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 Dear
Readers,
Our first fourth of July celebration of the millenium
has come and gone and sitting at my dining room table I catch a clip
of the international news.
Last week happend to be the presidential election in
Mexico, I heards news reports that said for the first time many
Mexican citizens feel as though it was a fair election.
I think to myself that Mexico is America's greatest
trading partner and geographical neighbor. For just a second, I am in
disbelief.
After I took control of my thoughts I turned and
caught a glimpse of a portrait in my house off my dad dressed in his
army uniform. He is 50 years younger. Dad is a Korean War Veteran and
this summer is the fiftieth anniversary of that war.
He was 20 years old when he saw combat at the Pusan
Perimeter and helped to drive the communists out of South Korea. My
Dad was lucky to make it home alive. I think about all the American
soldiers who stayed on the battlefield forever.
The Declaration of Independence led to the first war
our nation ever fought--there were many more to come. Soon after the
Declaration of Independence, we became "the land of the free and
home of the brave".
And thankfully, after the beginning of the millenium,
we still are.
God Bless America and Happy Independence Day!
__________________________________
Joslyn Bruno, 6, a student at Doral Ryder Charter
School and daughter of Joseph Bruno, director of food and beverage
Carnival Cruise Line:
I like being an American because I get toys. They
teach me at school that taking care of people is being an American.
When I see the flag I think of the good people that
died for our flag. Our flag is red, white and blue with stars.
Our President is Bill Clinton.
I love my country because it is nice and fair. I
passed first grade and am going to second grade.
___________________________________
Ashton Amaba, 10, a student at John I. Smith
Elementary and a resident of Doral Park:
There are so many reasons why I love to be a U.S.
citizen. That is what I will explain. First of all, being a U.S.
citizen is a privilege. Many people died for our freedom and our right
to choose to live in a democracy. Some people don't have a choice. I
feel lucky to have the opportunity to make choices in my life. For
example, you can choose what food you like to eat. You can choose
healthy and tasty foods. In the U.S. they check the food to be sure
there is nothing wrong with it and guarantee freshness. The person
buying the food has several choices. Some countries don't give you the
choices. In the U.S. the air is fresh and clean. The ocean is
unpolluted. The parks are clean and safe. It gives kids the chance to
run freely and safely without worrying about wars and battles. People
can vote and decide together what is best for the group. Everyone has
an equal vote. Most people agree about the laws to make the U.S. a
fair and safe place to speak what is on your mind and pursue your
dreams. Also, things in the U.S. are in better condition because the
people get to own it. You can proudly take care of things because they
are yours. People enjoy that responsibility. People enjoy living in
the U.S. People can choose the jobs they would like. When they like
their job, they will do better and make their lives better. I love
everything about being a U.S. citizen. I feel very lucky that I can
write, say and live the best way I can.
_________________________________
Alex Fairest, 7, a student at John I. Smith
Elementary, and a resident of Doral:
Our family moved from Venezuela to Miami two years
ago. My father was kidnapped in an auto theft and we came here to live
in a safer place.
I believe being an American means having the privelege
of walking down the street knowing ut's safe and having better police
enforcement. It's evryone having the privelege of a good public
educator. There are also lots of opportunities to participate and
compete in sports and musical events and scholarships for good
students.
I think being an American is having cultural
diversity. We have the opportunity to learn new languages, try food
from different countries, and listen to music from different
countries. Everyone has the right to choose their own church and they
don't fight about it. Its a place for everyone who is willing to study
and work hard and find a good life.
__________________________________
Katie Nugent, 10, a student at Grace Lutheran
Children's Learning Center and daughter of Eve Marie and Michael
Nugent, Doral Tribune free lance writers:
Being an American means living in a peaceful country
where I am free to develop my talents. I can go to whatever school I
want to and I can be whatever I want to be, and by the way I want to
be a veterinarian and an archeologist.
Living in America is living in the most developed
country in the world. Here I can get a good night's sleep and know
that I will have food the next day, any kind of food I want. I lived
in India till I was 4 years old and over there some people only eat
once a day and it's usually just a couple of chapattis, those are like
flour tortillas if you don't know.
Here if I get sick I can get the best medical care
possible. My grandmother, who came from Germany to live here, is sick
with cancer and she is getting better every day because of our good
hospital system.
Living in America means I feel secure we don't have
wars here and I hope we never do. We can see so many different people
here, and that is great. We accept people from all nations who want to
live in peace here. My mom came here from Germany when she was little
and she's just like all the other Americans, she loves people from
different parts of the world. We always have a lot of visitors from
other countries.
And here I can go to any church I want to worship at
and nobody says that I can't. I am in a Catholic family and I go to a
Lutheran School. I can feel God's love all around me in the United
States of America. I feel that I have been blessed to be a part of
such a great nation and God has blessed it to be the best for me and
for the future.
__________________________________
Adriana Pereira, 16, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes
Academy and daughter of Esther Pereira, Panalpina Corporation of Doral
I am proud of being an American, of being from a
country in which I can speak my mind and voice my opinion and
thoughts. I believe that everyone has the right to freedom of speech
and that is something that the laws of this country and our government
allow us to do.
I am thankful for being able to practice my own
beliefs and customs without being persecuted. There are many countries
in which society isn't allowed to be their own person but instead are
forced to act in an expected way.
I am proud of living in a country that respects me and
allows me to be my own unique self.
Because of the efforts of our past heroes this country
has built up to what it is today, and with the accomplishments of its
present day society, it will continue being the land of the free.
___________________________________
Camille Lopez, 16, a student at Miami Christian School
and community service intern Doral Eye Center:
In this land that we have so become a part of, it is
often easy to take for granted the many gifts and opportunities it
offers to us. We sometimes are ignorant of what's around us, countries
just beyond our borders are suffering terrible tragedies that go by
the names of poverty, oppression, dictatorship; a cruel, brutal
reality we are not accustomed to. I am an American. I am free, I am
willed, determined, and equipped to do anything and everything I
desire. This nation has brought us a great deal of wealth, passed on
from generation to generation dating back to our founding father,
whose only concern was freedom. These men were our builders and
constructors of aspirations, traditions, and hopes.
This country goes to war, seemingly every time over
freedom. Not only do we uphold our own but defend that of others. Our
government has been an-out-reach program for decades. "All Men
Together in Union", was the motto for the North during the Civil
war and over a century later it still rings in the hearts of not only
our armed forces but the regular everyday people.
The families that have come to this great nation for
freedom, the courageous men and women that have opened and operated
successful businesses, and the college graduates. It is safe to say
that everyone has benefited from the freedom we are graciously
granted. None more than the generations that are still to come, those
like me, that can someday better this nation and perhaps the world.
Happy Independence Day!
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