Happy 4th of July 2026

It was 250 years ago on this date that the Declaration of Independence was signed, marking the founding of the United States of America. I know that many people aren't particularly in the mood to celebrate today. Much of the country is suffering from extreme heat. The economy is not particularly good. There is widespread political division. And a certain individual who shall not be named has insisted about making the 250th anniversary of the United States of America all about himself. And I do have to admit that the United States has not always lived up to its ideal that all men are created equal. Native Americans (including my Cherokee ancestors) suffered greatly because of the US. For the first 87 years of the country's existence, slavery existed in the US. Still, it is the idea that all people were created equal, that we all have certain unalienable Rights, including those to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, is one worth celebrating and one worth working towards, no…