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In 1956 I was a 12 year old West Virgina boy whose Dad and Mom had recently purchased a black and white console television, the first one on our block. On the Sunday night Ed Sullivan Show my family and I watched Kate Smith sing this rousing live performance of God Bless America. Kate Smith's rendition of that song would go on to become beloved and forever an American classic. The song was a big deal for Americans in the Glorious Fifties, and it's important today. What a way to move a kid, a family and a people to love God and country! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPIeLh7_M0A

Decades later I'm proud that in our hearts we're still "coming to America," except now it's to her rescue.

To my family and friends, especially to my immigrant friends, who know how rare is liberty, how tenuous, fleeting and hard to preserve, "Happy American Freedom Day."

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When we lost the freedom to celebrate freedom as we freely chose to do, I guess that was a signal that liberty was becoming a word and not a reality.

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Independence!

Liberty!

Freedom!

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What a great bit for today, and the clip on Roy Clark was fantastic! We had some great entertainers back in the day.

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Roy Clark was such a great entertainer

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Sigh, yep.

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Tip #6 gained lotsa weight over a short year! 🤣😂

wmbriggs.com/post/40441

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Same in Australia. We used to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th. We used to call it "Cracker Night". Huge fun. Not for many years though.

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