Happy Fourth of July

Statement

Today we celebrate America's 238th birthday -- hopefully, if the weather holds off, with fireworks and barbecues.

Our Independence was born of incredible struggle -- seven years of warfare in the 13 rebellious colonies, homes burned to the ground, New York occupied by the British, and, if the war were to take place today, the equivalent of 3 million American combat deaths.

I think it's important to note that nearly all of this combat and deprivation took place after the date by which we celebrate our independence.

Rather than celebrating the day the Treaty of Paris was signed, or the victory at Yorktown, we celebrate the day we as Americans formally resolved that we were in fact an independent nation, despite the need for years more of toil and sacrifice to make good on that commitment.

That tells us something about us as a nation, something that we can apply to the struggles we face today -- that when we finally resolve to do something, to make something amazing happen, it is that decision point that defines us, for we will then go through any obstacle put in our paths to make it so.

If our forefathers could make such a stand facing such an apparently insurmountable task years ago, we can take on any of the issues facing us today -- we just need to resolve that we will make the calls necessary to preserve "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" against the challenges of today -- locally, nationally, and internationally.

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