Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Fireworks

Fireworks over Miami, Florida, USA on American...

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Are you celebrating 4th of July with hot dogs, apple pie, and fireworks? I think we should add in a few parades, a baseball game, concerts, and some political speeches.That is about as American as it gets on the 4th!

Americans love to celebrate the day. We sometimes forget why we are celebrating – we tend to forget that we are commemorating the anniversity of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Many children have to memorize the beginning of the Declaration of Independence which begins “When in the course of human event it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have…”.

Perhaps as adults we still remember this paragraph:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Do we sometimes take these rights too far? Does the “pursuit of happiness” mean we can do anything we please as long as it makes us happy? Do certain unalienable rights mean the right of women to end the life of their babies in the uterus? Is the right to life taken away through the courts?

Certainly it was not our founding fathers intent to go to these extremes. They believed that the foundation of a nation should begin with the freedom from oppressive government, tyrany, and persecution. Every person was to be able to have freedom of speech, of assembly, freedom from religious oppression,  and the right to bear arms. Their work to establish this groundwork has made our country a symbol of freedom throughout the world.

Freedom comes at a price. This price is often sacrifice, hardship, and even the loss of life. We thank those who make sacrifices to protect our freedom and defend our country.

May God continue to bless America!

Happy 4th of July!

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