Happy Fourth of July ..... and why blog?

We live in a nation where freedom of speech is our birthright. As citizens of this wonderful country, we have the right to do what we want and when we want, so long as we do no harm to others. Accordingly, we are free to express, orally or in writing, our own particular point of view on any subject, at any place, to any person and at any time.

That seems like an invitation to make an effort to have reasoned opinions about things that matter to each of us, and then to willingly express what we believe in an open forum.

In that spirit, this blog sets forth my "point of view" on whatever the topic du jour may be. Hopefully, both complementary (not complimentary) and contrary points of view will come forth from others from time to time as well, since it's impossible to learn if I'm the only one doing the talking. So in case you're wondering why I'm blogging, it's because I enjoy it.

On a similar note, The Insidious Evils of 'Like' Culture warns us about some disturbing aspects of social networking resulting from the tyranny of conformity. The writer disapproves of our developing "Like" culture by saying in part that it is "antithetical to the concept of self-esteem, which a healthy individual should be developing from the inside out rather than from the outside in."

And later, he advises, "Share what makes you different from everyone else, not what makes you exactly the same. Write about what's important to you, not what you think everyone else wants to hear. Form your own opinions of something you're reading, rather than looking at the feedback for cues about what to think." Makes sense to me.

Now here's my particular patriotic point of view for you to consider on this Independence Day.

American exceptionalism is real, and it is lasting.

The idea of American exceptionalism is not attributable to our genetic makeup. It results from the system of self government spelled out in the Declaration of Independence. We can't lay claim to being exceptional individuals, since we believe that all humans are created equal. Our exceptionalism is derived from the simple fact that we are, have been and will remain a free people who belong to a free and self governing society. It's our system and way of life.

So today let's take a few minutes to reflect on what the Declaration has to say about those enumerated self-evident truths and our "system" of self government. And then let's continue to spread the word.

"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."

Happy Birthday, America.

Thanks. Bob.