Commentary

“What does that mean … celebrating our independence … from what, who?” the television reporter asks the young woman in Times Square.  It was embarrassing. “I was so bad in geography.”  She couldn’t answer the question.  How sad.

Hopefully, the majority of Americans know that it is on the Fourth of July that we celebrate our independence from Great Britain, but we need to remind each other about its significance.

Today, as progressives aim to introduce socialism into our daily lives, there are those who want to rewrite our history by demeaning our founders who had slaves, tear down statues of those who supported the Confederacy and others for no good reason.  And most recently a “journalist” was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her 1619 Project, which reframes our history based on a slavery narrative, and still others choose to promote critical race theory in our schools and military.

This is a day we must all remember what has made our country great, especially our founders, who crafted the Declaration of Independence.

I intended to encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence once again, when I noted that Hillsdale College announced its “Preserve the Declaration Project,” in which they ask you to pledge that you will read the Declaration aloud with your loved ones.  They’re even offering a downloadable copy at hillsdaleforliberty.com/declaration.  I hope you will consider it.

Most of you know that John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, was not only the first to sign the declaration, he signed it with just one witness, the secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson.

As the story goes, Hancock signed his name big and bold, to be sure King George could read it without his spectacles, but the space at the bottom of the document was blank and he couldn’t have known that the other signers would write their names smaller, it was later determined.

Few people know that the other signers did not do so on July 4, 1776 as Hancock did.  Fifty men signed it on August 2, 1776, but the last man to sign it, Thomas McKean, didn’t sign it until January of 1777.

And here’s a Trivia question to test your friends’ knowledge … Who was the member of the five original drafters of the declaration who never signed it because he believed it was too soon to declare independence? (Robert R. Livingston)

Then try this one.  Which of the following two quotes is from the Declaration of Independence?

“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.”

“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Prosperity …”

The correct answer is the first one. The second is the preamble to the Constitution.

I hope you will be reflecting on the thought our founders put into the drafting of the Declaration of Independence as you enjoy the holiday, all while President Biden’s petty decision will disallow a proper celebration at South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore. Shameful politics.

FINALLY … Whether you’re a Country Western music fan or not, you need to hear Toby Keith’s new release “Happy Birthday America.”  Unhappy with what he’s seeing in America, one verse begins, “Seems like everybody’s pissin on the red, white and blue.  Happy Birthday, America, whatever’s left of you.”

Keith comes down on the left with “All the broken-down cities by the left’s design,” but follows with “and the right can’t seem to get it right, most of the time.”

Keith performed at an inaugural concert for former President Trump and has performed for the military around the world.  He was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by Trump.

Now, more than ever … may God continue to bless the United States of America.