{ AMERICAN CREED }   { RAGGED OLD FLAG }  { AMERICA-WHY I LOVE HER }
 { PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE }   { LETTER FROM DICK STEINBURG }


The American's Creed



"I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principls of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies."

















RAGGED OLD FLAG

I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it.

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing _Oh Say Can You See_.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams."

"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag."

"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam."

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused."
"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more."

"So we raise her up every morning,
Take her down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I DO like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."

Written by Johnny Cash









WHY I LOVE HER
by
John Wayne



    "America, America, God shed His grace on thee.."
    You ask me why I love her ? Well, give me time and I'll explain.
    Have you seen a Kansas sunset or an Arizona rain ?
    Have you drifted on a bayou down Louisiana way ?
    Have you watched the cold fog drifting over San Francisco Bay ?

    Have you heard a bobwhite calling in the Carolina pines
    Or heard the bellow of a diesel at the Appalachia mines ?
    Does the call of the Niagara thrill you when you hear her waters roar ?
    Do you look with awe and wonder at her Massachussets shore...
    Where men, who braved a hard new world, first stepped on Plymouth's rock ?
    And do you think of them when you stroll along a New York City dock ?

    Have you seen a snowflake drifting in the Rockies...way up high ?
    Have you seen the sun come blazing down from a bright Nevada sky ?
    Do you hail to the Columbia as she rushes to the sea...
    Or bow your head at Gettysburg...at our struggle to be free ?

    Have you seen the mighty Tetons?...Have you watched an eagle soar?
    Have you seen the Mississippi roll along Missouri's shore ?
    Have you felt a chill at Michigan, when on a winter's day,
    Her waters rage along the shore in thunderous display ?
    Does the word "Aloha"...make you warm ? Do you stare in disbelief
    When you see the surf come roaring in at Waimea Reef ?

    From Alaska's cold to the Everglades...from the Rio Grande to Maine...
    My heart cries out...my pulse runs fast at the might of her domain

    You ask me why I love her ?...I've a million reasons why.
    My beautiful America...beneath God's wide, wide sky.

    "And crown thy good with brotherhood
    From sea to shining sea."


Copyright 1973 Devere Music Corporation (ASCAP)-Batjac Music Company (ASCAP)










Pledge Of Allegiance

As told by Red Skelton, to his classmates when he was a young Lad.

I - - Me; an individual; a committee of one.
Pledge - - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity
Allegiance - - My love and my devotion.
To the Flag - - Our standard; Old Glory; a symbol of Freedom; wherever
she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given
her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job.
United - - That means that we have all come together.
States - - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states.
All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose,
and that is love for country.
And to the Republic - - Republic - a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives
chosen by the people to govern.And government is the people; and it's from
the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands
One Nation - - One Nation - meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible - - Incapable of being divided.
With Liberty - - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice - - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.
For All - - For All - which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.
And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country,
and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God.
Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer,
and that would be eliminated from schools, too?
Red Skelton



Subj: Date: 5/24/1998 6:27:55
Subj: Date: 5/24/1998 6:27:55PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: ace935@gte.net
To: Sdalumni@aol.com


IN TIMES OF WAR and NOT BEFORE,
GOD AND THE SOLDIER ARE BOTH ADORED.
BUT WHEN THE WAR IS OVER AND ALL THINGS RIGHTED,
GOD IS FORGOTTEN - AND THE SOLDIER IS SLIGHTED.

--author unknown

I thought about this yesterday evening (two days prior to Memorial Day) as I walked between the veterans graves at Bay Pines National Cemetery near St Petersburg Florida. There were several couples walking along the roadways and some appeared to be visiting specific grave sites. The Boy Scouts had spent the day placing American flags at the head of each veteran's final resting place. Many of the American flags had fallen to the ground. I was amazed that I was the only person there that took the time to honor our fallen Flag and our fallen veterans by replacing the flags. Please don't get me wrong. I didn't mind spending a few moments replacing those flags. In fact, I plan to return tonight to do it again. After all, that could very well be my final resting place soon. I hope that if an American flag over my grave site needs attention............. well, you can imagine the rest.

Dick Steinberg


Mel - Maybe this has a place on our web site or in DogMan. If so, great. If not, that's okay too.


Background and Star Graphics
Courtesy Of



Patriotic Bar Graphic by
LADY LOVE's Patriotic Graphics


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Last Updated on 06/19/2003
By J.D.