What does July 4th mean to you? What would it mean if you lost your independence? You do know you are on the verge of losing it, don’t you? If the insurrection of January 6, 2021 did not convince you, it could be you are too deep in the cesspool of lost souls to save yourself. Are you ready to fight to regain it? If you had started to fight 10 years ago, you could be free today. But now it could take 30 or 40 years of arduous work just to wipe out the gains made by traitorous liars like Donald Trump. He has found his new home in the circle of wealthy businessmen and women who hate you. They have also bought the “loyalty” of enough politicians and enough citizens to sustain themselves far into the future. Their dominion includes those who are willing to sell their souls for 30 pieces of silver. That is how easily and how surely freedom is falling in American today. In the words of John Donn: Do not send to know for whom the bell tolls—it tolls for thee.

I am from another era. I lost my mom while WWII was raging. She had only enough time to teach me that my life would not be easy. That I would spend a great deal of time trying to make sense of it. So I had to rely on myself, on sheer guts. I became homeless for the next 21 years. I was too poor, too hungry, too dirty, and too angry to feel sorry for myself. Life had kicked me in the teeth, and I did not know why. I could not do any of the activities that other kids did. I was too poor and I had to learn how to shut up and stay that way. But I never lost my will. I never lost hope. I never gave in to giving up.

My older brother fought in WWII. He was seriously wounded twice, and he was captured once by German soldiers. While his captors were distracted, he saw a tiny opening. He took a chance on life. He bolted for freedom. His willingness to fight for his life gave him until age 94 to make it a good one. Another brother flew some 500 to 800 Medevac missions in Vietnam. He was in it to save lives, not to win combat medals. He was shot down 3 times. He rests peaceably in Arlington, among the thousands of others who believed in freedom and were willing to fight for it. I will take my place there soon enough.

What is your life worth? What is any life worth? Patrick Henry gave us a clue: Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?...as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

I am ashamed of the trend that is now showing its ugly face in our Supreme Court’s decisions. Where is the honor in continuing to allow 18 year olds to arm themselves with AR-15s and enough ammunition to kill countless innocent children? How much courage does it take to stop the EPA from poisoning our air, our lakes, and our streams? Where is the honor in supporting your own spouse in her insurrection efforts, while ruling in cases that support her cause? Where is the bravery in letting corporations pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of climate deniers? Or in taking a poor mother’s choice away from her that a wealthier mother does not face?

The answers are clear enough for me. I reject hypocrisy in all its forms, at all levels, and by anyone who embraces it. I am humble enough to forgive, but strong enough to stand firm in support of an idea that is larger than all its enemies.