Happy "Interdependence" Day

The Declaration of Independence was written collaboratively by a committee of 5 and signed by 56 brave men who "pledged their lives, fortunes and their sacred honor." Had they failed in their attempt, their signature was a death warrant. But the signers of our founding document were not divided by fear, but rather they were united by the glorious vision of a country "of self-evident truths that all men are created equal,” The willingness of those men to sacrifice themselves then was breath of life that permits 320 million Americans to celebrate now. They were a patrician club of land owning “white” men, but they courageously threw off the yoke of religious, political, and economic persecution. Since they laid that foundation in 1776, “the people” have expanded that freedom to include all races, genders and religions and economic class. Today, as we celebrate America’s noble experiment in Democracy, we continue to extend freedoms and simultaneously work through our differences to provide everyone with “unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The 4th, for me, is a reminder that we continue to seek the constitutional goal of a “more perfect union.” And while we often fail, and find ourselves “a country divided” in this political season, America remains a beacon of hope to freedom loving people all over the world. I’m gratefully proud to be a part of it! Ray Anderson, Vietnam Veteran, Son of a World War II Veteran, born in Germany to Mother who adopted this country as her own.