FREEDOM
Today I was reading about Beijing’s traffic ban where 1.3 million private vehicles are removed from the streets each day. Residents can turn to public transportation, car pools and taxis for commuting.
The ban says that even-numbered license plates are ordered off the roads on Friday and Sunday, and vehicles with odd-numbered plates are banned Saturday and Monday. I read somewhere else that some place was banning vehicles by size.
This is just vehicles; other places ban how many children you are allowed to have, leading to the death of baby girls because the families need boys to carry on the family name.
The one-child rule applies only to urban residents and government employees. In rural areas, “a second child is allowed after five years, if the first is a girl. Some urban families make the choice to perform sex selection with the first pregnancy, since they are allowed only one child. In the rural areas, if the second (or subsequent) child is female, the pregnancy often “disappears”, allowing the couple to have another child in an attempt to have a son.”
Imagine the government telling you how many children you are allowed to have, when you can drive your vehicle and what type vehicle you can drive. I know there are other, even more horrible rules forced on people, but here is my point today:
I am so grateful to live in America. I am proud to be an American. I am a super patriotic person who still places her hand over her heart when singing the National Anthem, and I choke up about it! I served my country in the Air Force for four years and my dad was in the Army for 23. I get very disgusted with Americans who knock America but I am thankful they have the right to their voice and the freedom to express it.
I am proud of all our troops in the Armed Services and thank God for their work toward people’s protection. I know that if we do not keep evil from our borders, it can eventually show up here, as demonstrated by 9-11. Prior to 9-11, people NEVER dreamed it “could happen here.” They quickly forgot Pearl Harbor because people often forget Hawaii is part of the United States.
I am thankful to all the special people who protect us from things we may never realize (and most people don’t want to know about) - Special Forces. SWAT, K-9 Units, FBI, DEA, ATF, Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue (SAR), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Marine Force Recon, USAF Para-rescue, Police Officers, Navy SEALs, and Army Rangers to name a few. I know there are many others out there doing a job that is often thankless. I, for one, am grateful.
JOY is living in the land of the free. JOY is having rights so many other countries have never known and only dream of. JOY is freedom. Never take FREEDOM for granted.
