Red, White and sometimes Blue...

"It has been tattered, torn, spit on and even burned. Yet this grand old flag still attracts freedom loving people like bees to honey..."

I love this country. I love our flag. My wife asked me very politely not to be too political on this 4th of July, on the annual celebration of our Independence Day. The article I was going to write has been put on the back burner until tomorrow's release. Today will be a reflection on what this day means to me, both present day and in the past.

Like many of us, I look at the Fourth as being the midpoint of the summer. Some pessimists believe after today, starting on the 5th of July, summer is almost over. The days are getting shorter, the "dog days" are right around the corner, and the back to school ads start to appear. Some even think about the horrible winter it seems like we just went through and start planning for the next deep freeze. Yuck!

I however, eschew thoughts of Old Man Winter on this most glorious day of summer. Not only is it a day to be with family and/or friends to celebrate summer, it is a day to remember how this exceptional country got started in the first place. As we know, our national spirit was born out of an intolerance of tyranny. Our thirst for freedom, for independence. How deep was that feeling? Everyone who signed our Declaration of Independence knew what the cost would be. Should they fail, should our fledgling country fail, the document they signed most likely would been their death warrant.

But we did not fail. We went on in two short centuries to become the shining light on the hill. The light for all people who yearn for freedom, to look for and to follow. Spending our precious national treasure and blood, we saved the world from tyranny more than once. We feed large parts of the world, we help poor countries with basic necessities, and yes, we still welcome legal immigrants. As beat up and tattered as our flag has been, it still attracts freedom loving people like bees are attracted to honey.

As much pride as I feel in this country, in our flag, I get blue when I see the direction we are headed in. What I see at times is not the America I know and love. Our world continues to be an ever dangerous place. The terror war continues. Russia and China are on the prowl. Even though some in Washington would like us to believe otherwise, the facts are very simple. When America is strong and engaged, tyrants and terrorists do not stand a chance. When America is weak and isolated, bad things happen quickly. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so do the world's bad guys.

I have often said that all people are born free - someone just has to take that freedom away from them. I love our freedom in this country, and wish that all countries in the world had the same. On this Independence Day, that will be my continued hope and prayer. For America to once again be the country, the beacon of hope, the demonstration of liberty, the world so desperately wants and needs.