The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings ta ever one in western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill."
BREAK'N NEWS FLASH
When Hurricane Dorian discovered that Mar-A-Lago was in its cross-hairs, it stopped & deviated north. How's that fer "Climate Change." Ya heard it here first!
KIDS LIKE TA GET OLD
Billy Bob received the follow'n perspective on kids age'n and shared it with the boys since it was Cornelius Farkwad's birthday. I thought ya might enjoy it too.
GROW'N OLD
Do ya realize that the only time in our lives when we like ta get old is when we're kids?
If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about age'n that ya think in fractions.
Ya get into yer teens, now they can't hold ya back. Ya jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are ya?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' Ya could be 13, but hey, yer gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of yer life...ya become 21! Even the words sound like a ceremony. Ya become 21... Yessss!!
But then ya turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes ya sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, yer just a sour- dumplin'. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, ya TURN 30, then yer Push'n 40.... Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slip'n away! Before ya know it, ya REACH 50 and yer dreams are gone... But wait!!! You MAKE it ta 60. Ya didn't think ya would!
So ya BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it ta 60! Ya've built up so much speed that ya HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; ya HIT *! Ya get into yer 80's and every day is a complete cycle; ya HIT lunch; ya TURN 4:30 ; ya REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, ya start go'n backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If ya make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May ya all make it ta a healthy 100 and a half!!
Vietnamese Immigrant Well Done!
This is something every America should read, include'n the kneel'n NFL players! It's the difference between legal and illegal. In July 2010 the town of Prescott Valley, AZ, hosted a Freedom Rally.
Quang Nguyen was asked to speak on his experience of coming to America and what it means. He spoke the follow'n in dedication ta all Vietnam Veterans. Ya might enjoy hear'n what he had ta say:
"Thirty-five years ago, if you were to tell me that I am going to stand up here speaking to a couple thousand patriots, in English, I'd laugh at you. Man, every morning I wake up thanking God for putting me and my family in the greatest country on earth.
I just want you all to know that the American dream does exist and I am living the American dream. I was asked to speak to you about my experience as a first generation Vietnamese-American, but I'd rather speak to you as an American.
If you hadn't noticed, I am not white and I feel pretty comfortable with my people. I am a proud US citizen and here is my proof. It took me 8 years to get it, waiting in endless lines, but I got it, and I am very proud of it.
I still remember the images of the Tet offensive in 1968, I was six years old. Now you might want to question how a 6-year-old boy could remember anything.
Trust me, those images can never be erased. I can't even imagine what it was like for young American soldiers, 10,000 miles away from home, fighting on my behalf.
35 years ago, I left South Vietnam for political asylum. The war had ended At the age of 13, I left with the understanding that I may or may not ever get to see my siblings or parents again. I was one of the first lucky 100,000 Vietnamese allowed to come to the US. Somehow, my family and I were reunited 5 months later, amazingly, in California. It was a miracle from God.
If you haven't heard lately that this is the greatest country on earth, I am telling you that right now. It was the freedom and the opportunities presented to me that put me here with all of you tonight. I also remember the barriers that I had to overcome every step of the way.
My high school counselor told me that I cannot make it to college due to my poor communication skills. I proved him wrong. I finished college. You see, all you have to do is to give this little boy an opportunity and encourage him to take and run with it. Well, I took the opportunity and here I am.
This person standing tonight in front of you could not exist under a socialist/communist environment. By the way, if you think socialism is the way to go, I am sure many people here will chip in to get you a one-way ticket out of here. And if you didn't know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aimed at your head. That was my experience.
In 1982, I stood with a thousand new immigrants, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and listening to the National Anthem for the first time as an American.
To this day, I can't remember anything sweeter and more patriotic than that moment in my life.
Fast forwarding, somehow I finished high school, finished college, and like any other goofball 21 year old kid, I was having a great time with my life I had a nice job and a nice apartment in Southern California. In some way and somehow, I had forgotten how I got here and why I was here.
One day I was at a gas station, I saw a veteran pumping gas on the other side of the island. I don't know what made me do it, but I walked over and asked if he had served in Vietnam. He smiled and said yes. I shook and held his hand. This grown man's eyes began to well up. I walked away as fast as I could and at that very moment, I was emotionally rocked. This was a profound moment in my life. I knew something had to change in my life. It was time for me to learn how to be a good citizen. It was time for me to give back.
You see, America is not just a place on the map, it isn't just a physical location. It is an ideal, a concept. And if you are an American, you must understand the concept, you must accept this concept, and most importantly, you have to fight and defend this concept. This is about Freedom and not free stuff. And that is why I am standing up here.
Brothers and sisters, to be a real American, the very least you must do is to learn English and understand it well. In my humble opinion, you cannot be a faithful patriotic citizen if you can't speak the language of the country you live in.
Take this document of 46 pages - last I looked on the Internet, there wasn't a Vietnamese translation of the U.S. Constitution. It took me a long time to get to the point of being able to converse and until this day, I still struggle to come up with the right words. It's not easy, but if it's too easy, it's not worth doing.
Before I knew this 46-page document, I learned of the 500,000 Americans who fought for this little boy. I learned of the 58,000 names inscribed on the black wall at the Vietnam Memorial. You are my heroes. You are my founders.
At this time, I would like to ask all the Vietnam veterans to please stand. I thank you for my life. I thank you for your sacrifices, and I thank you for giving me the freedom and liberty I have today.
I now ask all veterans, firefighters, and police officers, to please stand On behalf of all first generation immigrants, I thank you for your services and may God bless you all.
Quang Nguyen
Creative Director/Founder
Caddis Advertising, LLC
"God Bless America"
"One Flag, One Language, One Nation Under God"
Well, that's it fer this week.
Hope'n ta see ya in church this weekend.
Remember, where ever ya is, what ever ya be a do'n,
BE A GOOD ONE!
Keep on smile'n,
Catch ya later,
BARNYARD BRUKE