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Saturday's Internet Edition, 11:41 PM, July 4, 2009.
45 year old jail passes inspection
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Sheriff Oscar Carrillo reported this week that the Texas Jail Commission visited the Culberson County Jail last thursday to conduct their yearly facility inspection. The commission concentrated their inspection efforts on jail management files and operational plans. The inspector did commend our jail facility on its new jail security improvements refering to the new enhanced metal perameter fencing, and the inmate transportaion van. Carrillo noted, “We did not get the A+ rating on our inspection that we anticipated but a passing grade will keep our facility open”, commented Sheriff Oscar Carrillo. The 1964 jail needs to have some additional improvements
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INSIDE NEWS STORIES
AJRA Rodeo set for this weekend!
One of the biggest events in June of each year is the arrival of the American Junior Rodeo Association (AJRA) Rodeo in Van Horn. Welcome rodeo fans and contestants! This
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I-10 traffic stop yields $30,000 marijuana haul in the dash
A Monday afternoon traffic stop on I-10 led to the discovery of a $30,000.00 marijana load. Sheriffs deputies working on I-10 stopped an eastbound, green in color, Dodge Caravan headed
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Get ready for a "bang up" time! Frontier Days is this weekend!
This is the weekend you’ll want to be in town! The annual Frontier Days Celebration is this weekend and it promises to be a fun filled event for the whole
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Van Horn native is new Assistant Chief Patrol Agent in Marfa Sector
Chief Patrol Agent John J. Smietana, Jr., has announced the appointment of Victor Velazquez as Assistant Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Marfa Sector. ACPA Velazquez will be
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Graduation speaker challenged seniors to "make the right choices in life"
A city-wide power outage did not deter 35 graduates of Van Horn High School from walking the stage at Karen Young Memorial Auditorium last Friday evening. School district officials opted
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Pictured above are some of the jail improvements which inspectors commented about during last week’s annual inspection. Sheriff Carrillo put up the security fencing and the canopy with drug money that his department was awarded following it’s confiscation earlier this year. (Sheriff's office photo)
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Jefferson, the American Mind and the Birth of America
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Happy Birthday America
July 4, 1776 - July 4, 2009
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By John W. Whitehead
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“America is a nation with the soul of a church…the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.”—G. K. Chesterton, British essayist and critic
In 1776, America was going through the difficult process of being born. Stating that the colonies “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States,” on June 7 of that year, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced three resolutions at a meeting of the Second Continental Congress calling for independence, foreign alliances and confederation. Some delegates wanted unity and voted to postpone the final vote for three weeks. This allowed time for debate and for the hesitant and fainthearted to come over or step out. In the meantime, Congress appointed a committee to prepare “a Declaration of Independence.” It consisted of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson had come to the Continental Congress the previous year, bringing with him a reputation for literature and science and a talent for composition. In part because of his rhetorical gifts, in part because it was thought that Virginia, as the oldest, largest and most deeply committed of the states, should take the lead, the committee unanimously turned to Jefferson to prepare a draft declaration.
More than 200 years later, we know a great deal about the circumstances surrounding Jefferson’s composition of the Declaration of Independence. We know that Jefferson wrote it in two weeks, standing at his desk. We have his word that he “turned neither to book nor pamphlet” and that all the authority of the Declaration “rests on the harmonizing sentiments of the day, whether expressed in conversation, in letters, printed essays, or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, etc.” As Jefferson wrote to James Madison in 1823, it was: “not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of; not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.”
The Declaration of Independence was an expression of what colonial America believed at the time. As Jefferson said, it contained no new ideas. He merely put pen to paper in declaring what people of that day were thinking. This is clearly set forth in the two opening paragraphs:
“When, in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands, which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
It also states that the colonists are impelled or required to separate from Great Britain for certain reasons, proclaiming:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
In less than 200 words, Jefferson sums up with lucidity, logic and eloquence the argument for the American Revolution, the creation of a new political system and a universal philosophy for human rights, not merely for Americans but for the world as well. These ideas would later be translated into the basic institutions of the American republic.
Consider the opening words of the Declaration: “When, in the Course of human events…” Those words place the Declaration, and the Revolution, in the appropriate setting, against a backdrop that is not merely American or British but universal history. Those words connect it with the experience of people everywhere—not only at a moment of history but in every era. This concept of the place of American history is underlined by successive phrases of the opening sentence. It points to a future of hope and optimism.
