More than 660,000 American soldiers have been killed in battle since the birth of our Country. Each year on Memorial Day we pause to remember those who have died in protection of our American Ideals: The ideals of democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity, and equality. Yet, the protection of these ideals goes beyond the battlefield to all of us.
Abraham Lincoln warned. “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
The ideal of democracy is protected by citizens who are engaged in the role of government, making your voice heard at the ballot box and with your representatives.
Every American has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet individuals have these inalienable rights threatened every day.
Liberty is wrestled from the hands of those who would have power over others. This is a right that can be threatened in the home, the workplace, or any place where people can have control over another human being.
Opportunity and equality do not just happen; it has to be a conscious choice daily to treat people around us equally. It is an action that is in all of our hands.
We know that not all of these ideals are strong within our borders today. Yet, it is not an outside enemy that is threatening us as much as it is us who are threatening our ideals from lack of concern and effort to live these ideals and thus protect them. We owe it to all those who went before.
I'm Dan Kenney, and that's my perspective.
