Words of Wisdom from a Great Hoosier!

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  • 7th Stepper

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    I've loved Red Skelton since I was a little kid, but I'd never heard this wonderful rendition of our Pledge to our Country, explained by him so meaningfully.
    It's the best I've ever heard, by a great man, who knew how to make people laugh without using foul language, bigotry, hate, slander, or any of the myriad of slams and put downs, used by most comics these days. With the exception of Bill Cosby, who is also a favorite of mine.

    This is his version of The Pledge of Allegiance, explained line by line, to a group of small children so that they would know the value of what they were saying and what this country stands for. While he made people laugh, he also made them think! Everyone of his skits was based on a lesson of how to live our lives, disguised in humor, so that it would be remembered, and when the internal "light bulb" kicked on, we'd look back and say "OH! That's what it means to be, do, or say........what ever he was teaching us".

    For those on here that know the expression "To be one, ask one", he was a holder of the 33 degree. The highest honor to be bestowed upon a man of honor, honesty and truth by his fellow Brothers. And Red Skelton is a native Hoosier, one that everyone here can be proud of saying he's from "OUR" state. The saying is more true than they think....there IS more than corn in Indiana! His works alone proves that point quite well.

    So, without further ado, here's one of the best renditions that I've ever heard. To bad he, and great men like him are either dead, or have retired from the entertainment world. It's just not the same without them, and I for one miss them greatly!

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM[/ame]

    7th Stepper
     
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    Expat

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    A very great rendition that always chokes me up a bit.

    In addition to being a great Hoosier, I would point out he was a brother Freemason.
     

    7th Stepper

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    A very great rendition that always chokes me up a bit.

    In addition to being a great Hoosier, I would point out he was a brother Freemason.

    I know, that's why I quoted the Masonic "To be one, ask one", as well as the fact that he's a 33degree AF&AM. There are very few men like him, he's sorely missed!

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    Expat

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    Mr Evilwrench

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    ...and two words have been added to the pledge of allegiance, "under god". Wouldn't it be a pity, if someone would say that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools too?
     

    7th Stepper

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    LOL What can I say....GMTA!

    Expat, I take it you are a Master Mason as well? I wear a small slipper pin myself, and a long time ago, on a bulletin board such as this, (altho long gone now) we belonged to the "Elektronik Research Lodge #1", which Bill was a member of. I got dubbed a "Mason in the Heart", a high honor considering I'm a woman, and at that point, it was an all male Fraternity. In fact, I was the ONLY woman who was allowed to post there and not get booted off. The lodge is since gone, as it was on the old Prodigy site, many many moons ago.

    We still keep in touch with some of the other members, but as time goes by, they're passing over to be with "The Great Architect of the Universe". They are missed. By the way, did you know they have Masonic Lodges belonging solely to women over in Europe? I don't know if they've made any progress in this country, it's been a long time since I heard about it.

    Red Skelton was a Master Mason, and held the Honor of being a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite. He was a great man, they broke the mold when they made him. I'd LOVED to have seen him, alas I was still living in the "Land of the Fruits and the Home of the Nuts" (aka California) at the time. We'll have been Hoosiers for 20 years come this time next March. It was the second best move I've ever made! The first was marrying Bill.

    Blessings,
    7th Stepper
     
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    7th Stepper

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    Glad you posted this. I have never seen this, but will be sure to show it to my wife and kids.

    You're very welcome, it was my pleasure!
    Red Skelton was a great American, and a Hoosier that we can all be very proud of. It's so nice now to be able to say that Bill and I are Hoosiers, altho he comes from a state FAR more worthy to be proud of than I do.

    We arrived here on March 29th, 1992, it was the first time in many many years that I finally felt safe! We originally lived in Dayton, my daughter and I, then that Christmas Bill came here from the "South", and joined us. He came back in June of 93, and we were wed in May of 94 and we've been Hoosiers ever since! Indiana is place where great people come from, where it really is the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave". I've traveled some, from the West coast to the East coast, and have gone from a city like San Francisco, to New York City (and Albany, where I have cousins), and by far, of all the states I've ever been to, or lived in, Indiana is by far the best choice.

    I wake up every morning and say "Thank you God, it wasn't an easy journey, but it's so nice to be finally home again." I spent all of 2010 in CA (again...ugg!) having some much needed surgeries, but once my surgeon cleared me to fly, I was out of there like a Bat outta H***!!!! I literally sent Bill a text in all caps....saying "GET ME THE H*** OUT OF HERE OR I'M GOING TO LOSE MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I wouldn't really have done that, to me that'd be unforgivable to do that to my loved ones and our families and friends, but the experience of where I was forced to live was really that bad!

    They say that you never know what you have until it's all gone. And I learned that lesson first and foremost when I spent a year in the state I was born and raised in, but now that my sister has passed away, absolutely nothing, and no one could get me to go back there, ever again. Appreciate Indiana folks, you have no earthly idea just how good you have it here! People are real, friends are real, even the economy isn't all that bad (when compared to out there). We have fresh clean air (as opposed to smog) acres and acres of beautiful farm land, I don't care if most of it is corn, it's still open, fertile land, not a huge mass of tall buildings and wall to wall pavement! Come December 15th of this year, I've been back in Indiana a year, and both Bill and I can proudly say it's "home".

    Thanks ya'll, we truly appreciate it!
    We live in the land of Plenty, whereas out there the live in the "Land of the Nuts, and the Home of the Fruits"!

    Happy Holidays! :)
    7th Stepper
     
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    Mike H

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    If you are ever in Vincennes, stop in at Vincennes University and visit the Red Skelton Museum located on Red Skelton Blvd. [used to be Portland Ave.] Vincennes is Red's hometown. Adjacent to the museum is the Red Skeleton Performing Arts Center, its a state of the art theatre.
    The museum is full of Red Skelton's stuff that his wife donated.
    His pledge of allegiance is awesome.
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    Compatriot G

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    Not to crap over Red Skelton, but does anybody really know the history of the Pledge of Allegiance? It was written by a defrocked Baptist preacher. He was defrocked because he was a socialist. Just google up Francis Bellamy.
     
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