I was at Gold's Gym yesterday, and I was resting from my last set, when I looked at the TV and noticed they were doing a piece about the ship's captain that had been rescued from pirates off of the Somali Coast.
Now, I have I read about the situation, and in my opinion, they should have killed the pirates at the first possible opportunity, thus ending a horrible situation, but that is for another time.
I couldn't hear the TV from where I was, but I watched as they showed footage of the ship through what looked like a helicopters FLIR camera (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flir), and then as they showed a picture of the ship as it was under the pirates control, and then as they showed a picture of the ship flying an American flag, with an inset of the smiling, rescued captain. I cannot describe to you in words the intense feeling of patriotic pride as I watched this and realized that, yes, although America has her faults and failures, she is still the greatest country in the entire world. I have no desire to live anywhere other than under the stars and stripes of this great land. I am proud of the men and women that have fought tirelessly to preserve our freedom, and I am thankful for those men and women that have paid the ultimate price, so that we the people of the United States of America can enjoy the liberty that has been handed down to us by our forefathers. It makes me sad to think that there are those who do not believe that America is still the greatest country on earth, but I know in my heart that there is nowhere else in this world that I would rather be. I am glad that I live in a country that still believes that we can, no matter what the obstacle.
Don't get me wrong, I do not live under false delusions that this is a perfect country, we all know that it is not. However, I do believe that this country is still great, no matter what her detractors may say. After you're done reading this, take a minute to thank God for our amazing heritage, that has given us the freedom to even write and read a random blog about random things. Take a minute, and watch a flag as it flys majestically in the wind, and realize that what we have is free for all to enjoy, but it never has been and never will be without a price.
Until the next time something random strikes me...MZ
