It was just a few words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
There is more to the document, of course, but that is it – that is America, distilled. Nothing written by the hand of Mankind is more important. It is the peak of humanity and we can either sustain it or retreat from it – we cannot improve it.
To state that we’re all equal and endowed by rights – including the right to alter or abolish our form of government – is the true revolution in human affairs. There is nothing like it before, and nothing after. Every other attempt at crafting a society puts a “but” in there. Some mechanism whereby it is not held to be true that all people are created equal and that, when push comes to shove, their rights are not an endowment, but a revocable gift. It is those words which set the standard. A standard the entire world falls short of. Even such reliable American friends as Japan and Israel don’t quite match up.
The Founders left us this precious gift – and the enemies of America, since 1776, have been at war with it. Back then it was monarchs, now it is communists. They cannot allow us to stand – because our existence is a direct challenge to them. For all their justifications of tyranny fall flat when we merely point to those words and say, “why not?”. Why aren’t your people endowed with rights? Why can’t they alter or abolish their government? What are you afraid of?
The people, of course. They always fear the people. And the more they claim the mantle of tribune of the people, the more dark fear eats their hearts. Because the people, if really asked, would just opt for those few words. My rights are mine: God (or Nature, if you like) gave them to me by simple fact of being human. I, along with my fellow human beings, will decide our form of government – we will not have it imposed upon us. Neither by claims of tradition nor revolutionary necessity. We can actually see this in the World Cup events here in the United States: people from all around the globe, of every possible creed, are just having a good time – singing and dancing with each other in sheer joy. Why? Because here, in the USA, they are freed from their tribal leaders who keep them down…nobody is telling them to hate, and so they are loving. They might go back home next week and immediately fall prey to the liars who poison their minds…but in this brief moment, in the one truly free country on Earth, their humanity shines forth…and they are, even if only for a moment, just like us.
We dare not lose this precious gift. It is under attack, at home and abroad. Indeed, we look with sorrow on the number of Americans who minds are so poisoned that they are refusing to join us in celebration of our 250th anniversary. I believe we will save this last, best hope. I do believe that what is good cannot perish; and those few words, written 250 years ago, make us good. Not that we don’t ever sin, but that as long as we hold those words to be the self-evident truths they are, then we cannot totally fail, and we will recall ourselves to the promise of America.
Happy Fourth of July! A Glorious Fourth! A nation 250 years in the making, the marvel of the world! May God bless us and keep us!


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