Culture, Morality & Patriotism - Happy Fourth!

I love my country. Pretty much the opposite of what Jen recently termed "Sacra-country-otic." In fact, I recently got all choked up when I witnessed Carrie Underwood perform The Star Spangled Banner at Stadium of Fire... a little embarrassing, yes. Point is, I'm proud to be an American, where we can worship God and live life according to the dictates of our own consciences, and not by the maniacal whims of some power-mongering dictator or corrupt system of government. We live in a society that chooses to remember the sacrifices of its forefathers by annually celebrating the nation's independence. This, I believe, is essential to our nation's success in the future: the persistence to remember the past and live life according to the morals and principles upon which this country was established.

We are free so long as we are a moral people. We will be that "city on a hill" so long as we seek life, liberty and happiness, for ourselves and our neighbors: domestic and foreign. We will have endless opportunities while we choose to be an honest and hard-working people. Sadly, we have lost sight of that recently with the poor choices that have plagued our economy: laziness, greed, selfishness, entitlement and pride.

Let's get back to what makes America great! Our industry, our tolerance, our loyalty to virtue: honesty, truth, chastity, benevolence, temperance, justice, understanding. As the great patriot Edmund Burke put it, "It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters."

My mom posted this on Facebook for me and because I'm such a cool Muppet nerd like that, I'm posting it on my blog too! Even the Muppets get what it means to be American.

Enjoy...