't take forever to make. We just had life happen a couple times!) Here are some fun pictures of us at a '50s event that was in our town this afternoon. Enjoy!

  

 

                               

                                 

Ship Technology: The Ships Columbus Used versus Ships of Today

Hello everyone!

This is an essay I wrote for a DAR competition that I participated in. I had so much fun researching the different ships and the history behind this that I never would have learned in school. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Comparing Ship Technology: The Ships Columbus Used Versus Ships of Today

         Leaving on a summer day of August 3, 1492, from the Spanish port of Palos to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa (Flint, 2018) on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, Columbus embarked on his journey in search of a shorter route to the Far East with a crew of seasoned sailors and novices, including four convicts (Preparations For The First Voyage Of Discovery, n.d.). Preparing for this voyage required seven years of painstaking negotiations. Learning the path of the trade winds, traveling back and forth to find the best ways to travel, and trying to find supporters to help fund his voyage were only parts of his long wait. He was finally able to receive support from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain (Tergerson T. , 2018) on April 17, 1492, nearly four months prior to their departure. This voyage began a new chapter in the history of the known world.

        Columbus became one the most well known explorers of his time. He traveled across the Atlantic to look for a new route to the Far East though few people had faith in him. The timing of his exploration was perfect: the Crusades whetted the desires of Europeans for spices, perfumes, and silks from the Orient, the technology of navigation and building ships had improved significantly through advances made under Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal giving Portugal control over the route around Africa to the Far East. Italy controlled the land routes to the Far East creating a duopoly of control of goods and prices – and tariffs for those goods. The invasion of the Islamic Moors into Europe through Spain had been halted and the merger of the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Aragon created a new seat of power in Spain with rulers who were eager to own rights to a new, faster, safer route to the Far East (Tergerson T. , 2018).  Their desire to have a part in this power led King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to finance Columbus’ journey when others would not. Columbus rewarded their investment through his triumph in finding a New World, that he believed to have been the Indies with its copper-colored people and their exotic animals, gold,  and spices. It took a little over two months for Columbus to make this discovery from his initial departure from Spain on his small wooden ships.  Today’s ships can travel more than eight times the speed of Columbus’s ships with better technology and significantly improved cleanliness, sanitation, and comfort levels. What would this have been like for those sailing with Columbus? How would his journey compare to those made on ships today? What are the pros and cons of the ships of Columbus’ time and those of today?

Columbus’ ships were the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. The Santa Maria was a carrack or Nao and Nina and Pinta were caravels (Mariners and Their Ships: A Revolution in Ship Design., 2018). A carrack is a large ship that is approximately 150 feet long that could carry from 50-300 men for exploration and much food to sustain them (Austin, 2013), and thus became a favorite of the explorers.  A caravel is a lightweight ship developed by the Portuguese for traveling around Africa that were capable of remarkable speed, about four to eight knots (Development of Sailing Ships, 2014), and they were excellent for traveling windward (Brittanica, 2007).

         The advantages of fifteenth-century ships are that most of them were relatively small and they could land close to the shore and use rowboats to travel to and from the ship (Richards, 2018). The jobs on the ships were simple. One could hire almost anybody to man the ship, including convicts, as in the case of Columbus’ journey. The ships were made of renewable materials, so when the ship was damaged, it was fairly easy to repair them with supplies that were readily accessible.

         With that said, there were also disadvantages to ships of that time. They were fragile and could easily be destroyed such as when the Santa Maria was shipwrecked off the coast of Hispaniola. The quarters were cramped with very few if any comforts. There was no proper sanitation as we would expect today. The ships had no means to refrigerate to preserve foods, so foods and water spoiled rapidly on long voyages such as this.  While these ships used the renewable resource of wind that is free if the ship was caught in a doldrum the sailors would die (Richards, 2018) (Tergerson T. , 2018). Columbus recognized the risk of mutiny he faced being out to sea with no land in sight for such a long time.  Going to the Canary Islands to ensure fair winds to blow him eastward was crucial in his navigational planning.

         In comparison, a modern ship such as a DDG class ship, or Destroyer, is one of the smaller ships used by today’s U.S. Navy. It has a speed of over thirty knots (United States Navy Fact File, 2018) (Tergerson M. , 2018), with better propulsion resulting in increased speed without the need for wind power so they can travel the shortest route without concern for the direction the winds blow – if they blow.  These ships are much more comfortable, and the food will keep fresh longer with modern refrigeration and shorter travel time. We also have better star navigation charts since 1802 thanks to the accuracy of Nathaniel Bowditch, whose book, “The New American Practical Navigator, first published in 1802, is still carried on board every commissioned U.S. naval vessel.” (Wikipedia Contributors, 2018)

        Even with all the new technology, there are cons to these comfortable ships. With the ships being made of steel, it is more difficult to repair the ship.  The technology employed on these ships require specialists to monitor the technology used and maintain the ships.  This adds to the expense of travel, as does the fuel cost for the non-renewable diesel fuel or nuclear fuel in the cases of some Navy ships (Tergerson T. , 2018). Cost for modern Naval ships is another disadvantage. For comparison, a yacht the size of Columbus’ Santa Maria would cost over six million dollars. (Used Yachts for Sale from 101 to 130 feet, 2018) Modern cruise ships and Destroyers cost $1.25-$1.85 billion (Chanev, 2015) (United States Navy Fact File, 2018).

