Celebrating our nation's birthday
Two hundred and thirty two years ago a group of courageous men met in Philadelphia to lay out the ideals that would define a nation. They worked together to forge a document which still stands as one of the greatest treatises in the history of mankind. The powerful words of our Declaration of Independence embarked the American colonies on a journey that continues unabated today.

In this election year the principle embodied in "consent of the governed" remains the cornerstone of our democracy. Over the past year in towns large and small across America we have heard from prospective candidates for the presidency. We weighed their visions for America's future and cast ballots to select those whom we felt would best guide us for the next 4 years. The two men now competing for the presidency carry with them the hopes and dreams of millions of our fellow citizens. This November we will again go to the polls to give our consent for one of them to lead us.

Then our new president will pledge, on his sacred honor, to faithfully uphold and defend our liberties. As we go out today to celebrate this long weekend with friends and family let us always remember that we are Americans first, that we enjoy unprecedented freedom together with abundant rights and privileges, and that we are all in this together. On this day as we watch the fireworks blaze in glory across the sky we can be assured that our nation is strong and we will continue to thrive regardless of the challenges that lie ahead. We can meet those challenges head-on and ensure that "government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth".

UPDATE 04 Jul 2008 13:56:
Last year's Fourth of July post is here.

And I should note too that a little sadness has crept into our celebration today. Jesse Helms died this morning. RIP Senator.

Posted at 10:44 by Chris   []   | | | Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Stumble It! | Reddit | Link