Tuesday, April 05, 2005

America - United We Stand

Recently, I was contacted about an awesome book project.

America-United We Stand is "a narrative collection of essays depicting the profound sentiments of how individuals have gained a real appreciation for our country."

The official release is projected for July 4th, 2005.

Andy Bullock, with VirtuServe, the publisher, has generously sent along some excerpts from the book to share. The first of those is below. I'll post some more snippets, and I'll keep you updated with release news.

Please remember that these exerpts are the property of the publisher, and should not be reposted or distributed without their consent.

Here is the introduction, by former Secretary of State Colin Powell:

America
United We Stand!
PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT WHY WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY

By

Clifford B. Alsberg

Let’s just say it at the outset and let’s say it loud and clear—

This book is unabashedly patriotic. This writer, the editors, the photographers, the publishers and especially all of those participating Americans who so graciously and generously shared their lives and their stories with us are not the least bit ashamed to proclaim their love-- OUR love-- for this great land of ours.

We are American patriots one and all. But let’s also clarify at the outset that ours is the studied, patiently acquired patriotism of reason— of historical observation, comparative analysis and objectivity-- of intellectually coming to terms with the inherent “goodness” of this country. It is decidedly NOT the stridently blind, “America—Love it or leave it!” mentality of exclusion, divisiveness and intimidation.

On the contrary, we love our country for its constant celebration of diversity—of opposing, often-clashing opinions and beliefs. These conflicting views, passionately brought forth and debated at every level of our public and private sectors, are, in and of themselves, the very hallmark of our free and open society. Nor are there any rose-colored glasses here. We recognize with grave concern the ills of our vastly complex, multi-faceted populace and we pledge ourselves to meeting the continuing, daunting challenges of making this great country of ours even greater.

America is our home. And the bond we feel for our country stretches far beyond the magnificent shores that define its boundaries. It is a bond that transcends a physical landscape of stirring landmarks and staggering natural beauty—it is a bond forged from a profoundly deep respect and appreciation for the principles upon which this nation was founded.

Yes, we owe much to the contributions of those great civilizations and nation-states that have come before us. And we are proud of that heritage, too. But we stand alone—head and shoulders above all the other nations of the world-- when we proclaim that man’s unalienable right to life and freedom is ordained from God Himself. Nor are these merely words inscribed on 200-plus year-old documents—It is a self-evident concept indelibly burned into our national psyche—lovingly and diligently taught to our children, continuously tested and refined through our courts and Halls of Congress and defended by generation after generation of fiercely proud citizens from every walk of life.

It is, indeed, within this clear framework of our Judeo-Christian heritage that we find our greatest source of strength, purpose and moral clarity.

Derived from a far Higher Authority than any duly constituted government of man, our laws and value system directly traces its roots to the objective Truths of the Old Testament itself. And, as those bedrock values are themselves timeless; so, too, is the timelessness of our national spirit and philosophy. For although we are still a relatively young nation among the community of nations, we recognize the eternal nature and uniqueness of our national structure and egalitarian ideals.

It is precisely because we have always considered ourselves, from the very beginning, to be a God-fearing people that we are able to treat our fellow man with fairness and with dignity. It is because of this deep, all-pervading moral conviction that we are able to stand up for justice and confront evil.

The stories you will find within these pages are individual snapshots of all our lives— microcosmic glimpses of our dynamic, constantly unfolding national heritage. Taken together, they form a tapestry of all that is uniquely American. And if some of these Americans and their stories seem somehow vaguely familiar to you, it is because, at some time or other, we have all felt what these men and women have felt. We have shared with us their pain, their tears, their pride and their dreams. Their lives touch our lives because these Americans are truly our friends, our neighbors and our family.

From the hundreds of powerful, stirring stories our editors have carefully reviewed, we have selected those that we felt best portrayed our book’s central theme of appreciation for our country. It was not the uniqueness, the dramatic, often harrowing aspects or the resultant notoriety of the events or experiences themselves, but rather, how those events and experiences inspired each featured American to come to love his or her country even more.

Lastly, we wish to state that we have tried our best to avoid taking any political stand whatsoever. There is no striving for “political correctness” here; no rush to employ such labels as “Liberal”, “Conservative”, “Left” or “Right”. Rather, we are Americans one and all who love our country for all that it is, all that it represents and all that it yet could be.

Come turn these pages with us-- meet some of your fellow Americans and join us in celebrating our illustrious present, as we work together towards our brilliant future.

We are Americans—

United We Stand!

And Andy tells me that they are willing to make a number of copies available to Soldiers' Angels to assist with fundraising.

Mark your calendar, and look for further excerpts in future posts!

posted by Pam @ 1:42 PM |

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