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What Does July 4th Mean to You?

We will celebrate our Independence Day this week.  How many of us will stop to think what this means?
When is the last time you read the Declaration of Independence and thought about what it means?  Are your children learning any of this in school?  Are you teaching them about the founding of our country at home?
Our founders and forefathers came to this country in a quest for liberty.  They for the most part were very self-reliant, independent people who wanted to own land, take care of themselves, and be left alone to do that. 
But….they were still British citizens and when the King encroached on their liberties, and taxed them without them having a say in what they were being taxed for, many of them rebelled.  When the war was over and it became time to write a constitution to guide this country they did a wonderful job of doing just that.  They were very afraid of an overbearing federal government and severely limited what that government can do.  Think of the constitution as a document limiting the power of government rather than granting it.  Then, because many of the founders were still wary of what could happen, they wrote the Bill of Rights.  This did not give us our rights, we already have them, it defined them and told the federal government that they were not to be infringed.  The last two amendments of the original Bill of Rights tells government that anything not specifically given to the federal government to deal with is reserved to the respective states and the people.   Were there problems and oversights with the original constitution?  Sure there were, but they built in an amendment process to fix anything that they may have overlooked.  Read the constitution and realize how many areas the federal government is involved in that they have NO business being in.  We are $18,000,000,000,000 (trillion) in debt and it is growing every day.   Would we have this debt if the government was only doing what it is supposed to do?
What would Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the others think of our country if they came back today?  I dare say they wouldn’t even recognize it! What would they say to us after sacrificing what they did in the beginning of this great country?
Why not make a resolution this Independence Day to learn more about the form of government that we live under.  Let your elected representatives on all levels of government know that you are watching them and expect them to follow the constitution and the other rules that govern them as they attempt to govern us.  Write, email, or call them when an issue comes up and they need to hear your input.  Attend your local city council and county commission meetings when you can.  Encourage good people to run for office and when they win be there to encourage them and help them stay on the straight and narrow path.  I still believe that if enough people will get involved and demand a return to the constitutional principles for this country it can be done.  But time is getting shorter and shorter to accomplish this.  Most governments in history similar to ours ended up dying by their own hands.  Benjamin Franklin once said “When the people find that they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic.”  Let’s do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen!

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JULY TEA PARTY MEETING CANCELLED

We will not be holding a meeting in July.  We will have a booth at the River Reunion in Branford on July 4th from 3:00 p.m. until.  We will be selling last minute raffle tickets and holding the drawing near the end of the day.  If you have any tickets that need to be turned in, please bring them by our booth, or call 386-935-1705 so that we can get them from you.  We appreciate everyone who has helped in the selling of the tickets – this is our big fundraiser for the year and helps us support the expenses that we have during the year.  We are looking for topics/speakers for upcoming meetings.  If you have any ideas, please let us know!  Our next meeting will be on Thursday, August 13th at 7:00 p.m.

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Winn Dixie Stores Honoring Veterans

One of our members wrote about an experience she had at Winn Dixie and is allowing me to share it:

I wasn't always a huge fan of Winn Dixie stores. That being said, today what I experienced while doing my weekly shopping, totally changed my mind. Upon entering, I was greeted by an old familiar tune...the one that sends chills to every freedom loving American, America the Beautiful! Wow, what a joy. Then, they started making announcements...every military person who has served in the Unites States Military were invited to come to the service desk and sign in. Since I'm not a veteran, I don't know how they were going to honor our service men and women, but they had something special in store for them.The store employees were dressed in a patriotic t-shirt which stated that all proceeds made on July 4th will go to the Wounded Warrior Project! Signs about the Wounded Warrior Project were visible through out the store. More patriotic music played...I wanted to shout from the rooftops how appreciative I was. I literally had to control myself! With all that has h
appened this past week, I needed this, America needs this. No matter what the left throws at us...they can't touch my love for God, Country and family. If you happen to need groceries, please visit Winn Dixie. Let them know how thankful you are for honoring our great nation. The left is extremely active spreading their agenda. It's time freedom loving Americans stood up for those who are doing the right thing. Thank you, Winn Dixie, and God Bless America!

Ethel Cerda

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Suwannee County Schools Serving Breakfast In The Classrooms

The Suwannee Democrat reported recently that the Suwannee County School Board just voted to take federal money in order to feed school children in the classrooms each morning.  It is our understanding that these children can go to the cafeteria for breakfast but many don’t go – this is a separate federal program to feed these children.  One School Board member, Ronald White, voted against this, saying that we have to quit taking money from the federal government (especially since it doesn’t have any!)

With 80% of the Farm Bill going to the Food Stamp program and many other programs geared to feed adults and children, do we need another one? 

We would like your input!  Please call John at 386-935-1705 and let him know what you think. 

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