My first patriotic writing was in the form of a speech for Ward County Speech Contest in 1965… I think I won a ribbon.The paper from 45 years ago is typed of course and is now tattered and aged.

I still believe that the cause of mankind should be life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For me that is the freedom to do what I want to do and the freedom to do what I ought to do even more for the glory of God and country in my pursuit of happiness.

Wikipedia say:

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence and considered by some as part of one of the most well crafted, influential sentences in the history of the English language.

This is long…..maybe to long for a posting….you be the judge Gary……. (Evie, this is great and for sure worth posting! Gary)

Thanks for all you and Bernadette do!

Evie

Democracy – Evie Gottbreht 1965

 

 

I am proud to be here today.I am proud to come before you with the opportunity to speak of a great and vibrant quality of our life…a significant quality that establishes a harmony between man and society, which allows each of us to enrich the meaning of our life and, most important, to elevate our civilization.It is a quality of potent, moving force….all encompassing, idealistic yet realistic, representing the fancy of the dreamer and the practicality of the pragmatist, and it can be summed up in the magic of one word:Democracy.

It was born in this era and tempered by many wars, but it has survived through hard discipline and bitter peace.When you and I see this word, what thoughts are stirred in us? Just what is it that leaps into our minds when we hear the word in speeches?In books?In the movies and on the radio?Right now, what are each of you thinking?Are you thinking about America….America the strong, the brave, the beautiful?Are you thinking about America, the protector of human rights, the home of the free—America, the place on the globe where students all over the world rest a finger and say…..”There is the number one country in the world, the country that has become the world power in less than two centuries”…..This is an accomplishment of which no other country, large or small, capitalist or socialist, rich or poor can boast.

We are in this land of leadership; we are Americans and unhesitatingly vaunt our pride.How privileged we are to be citizens of the United States, and yet we must stand ready to meet our responsibilities – all the responsibilities inherent in our right to bear our proud name.

We stand for democracy, and democracy demands our commitment to others.The great struggle for freedom in which we are constantly engaged has brought us much pain and sorrow, and it is not yet over.But among our people there is a unity, a desire to maintain the momentum of freedom that is unmatched in history.

Our dedicated determination to perpetuate world wide harmony with our principles of democracy must continue today.No friend, no neutral country, and certainly so enemy of ours should think otherwise.We must stand ready to proclaim that we are against no man, that we look askance upon no society or nation ….unless it bans the approach to true freedom.Let me say to you now that we should be determined to let freedom ring throughout the world, regardless of any forces that may strive to curb it.

Our generation, you and I, have been destined to live with and bear a struggle for democracy that we did not initiate, in a world teeming with conditions not of our choosing.We do not always seek the pleasant and the easy way.The pressures are ever present, and we must cope with them in the way that we think best.Though no country or generation has been so burdened, no country or generation has been so ready to firmly grasp this burden and pursue the glory of freedom.In the midst of the struggle the identity of the American people will continue in its unvarying character and unwavering faith.

We do not shrink from the task; we welcome it, because we are aware of the power of concerted effort…the kind of effort fostered by our belief in democracy.United there is little we cannot do; divided, there is little we can do.United we may well claim to be not only the home of the brave but also the home of the free.

When we see democracy, we should think of franchise….the right to vote and to choose a leader for our country….a leader we can trust and believe in because we the people have elected him to office.And when we think of franchise, we think of our national political parties and regardless of our party affiliations, we should strive to remember that we do not seek a Republican answer or a Democratic answer, but the right answer….one that will serve our generation and the generations to follow.

We speak often of freedom…and we cherish the ideal of freedom because it is such a moving symbol of the liberty and justice which constitute our ultimate goal for every man.Freedom is a vital ingredient in our formula of democracy.It is a firm foundation for our hope of building a world of peaceful nations…a world where no nation will take up the sword against another….a world well rid of cold wars and the evil of communism…a world attune to justice for every one of God’s children.

All of us know that justice is a basic tenet in our covenant of self-government.We in America know that when any citizen denies another of his rights because of color, creed or the inalienable right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness….in that moment he has betrayed his country.With justice and freedom we have joined reason to faith, action to experience, and molded unity of interest into unity of purpose.

Because of our covenant with justice, freedom and union, we have become a great nation, prosperous and mighty.We have fought and won for democracy.Although there have been some who believed that we were too soft, to defenseless, to apathetic to resist intrusions upon freedom in our spheres of influence in the world, they have found that we have prevailed – and they may well note that we will again.They must know that we have a deep interest, certain compassion, and an eternal vigilance in the cause of freedom that permeates every corner of our nation.It reflects none the concern of one American, but of all united under the banner of Democracy.

Let no man say we are in the grip of historical decay.Let no man say that America must get moving…..For America is on the march.If there is danger ahead, we the people stand ready to cope with it, and look beyond it to the indications of progress and fulfillment that democracy promises.

In earlier times that tried men’s souls, when the American Revolution came, Thomas Paine wrote:” The cause of America is the cause of all mankind.”Now in our generation, permit me to say that the cause of all mankind must be the cause of America.