Thus, the new nation was to assume its place “among the powers of the earth.” It was not the laws of the British Empire, or even of history, but of “Nature and of Nature’s God” that entitled Americans to an equal station. Moreover, it is “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” that requires this justification. No other American political document proclaims so broad a purpose. No political document of our own day speaks so boldly about the rights of humanity.
Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the impact of Jefferson’s words has greatly diminished. We seldom speak of lofty ideals anymore. Sadly, the American mind that Jefferson once expressed so eloquently has become consumed with the mundane. What is worse, the revolutionary spirit that once blazed a path to freedom is rarely seen anymore.
Yet as we face the increasing reality of authoritarian government both here and abroad, it is time to revisit America’s fundamental principles and reassess what freedoms we are willing to stand and fight for—if not, the freedoms our forefathers so bravely fought and died for may very well, like grains of sand, slip through our fingers and be lost forever.
Column One
By dawn Simpson
It’s always rather exciting when we have something new in town! Have you checked out the new natural and organic products being offered at Little Papa’s? Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I am already addicted to the Smoothies! They are so refreshing, yet you don’t feel like you are having something that is totally bad for you. Go check them out, and soon you’ll be wanting one every afternoon!
I also tried the new feature item on the menu at Chuy’s - Mahi Mahi Tacos. They were great! Of course you’ll never know if you are like Larry, who thinks that the words Fish and Tacos just don’t go together. For that same reason he has never tried the wonderful Shrimp & Crab Enchiladas at Papa’s. He just doesn’t know what he’s missing!
I appreciate businesses in our small town for trying new things. You more we support them, the more they will be willing to try new things.
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Sounds like the Womens Service League is planning a fun-filled 4th of July. Makes me wish I had a bicycle to decorate and ride in the parade! Come out and support this civic club, who in turn supports the community with things like Scholarships, etc. Let’s make it a good ole’ flag waving, patriotic holiday!
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Some fun facts about July 4th...........
On July 4, 1777, the night sky of Philadelphia lit up with the blaze of bonfires. Candles illuminated the windows of houses and public buildings. Church bells rang out loud, and cannons were shot from ships breaking the silence. The city was celebrating the first anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The Fourth of July soon became the main patriotic holiday of the entire country. Veterans of the Revolutionary War made a tradition of gathering on the Fourth to remember their victory. In town and cities, the American Flag flew, shops displayed red, white and blue decorations, and people marched in parades that were followed by public readings of the Declaration of Independence. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal legal holiday.
The 13 original Colonies were: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia.
According to the Department of State, red stands for hardiness and courage, white is the symbol of purity and innocence and blue is the color of vigilance, perseverance and justice.
The song “America” is sung across America as one of the National Anthems. It was written by Reverand Samuel Francis Smith in 1832. It was first used at a children’s fourth of July picnic in Boston. Lowell Mason discovered the tune in a collection of German melodies and recommended it to Rev. Smith. The music to “America is the same as that of the British national anthem, “God Save the Queen.”
The Liberty Bell cracked the first time it was rung. It was repaired in 1846, and cracked again. The bell has not been rung since. Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell is tapped - not actually rung.
In 1787, the newly formed United States adopted as its emblem a bald Eagle with wings that are outspread. The Eagle is known with a shield on its breast, an olive branch in one foot, and a sheaf of arrows in the other foot. When the Eagle is placed on an American coat-of-arms it carries a scroll in its beak bearing the Latin words E Pluribus Unum, meaning one out of many.
One lucky Philadelphian purchased a $4.00 picture at a flea market. What they found behind the picture was an original 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was sold to TV producer Norman Lear for 8.1 million.
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Have a Great 4th of July. God Bless the United States of America!
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Schedule of Events and Activities
July 2nd - Members of the Van Horn Volunteer Fire Department are scheduled to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the firehouse.
July 3rd - Nothing scheduled at press time.
July 4th - Independence Day Holiday. Attend the 4th of July Celebration at the City-County Park beginning at 11 a.m.
July 5th - Attend the church of your choice.
July 6th - Nothing scheduled at press time.
July 7th - Members of the Van Horn Rotary Club are slated to meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant. The Van Horn City Council will meet this evening at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
July 8th - Nothing scheduled at press time.
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The Van Horn Advocate
P.O. Box 8
Van Horn, Tx 79855
432/283-2003
432/283-7334 (fax)
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