Happy Independence Day, everyone! Before we get bogged down in the gimmicks and promises of another election year, let’s take a moment to remember how far this country has come. America was always an experiment in government, and there were times over these past few years when it seemed like that experiment was over, but as long as people still believe in freedom and are willing to stand up to tyrants around the world and on our own shores, then the spirit of freedom will live on, and so will the American experiment.
O Say, do you still believe
In the land of the free
In those freedoms fought and won
Amid patriotic battle cries
Or do you go along to get along
Keep your head down low
Never interfering or rocking the boat
But hoping to float through life
As freedom passes by
Will you honor the fallen and live without fear
Or will survival take over ‘til you trade all your freedom for safety
And lose most of yourself along the way.
Can you still fight for freedom?
Are you willing to fight for tomorrow
Or can you only live for today?
O say, where has your faith gone
This great country of mine
Does freedom still ring in your heart
Or are you following the crowd?
Have you traded kings and monarchs for a similar crowd
Or will you still stand and fight for freedom
To strike a distance from the crowd
To remain a place of hope and refuge for the poor.
As we celebrate Independence Day
Will the voice of patriots sing aloud
Or will this day pass by us, unnoticed, unfelt, unvowed?
So Strike a match and light the way
As those brave rockets burst in the sky
And remember the patriot’s starting cry
Give me Liberty or let me die.
From Fingertips to Fiction 