Sun Editorial: Take a moment on Independence Day to reflect on the events of many years ago

Make a pledge to get more involved in the way your town, state and nation are governed

By Alan Bauer
The Sun

The United States of America celebrates another birthday next week. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the enormity of what took place so many years ago.

Modern Fourth of July celebrations often include a parade and solemn ceremonies to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve our nation. Those are very appropriate ways to celebrate the day.

And, many people will spend the holiday cooking out and gathering with friends and family — a living reminder of the rights and freedoms we have. Again, there’s nothing wrong with that.

But at some point next Wednesday, we all should take a moment to reflect on just what the Founding Fathers did back in the 1700s.

To summarize: They didn’t like the way England treated the Colonies. They didn’t like it so much, in fact, they up and decided to overthrow their government. Let’s go to war, grab a musket, and let’s take on one of the biggest and best armies in the world to gain our independence.

That took unbelievable courage, not to mention a healthy dose of whatever the colonial version of “hold my beer” was, even though, in the end, everything turned out OK.

Fast forward to modern times, and it’s possible, if not likely, that most of us have, at some point in our lives, been at least a little tempted to launch our own revolution against our government. Fortunately, though, we don’t need muskets.

We need an active, involved and informed electorate. We’re not ruled by a king or queen. We elect our leaders and have the right and opportunity to replace those leaders when it comes time to vote.

So, as the nation celebrates another birthday, make a pledge to get more involved in the way your town, state and nation are governed. Learn about the issues and candidates, and then vote.

It’s a lot easier than what the Founding Fathers had to do.