Let’s celebrate our freedoms

The declaration’s principal author, Thomas Jefferson, wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...“ These words remain the backbone of America's freedom today. Even 231 years later, we live with expectations that arise from the bold acts of our Founding Fathers.

It took some doing, of course, to make the words of independence a reality. The colonists outlined a series of injustices and declared themselves members of “Free and Independent States ... Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown.“ These were bold words, defended with blood and loss of life until 1781 when the British commander surrendered on the banks of the James River in Yorktown, Va.

The armed force that defeated the mighty British Empire was little more than a ragtag militia — guerrillas, really — that somehow banded together long enough to wear out the superior adversary. Ill equipped, small in numbers, and outgunned, the colonial army somehow persevered. They had tasted freedom, and nothing could stop them from their mission.

Because of their sacrifices — and the compromise and unimaginable civility that followed through the years — we're still independent and free.

Some Americans support our efforts in Iraq, while others oppose them. But whether the United States is right or wrong to have become involved, the reality is that Iraq today is a new nation, facing the same threats, challenges, and hopes that our nation faced in the early days.

Certainly the comparison is less than perfect. The war in Iraq came about as a result of U.S. intervention. The struggle for freedom in America came from an uprising of the people themselves. Certainly, we didn't defeat England on our own, as much as some people like to believe. We probably would not have our independence if not for France and Spain. Both nations helped us win the Revolutionary War.

Another big difference between the French helping us at the birth of our nation and the United States helping Iraq today is that the seeds of independence were planted and cultivated for generations here long before the war. We don’t know of any movement for Iraq independence from within, and if there were, it certainly was not as organized as our colonies were.

What is common is the struggle for independence, the fight for self-determination. It always comes at a huge cost. It always involves bloodshed and the sacrifice of life. The people who are stepping forward in this new era in Iraq are putting themselves in harm’s way just as the people who signed the Declaration of Independence did, many of whom lost everything, including their lives, hanged by British soldiers as traitors.

The Declaration of Independence is the inspiration behind our country. And a most memorable portion of the writing is the second paragraph that reads all men “are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.“

In a speech delivered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, President Abraham Lincoln, a great thinker and prophetic speaker, said that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence gave liberty not alone to the people of this country, but hope to all the world, for all future time, to have the weights lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. He said he would rather be assassinated than give that up.

Our hope for a free Iraq, and for people everywhere, is that Lincoln’s words would ring true for them, that they will enjoy the blessings of freedom that we have enjoyed because of the brave sacrifices of our forefathers.

For most of us, Independence Day will be spent in the all-American way. We'll dress in red, white and blue, and proudly fly the flag, and we will celebrate our nation, our history, ourselves.

We'll picnic with family and friends. We'll march in or watch a parade. We'll go to baseball games or take a nap. And then, when the sun goes down, we'll go out to see the skies light up with the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air. It is the perfect American holiday.

Our hope is that this year, as we see the struggle for freedom in other parts of the world, we will all be a little more grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, and for those who fight for those freedoms to exist for all Americans and for others around the world, often at the cost of their lives.

May their lives not be lost in vain, but may they be honored by our gratitude for the freedoms they have bought for us.