We owe you this explanation and a best effort to help you understand why we feel so strongly about our Freedom and Liberty and the place we live, The United States of America.

In all the history of mankind there has never been any place, any people, or any government that had as much freedom, liberty and opportunity for all its’ people as the United States of America. Our country’s Founders set in the Declaration of Independence and later, in the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights; a blue print for freedom and liberty never before conceived; put it in place, risking all for themselves and their families and for most of the European (English, German, French, Dutch, African,and others) families living in the colonies at that time.

Courage and maybe a little Divine Intervention enabled the freedom seeking Americans to defeat the tyranny of King George III of England, the most powerful ruler in the world at the time.

Never since has the United States of America tolerated a monarchy or aristocracy, a dictator or despot.

The tyranny of slavery almost tore the country apart. The American Civil War put brother against brother; classmate against classmate. More than 600,000 Americans were killed or died during that horrible conflict. In the end the Founder’s statement in our Declaration of Independence prevailed “….all men are created equal and are granted by their Creator inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Fredrick Douglas, one of America’s first black “civil rights” leaders, a self educated man, at first declared the Founders’ Constitution a “path to slavery” but like most today he hadn’t even read it. Douglas didn’t read the U.S. Constitution until he met Abraham Lincoln and was so impressed by the first Republican President; he immediately read every word along with the Bill of Rights. Douglas then declared “This document is from God and a true source of Freedom for all men.” If you don’t know, Douglas became a close friend and advisor to President Lincoln and was the first black man to attend an inauguration dinner at the White House.

Men; human beings, have always done terrible things to each other and probably always will. However, the core character, core values of America still exist, “all men are created equal with unalienable rights among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” ( I know but it is worth repeating) We are, and have been, a nation of laws not a nation of men. No kings, no royalty, no despots, no dictators, no aristocrats!

The American Revolution is still unique as was the Civil War. At the end of each event, families, neighbors, friends (Loyalists vs. Revolutionaries and North vs. South) put down their arms and went back to work building our country. By contrast, the French Revolution ended in the slaughter of anyone believed to be a member of or working for an aristocratic family. The Russian Revolution ended (if it ever has) with generations of slaughter, famine and the most oppressive and inhuman government of modern times. Not until the late 1980’s did the world begin learning that more than 100 million human beings were lost to Lenin, Stalin and the absolute tyranny of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. The Human Cost of the Cultural Revolution in China is still little known.

Americans (maybe for the wrong reasons but with the right results) have been a World Power since our Declaration of Independence and has shown unfathomable self restraint, philanthropy and charity.

We have:

1. Established the Monroe Doctrine to provide protection for all the Western Hemisphere from conquering monarchs (home grown despots are their own problem) and other World Powers. That treaty remains with a segmented South and Central America.

2. Chased Spain out of Cuba and the Philippines and gave them back to the Cubans and Filipinos.

3. Chased the Germans out of France, Spain and all of Western Europe, TWICE, and gave it back to the French, Spanish etc. After WWII we used our Marshall Plan, American tax dollars to rebuild those countries, especially Germany.

4. Chased the Japanese out of China, Polynesia, Philippines, Southeast Asia and gave all the people their countries back, including Japan to the Japanese.

5. Chased Hussein (a horrible dictator) out of Kuwait and even gave Hussein his country back until he decided to violate the UN peace agreements for 10 years.

Our freedom, spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and the material abundance of the huge geography of the US has created an almost uninterrupted chain of gifts to mankind beginning with the concept of unalienable rights. Property rights for individuals were the backbone of building a free country “sea to shining sea”. Of course we are still people and there are good people and bad people –good Christians and bad Christians, good Irish and bad Irish, good parents and bad parents- but only in America in the end of the 18^th Century were all people, free individuals-not just monarchs or royalty or power rulers- given true property rights. Legal immigration was and is a core uniqueness of USA. When we bought Manhattan (the story goes); bought the Louisiana Purchase; bought Alaska, we were beginning a trend of International Morality that had never existed, purchasing thru moral negotiation vs. conquering thru power and death. There have certainly been mistakes and some bad people along the way; however our core moral character continues to mature as we speak.

The last 250 years -give or take-have been an unmatched period of progress led by Americans. Many, and We are two, believe that property rights, the rule of law and free enterprise gave huge impetus to the growth in science, worldwide education, prosperity and social developments of all kinds.

The single concept that if an individual recognizes a problem such as open fires create little heat and burn houses down therefore The (Ben) Franklin Stove! INNOVATION ! Consider this; whale oil and gas lamps are dangerous. Someone has an idea and turns it into a solution i.e. Thomas Edison and the incandescent light bulb. FREE ENTERPRISE! He and his family have a right to the rewards of that creativity. PROPERTY RIGHTS! If that same person doesn’t have money but can convince some family and or friends to invest some of theirs in his idea, one has CAPITALISM! General Electric is this result.

INNOVATION, FREE ENTERPRISE and CAPITALISM are All Protected by PROPERTY RIGHTS of INDIVIDUALS.

When combined with the moral and religious compass of our society; The United States of America is “the beacon on the hill”. The most free and most prosperous nation in the history of mankind (or PC "humankind") and we as a nation have always been willing to risk our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor to protect those freedoms and support those who desire the same.

This “letter’ began more than a year ago when you commented “yes, I know what you and mom think.” We believed, maybe inaccurately, that we depended not on our words but our actions to give examples of our moral and patriotic opinions. We never specifically taught our beliefs about this country of ours. We didn’t realize until recently that the schools and universities are no longer teaching Pride in America and U.S. History sufficient for students to form Their Own Understanding of America's Liberty.

Having goose bumps and tears when the Pledge of Allegiance is spoken or our flag flies and We sing our National Anthem shows the pride we have in America. Yes, Debbie there is Liberty and this is the feeling, belief, and understanding we wish for you and your family.