Tag: Statue of Liberty

Happy Birthday America

What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant by Randy Barnett (Reason.com)

First come rights, and then comes government.

First come rights, and then comes government.

What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant by Randy Barnett (Reason.com)

First come rights, and then comes government.

I admit that I have no read the Constitution of the United States of America. It's something I wish to correct.

I am not a natural born US citizen. Decades ago, right around the time, I was college age, my grand-father obtained resident alien status for his children and his grandchildren.

I was able to immigrate to the USA for college to study physics and electrical engineering. Upon graduation, and before I went off to graduate school, I applied for US citizenship. I became a naturalised US citizen in 1993. I was so happy and so excited to proudly and loudly say, "I am an American!".

When I sing or hear the US national anthem or recite the pledge of allegiance, I can't help but be moved by promise embedded in the words.

I had looked upon the United States of American as the land where I could be free; an inviting place, where anyone could work hard and achieve their dreams. I hope it still is.

More about this image at the link.

Statue of Liberty

Bhavna and I made promises to do certain things with the kids over the summer. During August, I decided to take a day off each week - alternating Wednesday’s and Thursday’s - to complete the checklist. Among them was a trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Bhavna had never visited Ellis Island while I had been twice, once with Shaan and once more with my daughter, Kiran, on a 5th Grade class school trip. I was a "class Dad" for Kiran's rip, a rare honour!

It was raining in Skillman, NJ but we hoped the weather in Jersey City would be better. It rained the entire boat ride to and from Ellis Island. Our tour included a stop at Liberty Island, but the heavy rain kept us on the boat.

Imagine what it was like to see this statue for the first time, covered in fog or rain, after spending months at sea, crowded inside the cargo area or cabin of a ship?

This image was captured on the return ferry from Liberty Island to Jersey City. It’s a single image “fake HDR” processed in Nik Software’s HDR Efex Pro.