On this day, 239 years ago, we declared independence from England. SUCH PRIVILEGES are the heart and soul of America. How lucky we are.
That momentous occasion continues to reap benefits for current and future generations.
Among them, this is what I am most grateful for:
1. The right to vote for leadership. We don’t have stuffy kings or queens or ruthless dictators lording over us. Instead, if someone starts to act too big for his britches, we have the privilege to boot the bugger out. This ability to elect a representative electorate is called republicanism.
2. Also distinct from a monarchy is the separation of powers. Here in the United States, the government’s authority comes with checks and balances to prevent a concentration of control. The three branches of government — executive, legislative and judicial — are designed to be independent but also overlapping in their responsibilities. Congress can pass laws, for example, but they must pass muster of the executive branch. And interpretation of such laws falls to the responsibility of the judicial branch.
Ideally this separation of power guards against one branch usurping the power of another, but it needs constant monitoring.
3. We have that beautiful, bountiful Bill of Rights that more than anything identifies us as Americans and no doubt is to blame for what foreigners view as our obnoxious, loud-mouthed swagger because we can pretty much say anything we want without fear of government retribution.
4. As a journalist, I’m particularly thankful for the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights which states: Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press….”
That means the Register can publish criticisms of our elected leaders without fear of being jailed or shut down.
Today in Egypt, 18 journalists remain behind bars under the administration of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Their crime? Allegedly “spreading chaos” during the Arab Spring uprisings that began in 2010.
Currently 221 journalists across the world remain behind bars.
5. The First Amendment also provides what is called newspaper privileges allowing journalists to freely gather news to report to the public. Under this amendment individual states have what is known as shield laws, protecting reporters from having to disclose their sources in a court of law unless it is “material and relevant to the controversy.”
It wasn’t until 2010 that Kansas passed a shield law for journalists.
Why journalists, especially, are glad to be Americans
