July 4 is a time to celebrate the U.S. Constitution : Anderson Valley Post

Greetings for our greatest American holiday - the birth of our nation.

My first column was an Independence Day piece in 1994, fifteen years ago. I've enjoyed writing most of them. I do hope that you have enjoyed and benefited from them as well. At times, however, I struggled to write because I found a certain subject to be too painful. Those columns were difficult to write.

I struggled, checked sources, saw the Constitution being twisted and ignored. I saw wrongs committed. It is a writer's duty to point out problems so the public can act to right wrongs, so I sometimes yelled.

Often the truth raises hackles, so I also got yelled at.

When this happens, I recall an old Confusion quote: "He who stick head above crowd must expect rock in teeth."

From that position, however, I can usually see over the confusion.

Independence Day, again, is the day Americans take off from work to celebrate the birth of our nation with picnics, parades, flags, picnics, hot dogs, baseball, speeches and fireworks.

Even more, it should be a day when we rededicate ourselves to our United States Constitution with its first 10 amendments - also known as the Bill of Rights. These are the most precious documents in our country.

Through our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, all United States citizens are awarded our personal rights and benefits. These rights are designed to protect us from overbearing, dictatorial government.

There are factions within our government and in our country who would do away with the freedoms granted us by that wonderfully wise group of men who gave us those very same rights so many years ago.

When asked following the Continental Congress whether the gathering had decided upon a republic or a monarchy, Benjamin Franklin reportedly said, "A republic, if you can keep it."

It appears that old patriot's fears were well founded. Franklin was wise beyond his time. We let loose of our freedoms when we let glib-tongued politicians dismantle the country's Constitution, its economy and its high sense of morals and ethics.

Stalin is alleged to have said, "America is like a healthy body, and its resistance is threefold: Its patriotism, its morality and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."

They corrupt our young people through music, film and drugs.

For more than 80 years I've seen these things happen and watched as our freedoms disappeared. Today, I shudder.