Happy Birthday, America

Happy 226th Birthday, America! You're still the best nation there ever was. That's why some people hate you because they have never known such a country. They also hate you because freedom to them is frightening. They prefer to control others, rather than let them be free.

A self-confident people can afford to be free. A God-confident people can't afford not to. Our leaders say we could be attacked today. Maybe. But our attackers will take away what was given us by those who went before only if we let them.

Each generation must confront new enemies in order to hand down to the next generation what has been passed to us. Did we really think we could enjoy the benefits of freedom without paying the price?

It has always been this way, from the revolutionary war that started this wonderful experiment called America, to all of the other wars that helped sustain us against people and regimes who would take it all away.

Let us thank God for America on our birthday, but let us again invoke his protection and ask for his revival so that we may be worthy of another year of freedom. I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.