Rusty Law

American Culture

The ice cream cone was invented when a woman wrapped a cookie around her ice cream at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.  That was also the destination for an AAA nationally organized road trip.  The family road trip has been an icon of American life ever since.  Nearly 40 years after Judy Garland had her big hit, Meet Me in St. Louis, filmmaker John Hughes also capitalized on that idyllic American summer with a Chevy Chase update:  National Lampoon’s Vacation.  

John Hughes wrote screenplays for American movies, including Home Alone.  He wrote about American life and all its embarrassing and true moments with the idea that you could drive yourself crazy thinking you were the only one going through something.  Though he did not put a smile on the face of foreclosure for us, his philosophy is correct for our current crisis as well.  

Foreclosure is an American problem.  It can feel very isolating, but millions of Americans are suffering that same feeling.  Furthermore, there are solutions.  Know the map and plan your route.  

The Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine trails off into a Wikipedia entry as far as most are concerned.  You may have to be smarter than a Fifth Grader to remember its significance among the legal long sentences and starched formality.  The Monroe Doctrine is a statement of land title in America.  

Land title is one of the most important aspects of our law that we have to protect us.  Our land is a place for us to have a home and family.  It is an investment often beyond monetary value on both an individual and national basis.  

In 1823 President James Monroe introduced this doctrine in his State of the Union address.  At that time, Florida had not become a state yet, though it was a US territory, and European countries were still squabbling over New World colonies.  The Monroe Doctrine was a statement to those European nations declaring that the United States is a sovereign country, not open to colonization any more.  Period.  

The Monroe Doctrine clarified the title the United States has on land in North America to dissuade foreign claimants.  

French-American Relations

Fireworks, celebration, red, white, and blue on a hot summer’s night—Bastille Day looks a lot like the Fourth of July, except everyone’s speaking French.  

The American Revolution happened without Florida (in 1776, Florida was a British colony), but not without France.  To honor a friendship formed in the American battle for freedom, France gave the Statue of Liberty to the New York skyline.  The year was 1886, Grover Cleveland was President, and he accepted the gift with these words:  “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.”  

Head to heel, Lady Liberty is shorter than the Saint Augustine Lighthouse, but she’s a lovely symbol of an alliance of two nations.  We’ll just have to see how relations go if Lance Armstrong pedals out of retirement to win another Tour de France. 

Happy Bastille Day to our French friends.  

Celebrating Freedom

You can’t open the windows at the Washington Monument, you can't climb on the roof of the Lincoln Memorial, and you can't dance in the Jefferson rotunda.  Liberty comes with respect and safety for all.  

While the National Mall has a dearth of shoe stores, it provides great walking through the history of freedom in the United States, and has been a popular staging ground for demonstrations of many kinds.  One of the latest was a dance demonstration at the Jefferson Memorial.  Though the dance was silent and peaceful, it was staged without a permit, and perhaps imposed upon the tranquility of the Memorial.  

If you choose to celebrate our nation’s freedom with a visit to the Capitol this summer, I suggest an evening tour of the national monuments.  Go to the Smithsonians in the daytime, then venture into night air, when the crowds are smaller and you can enjoy the lighting effects which illuminate freedom’s heroes in soft reverence.