The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure. – Albert Einstein

 Defending our Constitution doesn’t necessarily mean fighting. The more citizens live according to its principles and speak up whenever they see the rights of others being threatened, the less actual fighting there will be.

“America the Beautiful” celebrates the ideal of our nation that inspired Heroes “who more than self their country loved.”  A key to bringing our reality close to our ideal is that we good citizen be crowned with brotherhood.

Crowns are usually associated with monarchies, not democracies, so think about checkers, where crowns are earned by good plays.  The crown bestows each king with increased power and flexibi...

            Andrew Jackson sought to eliminate all Indians east of the Mississippi.  Many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence (declaring that “all men are created equal”) owned slaves.  History is full of examples of our imperfections.  The United States did not become a great nation because its citizens are superior to other humans.  The key to our national success is that the fallible people involved in our government have continually been ...

What does it mean to be an American?  Is it nothing more than an accident of birth?  What principles define American patriotism?
            
In political rhetoric ideas like low taxes, immigration laws, specific religious beliefs and economic growth start to sound like American principles, but the real principles are the ones embodied in the Declaration of Independence and our pledge:  Self-government, the self-evident equality of all people, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, with li...