Fourth of July - Freedom Comes With a Price

 

Freedom comes with a price. I wonder how many people who party this weekend, drink, and set off fireworks realize how many people have already paid this price . . . for them? I watched my son spend an hour just walking through the American cemeteries overseas and thanked God he was only passing through and not a resident under a marble cross. The world is changing and only prayer will prevent another world war . . . or worse.

Dachau Crematorium

 

Even after having read about this part of World War II, actually visiting Dachau was a sobering experience. Standing within inches of the crematoriums where other human bodies had been disposed of like trash . . . no words for it. The picture on the far right is my son approaching the Jewish memorial at Dachau. When you enter, it is a steep path downward ending under a beam of light coming from the high ceiling. It represents the chimneys of the ovens at Dachau - the only way out for so many innocent people.

Lots of truth in these two quotes . . .

"As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls."
       -- M. Cartmill

 

"Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then--we elected them."
       -- Lily Tomlin