And this is how we celebrate the 4th of July? Lovely. Really. Fucking. Lovely.
The most striking characteristic of the ceremony, an expanded version of tiny Ripley's annual Fourth of July celebrations that began in the mid-19th century, was the steady profession of faith. The event began before Bush's arrival with a fiery invocation by the Rev. Jack Miller of West Ripley Baptist Church.
"We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word in the name of multiculturalism," Miller prayed. "We have been forced to honor sexual deviance in the name of freedom of expression. We have exploited the system of education in the name of the lottery. We have toyed with the idea of helping human life in the name of medical research. We have killed our unborn children in the name of choice."
After Bush entered, the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance, shouting out the words "under God" in defiance of the unpopular ruling by an appellate court panel last week that such words in the pledge are unconstitutional.
Bush alluded to the decision, which was suspended pending a full court ruling. "No authority of government can ever prevent an American from pledging allegiance to this one nation under God," the president said beneath the clock tower of the 86-year-old Jackson County courthouse, prompting a sustained standing ovation from the crowd.
Bush, who removed his tie, unbuttoned his collar and rolled up his sleeves before giving his 20-minute speech beneath a perfect sky, also drew cheers when he spoke of the freedoms "granted to each one of us by Almighty God," and he expressed confidence that the founders "would join us all in giving thanks for all that we have."
"Today, as much as ever before, America bears the hope of the world, yet from the day of our founding, America's own great hope has never been in ourselves alone," Bush said. "The founders humbly sought the wisdom and the blessing of Divine Providence. May we always live by that same trust, and may God continue to watch over the United States of America."
