Standing Up

04 Jul 2015 Comments Off

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Standing up for your ethical principles takes courage. Courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty or pain without being overcome by fear. Courage is about setting aside your fear and taking action for the good of yourself or someone else.

First Responders are always running into danger while others are rushing out. Last February, in a town not far from my home, a young woman stopped her car by the side of the highway to help stranded people whose car had been involved in a hit/run situation. It had snowed and the pavement was slippery. Her training as a medical technician in the Air Force and recent degree in social work enabled her to assist the people. Tragically, she stepped onto the icy bridge and fell to her death. She was 34 years old.

Standing up to protect someone’s rights as well as basic principles of honesty, moral virtue, and ethical behavior is a noble cause. Today especially and for the entire month of July, we Americans remember our Founding Fathers and the cause that led to our freedom. It started with John Adams, Samuel Adams, William Dawes, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Dr. Samuel Prescott, Paul Revere, and George Washington.

To sign the Declaration of Independence was an act of treason against England and King George III. Their punishment could mean death, if they were caught. In order to protect their identity, their names were kept from the public for six months after the signing.

As Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story” is that 2 of the men became Presidents, Senators and Governors. Nine died before feeling the independence they were fighting for. Five were taken prisoner by the British. Eighteen lost everything, including their families. Two were fathers of sons who were killed or taken prisoner by the British. When they pledged “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor” they risked everything and stood up for America. It was worth protecting then, now and always.

~Sallie

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To Sallie and uniquelyyourscraftjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You may reach Sallie at uniquelyyourscraftjournal@outlook.com