freedom & democracy

So, I have this thing for E.B. White.
I also have this thing for America and people with unabashed patriotism.
Ergo, I love when the two combine in one short snippet of brilliance.
This quote is perfect for Memorial Day weekend.

White states:

We received a letter from the Writers' War Board the other day asking for a statement on 'The Meaning of Democracy.' It is presumably our duty to comply with such a request, and it is certainly our pleasure. Surely the Board knows what democracy is. It is the line that forms on the right. It is the don't in don't shove. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the sawdust slowly trickles, the dent in the high hat. 

Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half the time. It is the feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality everywhere. Democracy is the letter to the editor. Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is an idea which hasn't been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad. It's the mustard on the hot dog and the cream in the rationed coffee. Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of the morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is. (July 3, 1943)

I hope everyone that reads this quote recognizes what a blessing it is to be a citizen of the United States -- and takes the time to walk to the nearest cemetery to reflect on and commemorate those that have served this great nation. I am grateful for parents that continue to fly the American flag outside their front door every chance they get and for the years I was able to say the Pledge of Allegiance with 20 squirmy children each morning. My love for this country runs deep.