Happy Birthday, America!

The 4th of July this year has new meaning for me. I have discovered a new, and indeed passionate, love for my country and the principles on which it was founded. Freedom truly is not free. We must fight for it every day. As Abraham Lincoln said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." I have learned that this is so true. The biggest enemy of freedom is apathy.

I plan to celebrate Independence Day by attending a Tea Party with my family and meeting other Americans who still believe in the vision that has endured for 233 years. As a nation, we are at a crossroads and the path we choose right now, at this moment, will either preserve that great vision or will move us in an entirely different direction.

America is blessed. America is special. America is the Shining City on the Hill. I truly can't comprehend why our current President and current Congress is running hell-bent for socialism and the failed policies and abject mediocrity of other countries. America IS the standard that the free world strives for and it is the hated enemy of those who seek to enslave and oppress. There is no better gift that I can give to my country than my heartfelt and sincere effort to preserve the great vision from which she was created.

I'm sure I'll also find time to eat a hotdog, watch some fireworks and burn some sparklers, too!!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.