Every Nation has an Independence Day (PHOTOS)

Well, nearly every country has an independence day. We're not alone in that.

I will show my patriotism today like every other day, of course, because patriotism has nothing to do with the elected officials and everything to do with a nation which promises and protects our freedoms, that we have individual rights, that the government is there to protect us, not persecute us. That the government is there to protect the minority, not cloak the indiscretions of its majority. I am patriotic in spite of the malignancy of this administration.

In deference to my political fatigue, however, I've decided to remember the strides made by others with fewer opportunities who have achieved something they can call their own, to celebrate their march toward independence.

Beyond the jump, learn a little bit of Cambodia from my trek there in March (personal photos included).

As a citizen of the United States, I know I'm far better off in terms of economics and opportunities than much of the world, but I know too that doesn't make me better. In fact, those advantages can reveal qualities of others' lives that are equally significant and joyous that I am not privileged to share.

The travelling I did while young fostered an appreciation for my own situation as well as empathy for others. It  taught me that the world beyond our own back yard poses questions and offers answers, strikes differences and reflects similarities, and can humble us with the clarity that we are not the world, but merely a part of the world, occupying it with others who all strive for the same basic human needs.

Cambodia is one of those places. Emerging recently from violence and choas, its people are gaining liberies and freedoms and mobility. Still a third world country, it has few paved roads and Siem Reap, the second largest city, only recently paved about 5 miles of road. Likewise, gasoline usage is nearly 126 times less than American's consumption. Most people walk, use bicycles, or scooters. I visited the ancient temples, climbed mountains, and talked to people. It's a beautiful place slowly overcoming national and personal tragedies. It's different from the US and shows signs of humanity not so long after inhumanity. It shows signs of capitalism shortly after communism. And its independence is showing among the cracks that remain.

Call My Agent - Cambodian tourism officials are fully aware that visitors want to experience the local color. Because there aren't enough Buddhist monks at all the temples, actors are hired to roam the temples of Angkor wrapped in saffron and pose for the camera. It's paying off, with tourism driving much of the country's current economic expansion as arrivals increased by 15 percent in 2004.

Honoring the Dead - Skulls salvaged from the Killing Fields stare back through the glass of Wat Thmei Killing Fields Memorial near Siem Reap. It's smaller than the one erected in Phnom Penh but no less heart wrenching. The Buddhist temple next to the memorial is presided over by an ancient toothless monk who only speaks French. He described how the Khmer Rouge used the temple as a base to torture villagers and put them to work in the rice fields until they died. I was speechless. Then I cried on the way back to the hotel.

Mother and Child - A Cambodian mother and her son. At birth, life expectancy for boys is just under 56 years.

Franchising the War - The Foreign Correspondant's Club (FCC) in Siem Reap is one of the newest landmarks in Combadia's second largest city. It's modeled on the original FCC in Phnom Penh where journalists were kept safe while reporting on the war. It occupies a commanding view on one of only two paved roads in the city, overlooking the Siem Reap River. Our tab for happy hour, dinner for four including wine and dessert cost US$120. The average annual income for a Cambodian family barely exceeds $300.

Selling Prayers - This elerly woman spends most of her time at the Angkor temples. She displays the traditional Buddhist offerings and for a small monetary gift will light incense and recite a prayer for you. It's her only source of income.

Building Schools - This child could be in school but he has to help his family earn money. He's just a little older than the Canadian boy who was killed at an International school in Siem Reap in May of this year. Donors who fund US$14,000 will have a three- to five-room shool house built with the aid of matching grants from the World Bank. Apple Japan will donate a computer, and solar power, if needed, is $1,700 extra. A fund is set up for teacher payments. You can name the school whatever you like.

Teach a Man to Fish - Unemployment is only 2.5 percent, but that's due primarily to the fact that 75 percent of the population relies on subsistance farming. This young man and several others spend all day in 90-degree whether netting the muddy waters for catfish.

Democracy on the March - This Buddhist monk tells me he's very interested in democracy and shows me a book on the subject, published in Khmer by the International Republican Institute (?!). Cambodia is a very young multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy, less than 12 years old. I encouraged his interest and suggested that he seek out additional sources of information about democracy. Monks usually teach college-level courses at the monastery, at the pleasure of private donors. He teaches English, Japanese,Thai, and Khmer in addition to math, but has had to cut back his class load because his Japanese benefactor has cut off funding due to "a lack of ROI."

Learning English - This man is a student of the monks in a country where literacy is less than 70 percent. His reading comprehension of English is still rudimentary but he's eager to learn. My friend answers questions on sentence construction and the difference between verbs and adverbs. I have a movie of this with sound. The only documents he has to learn English from are what appear to be old photocopies of wartime news reports detailing Khmer Rouge attrocities. He asks us to send him an English encyclopedia.

Fields of Landmines - The killing fields still exist, only now death and dismemberment are the result of landmines which will remain explosive for another 75 years. These men have all been disabled due to landmines. Now they create music and record CDs for sale to the tourist trade. The sign says "Land Mine Music." We bought a CD.

A New Day - Sunrise from atop the Angkor Wat. Our driver dropped us off at the rear entrance because it's closer to the main temple. At 4:30AM, however, the walk was a half-mile of complete darkness on a jungle road. I remember reading that the remaining members of the Khmer Rouge had settled with government and agreed not to take any more foreign hostages at the temple sites. Somehow I was still a bit nervous with only a cigarette lighter to guide me down the road.

(I tried to make the photos link to full-size versions, but couldn't get it to work.)