Happy Birthday United States of America

I wrote this a few years ago on the Fourth of July but it is still just as true today if not even more so.

I am blessed to live in the United States of America. It is still the richest and most powerful nation in the world. But more importantly I am allowed to worship as I please. I am able to express myself and to criticize our leaders as I see fit due to the Bill of Rights of this great nation. 

Today marks the 245th birthday of the United States of America. It is one of the longest lasting democracies in the world. This has been accomplished through the sacrifice of thousands going back to the Revolution against the British to today with our troops deployed in Afghanistan and other Middle East hot-spots. These brave men and women paid the ultimate price for our enduring freedom. I have no good way of sufficiently expressing my gratitude to them and to those who have served in conflicts such as World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Today I say thank you to all of our armed forces past and present. Because of you I am able to live in what I truly believe is the greatest nation on earth. Happy Birthday America! Long may you stand!