Happy Birthday America!

I'd love to write a really top-notch essay on the 4th of July, but I just don't have the talent to write what I want. So, instead I'll write what I feel.

I am so proud to be an American. I'm proud of the American way of life. I get choked up every time I see the flag and hear patriotic music. I get high on Americana and the American way of life. Do I like everything about America? No, life in America isn't perfect. But, I happen to believe that it's better than anywhere else on Earth.

We have personal freedoms that other countries don't grant their citizens. But with those rights we also have duties and responsibilities. First and foremost, we have to be informed about what our politicians are doing in Washington and our state capitals. If we are not informed, we can't be responsible voters. I believe that we also have the responsibility to present ourselves to the rest of the world in a manner befitting an American citizen. In my opinion that does not include saying things against our country or our leadership, especially in another country. The right to do so may be woven into our very being, but I think it's bad manners at the very least. I also think it's bad manners to come to this country, become successful (or not), and then say and do things that are harmful to America. There are times that if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all.

Do I believe in government censorship? Not in the least, but I do believe in personal censorship. I believe American citizens have the right to say pretty much whatever they want to say (you shouldn't shout "fire!" in a crowed theater for example). I also believe that not everything needs to be said. I believe that if I say or do something that other people do not like, I may have to suffer the consequences. A writer may not get more book deals, a movie producer or actor may lose ticket sales. I may have the right of free speech, but other Americans have the right to retaliate.

Liberty and Freedom come with a price. It began when the Founding Fathers signed our Declaration of Independence. Those men knew when they put their signatures on that parchment that they might forfeit their very lives for what they believed in. The price of freedom continued during the Revolutionary War when Americans died for the right to be a free nation. Americans continued to die during the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War I, and finally, the current war, the war on Terrorism. I thank each and every veteran for the time they gave to my freedom. I thank the families of those lost in wartime for the sacrifice made on my behalf.

A few of our rights:

We have the right to free speech. We have the right to say (or write) what we want about our government, good or bad. We have the right to make movies and write books that slam the government without reprisal from the government.

We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's stated in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Constitution. Let's make sure that generations to come enjoy these same rights and liberties that we enjoy today.

We have the right to religious freedom. We can worship however we want. Or not worship at all. It's a fundamental right of an American.

We have the right to bear arms. I may not want to own a gun, but don't tell me can't have one, or five, or twenty if I want. Along with this right comes a responsibility to know how to use the weapon and to keep it safe from those who don't know how to use it properly.

We have the right to engage in free enterprise and make as much money as we can. It's called capitalism and it's a good thing. We also have the right to live off the government and accept welfare. We have the right to make foolish life decisions, to not get an education, and then be qualified only for minimum wages jobs, have children we can't afford to feed, clothe, and educate, live beyond our means, and then blame everyone else for our lot in life.

And finally, we have the right do and say stupid, ignorant, mean and hateful things. We have the right to speak out against the government whenever we please. We have the right to give concerts in other countries and say that the president is not our president. We have the right to say things against our country and to make movies that purport to be truthful, but are in fact, full of lies and deceit with only a grain of truth. And we have the right to win awards, and make bucketfulls of money doing it.

God Bless America!