        Compared to Columbus’s ships, we have many luxuries for which they would have been envious: we are able to go shorter routes without the need of wind power, we are able to keep food fresh longer, the ships are sanitary, we have stronger built ships, and we can navigate across the oceans easily.  Even so, there is also much to envy of them with their ability to repair their ships with renewable materials, the wind as fuel for the ships were renewable and free, captains could hire almost any man to help man the ships, resulting in a somewhat lower cost to operate ships then compared to today’s costs.

          Both eras are to be appreciated for how they have affected the course of our history and how we use our dreams to create something new and to explore new dimensions. These voyages of the seas have inspired new explorers to seek to explore the vastness of space.  Columbus and his three small, wooden ships started that and gave us courage for centuries afterward to be curious, courageous, passionate, and strive for our dreams.

Bibliography

Austin, C. (2013). Ship Information. Retrieved December 07, 2018, from World of Arkuth: http://www.padnd.com/arkuth/ship_info.php

Brittanica, T. E. (2007, August 07). Caravel. (Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.) Retrieved December 07, 2018, from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/technology/caravel

Carrack or Nao. (2018). Retrieved December 07, 2018, from https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/watercraft/carrack-nao/

Chanev, C. (2015, November 26). Cruise Ship Cost to Build. Retrieved December 08, 2018, from Cruise Mapper: https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/759-how-much-does-a-cruise-ship-cost

Contributors, W. (2018, November 20). Nathaniel Bowditch. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia) Retrieved December 07, 2018, from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Bowditch

Development of Sailing Ships. (2014, April). Retrieved from http://www-labs.iro.umontreal.ca/~vaucher/History/Ships_Discovery/

Flint, V. I. (2018, December 05). Christopher Columbus. (Encylopedia Britannica Inc.) Retrieved December 07, 2018, from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus/The-first-voyage

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title, Pages From - To.

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Book Title. City Name: Publisher Name.

Mariners and Their Ships: A Revolution in Ship Design. (2018, November 27). Retrieved December 07, 2018, from encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mariners-and-their-ships-revolution-ship-design

Preparations For The First Voyage Of Discovery. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2018, from Historia del Nuevo Mundo: https://www.historiadelnuevomundo.com/index.php/en/2017/09/preparations-for-the-first-voyage-of-discovery/

Richards, R. (2018, December 07). Advantages and Disadvantages of Modern Ships. (M. Tergerson, Interviewer)

Tergerson, M. (2018, December 07). Navy DDG Class Destroyers. (M. Tergerson, Interviewer)

Tergerson, T. (2018, December 06). History. (M. Tergerson, Interviewer) Retrieved from Share Coach: http://share-coach.com/eng/articles.php?id=12&read=storia

United States Navy Fact File. (2018, February 28). Retrieved from America's Navy Forged by the Sea: https://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4

Used Yachts for Sale from 101 to 130 feet. (2018). Retrieved December 08, 2018, from International Yacht Sales: https://sysyachtsales.com/used-yachts-for-sale-101-130-feet

January 15-21

January 15th-Genesis 40:1-23, Genesis 35:28-29, Genesis 41-1-36, Genesis 41:37-57

January 16th-Genesis 42:1-45:15

January 17th-Genesis 45:16-47:27

January 18th-Genesis 47:28-50:26

January 19th- Job 1:1-4:21

January 20th-Job 5:1-7:21

January 21st-Job 8:1-11:20

_________________________________________________________________________________

Jan. 15th-Psalms 71-75, Psalm 119:113-120, Proverbs 15

Jan 16th-Psalms 76-80, Psalm 119:121-128, Proverbs 16

Jan 17th-Psalms 81-85, Psalm 119:129-136, Proverbs 17

Jan 18th-Psalms 86-90, Psalm 119:137-144, Proverbs 18

Jan 19th-Psalms 91-95, Psalm 119:145-152, Proverbs 19

Jan 20th-Psalms 96-100, Psalm 119:153-160, Proverbs 20

Jan 21st-Psalms 101-105, Psalm 119:161-168, Proverbs 21

Homemade Bread

Hello everyone! This is my first time making gluten-free bread. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix. It has a very simple and quick recipe, and the bread is VERY delicious; crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. It was a joy to eat! All the other gluten-free store-bought brands of bread that I have tried were nowhere near as good as the one I made today. This is the BEST bread in the world. Five-star rating from me! Thank you Bob's Red Mill!

https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-homemade-wonderful-bread.html