Different from what had been. Some very insightful men drafted the documents to make something new, that drew on the good that had come before, and blended it together.

I often marvel at those who would think we want it “our way.” I consider the things that have become a part of our everyday lives, drawing the best from around the world. It comes in saying, in chai tea, in jazz and rock and roll, which Elvis pretty much stole from the African American style of Gospel singing and made it something “new.”

Look at the plethora of types of food from all over the world in just about anywhere you go. We saw them, and had them imported by immigrants, or brought back by those Americans who traveled abroad, and yes, sometimes because of war. We are the melting pot, culturally, at many, many levels, subtle and some very obvious.

Well, one bad thing: We’ve been really slow to adopt the GSM cell phone standard, so our phones work when we go outside our national borders.

It’s what America does: Takes the best and absorbs it and makes it a part of the American experience. What’s not to marvel about that?

So, I will point you now to an incredibly well done HD video on the FaceBook page for the US Navy. It’s a moving tribute to our flag, in the many places it is flown or used as a symbol of this great Nation.

Enjoy the 234th birthday or this land.