Why a Grange Fly-In

Members from around the country will fly or drive to Washington, D. C. to participate in the National Grange Fly-In that begins this Sunday. They will visit our National Grange headquarters, have a lot of information shared with them by several guest speakers, and take time to meet with their Representatives and Senators in Congress.

Why would people take the time and expense to come to our nation’s capital? It is very simple - contrary to popular myth, it only takes a few people to influence the political process for good. One person can make a difference and one of the lessons of our Fly-In is that you begin by understanding the legislative process.

The Grange understands that the true strength of our legislative program isn’t vested in our lobbyist or Legislative Director. The legacy of lobbying that John Trimble and then Thomas Clark Akeson set for the National Grange continues today with Burton Eller. That legacy is to educate and empower the individual and to promote the policies adopted by Grange members across the country.

The true strength of the Grange legislative program is in the involvement of our members. Letters, phone calls, and email to our local, state, and federal elected officials help build relationships between Grange members and our representatives. Those relationships grow into trust and that leads to some measure of influence.

The goals that I have for this year’s Fly-In are simple: I hope that each member will experience the excitement of seeing that their opinions and votes count. The American process is about people, not money or mass numbers. I believe that the process of influencing others is done one person at a time.  

If every participant learns something new then the educational portion of the Grange is reinforced. If they take that new-found knowledge home and share it with the members of their own Grange, then that will be a great reward for their efforts. 

Lastly, I hope that each member takes the time to remember that while our nation is not perfect, it is exceptional. The rough and tumble of politics may get ugly and nasty on occasion, but there are few nations on earth that let each citizen have so much impact on legislative affairs. The promise of our nation’s Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is one of liberty and responsibility. 

Those members who participate in the National Grange Fly-In truly are demonstrating the responsibility of citizenship in the United States of America.

Independence Day Should Remind Us of Our Duty As Citizens

It is a special thing to be an American Citizen. We are blessed to live in a country where a person can achieve whatever they are willing to work for in education or career. We are a nation governed not by men or women, but by laws that apply to each person equally. Every person is entitled to their own opinion and can voice it as loudly as they choose. We can join together with others to worship, to accomplish civic causes, or simply to spend some relaxation time.

For those of us who were born as Americans, we should be grateful and amazed as we watch so many in the world trying to enter our nation and become citizens. We should not be complacent about, or take for granted, what this unique nation stands for.

The fourth of July, Independence Day, should be a day that reminds us of our duty as citizens.  We should be informed and involved.

Being an informed citizen includes understanding who we are as Americans and what our history is. 237 years of history is a lot of knowledge, but every citizen should understand why our founders broke from England and what it cost in life and treasure. What was manifest destiny? What were the major causes of our Civil War? Woman’s suffrage, civil rights, and so many other issues that our nation had to work through, need to be understood. It isn’t history, it is how we became who we are as a people.

I would not presume to say any group of people are more or less patriotic, but consider the fact that rural Americans volunteer at the highest percentage rate for joining the military. 

It is our duty as Americans to be involved. We should vote, but do our research and form our own opinions before doing so. We should be involved in the party of our choice and work to influence them. We should give back to others by giving of both time and money. Joining organizations, such as the Grange, becomes a powerful way of giving back for what we have, as well as paying it forward to the next generation.

I believe that the Declaration of Independence should be read in public every year and then we should spend some time discussing with our youth what it means. It doesn’t take men and women in black robes to tell us what it means, it is right there in black and white.

Being an American is a blessing and confers upon each of us great privileges, rights, and duties.  So many today, speak of the privileges and rights. This year let’s reflect upon the duties as well.