In case you missed it…
Can you believe it is already the July Fourth weekend?
Throughout the nation families will be gathering in recognition of America’s independence, and celebrating our freedoms.
Of course, our relationship with freedom is much different today than it was in 1776.
For the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, freedom was not a casual term thrown around carelessly by politicians and pundits.
It was a dream.
And to the men who helped forge the American experiment, that dream was more valuable than any treasure, fortune or life.
The men who put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence knew they were declaring themselves traitors to the crown — and yet they were willing to risk everything they had in the hope that, someday, their children and grandchildren could live in a nation free from oppression, tyranny and despotism.
This July Fourth weekend, take a moment to remember the great sacrifices that have been made in defense of our freedom. Our nation was founded by men who knew the true value of liberty — and it is our job to preserve, cherish and pass on to future generations this exceptional American experiment.
Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.
Sincerely,
Sharon J. Rossie
Higher education:
A new report shows that a majority of America’s “best” universities and colleges do not require students seeking a history degree to take any U.S. history classes. While many of the country’s elite schools, such as Johns Hopkins University, require classes in East Asian and sub-Saharan African politics, courses focused on American political history remains optional. Unsurprisingly, the result is a body of students that are incapable of identifying what significance the emancipation proclamation had in American history, or which Revolutionary War general led the American troops at Yorktown. (Read more)
Public education:
As we’ve pointed out before, teacher unions are not interested in helping “the children” — they’re interested in helping themselves. The city of Chicago is the latest example of this destructive status quo. Despite being nearly bankrupt, Chicago Public Schools transferred $676 million to the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund, leaving a paltry $24 million left in the bank to educate the district’s nearly 400,000 students. (Read more)
European Union:
If you want to understand why Britain was keen to leave the petty tyranny of the European Union, look no further than this example of regulatory overreach: In an attempt to save the public from “misleading” statements in advertising, EU regulators have forbidden bottled water companies from claiming that their product fights dehydration. Under a new directive by EU bureaucrats, companies that make such a claim will be held criminally liable. (Read more)
Free speech:
In a significant win for free speech, the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands officially withdrew his subpoena of a libertarian nonprofit group. Attorney General Claude Walker had requested decades of internal documents from the Competitive Enterprise Institute as part of an investigation into ExxonMobil’s skepticism of man-made global warming. (Read more)
Independence Day:
We know that 56 men mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor when they signed the Declaration of Independence. But do you know the price each one of these men paid to help secure a free and independent America? (Read more)