In July, 1776, the spirit of independence was not surrounded by barbecues and fireworks masquerading as war. The War was very real, and Americans with the courage to stand up for their freedoms were being killed on the colonial battlefields that our kids have long since ceased to learn about.

The patriots that drew up and approved the Declaration of Independence two hundred and forty-six years ago were not staging a sit-in, writing their congressman, or even engaging in a little civil disobedience. They were placing their lives, livelihoods and worldly possessions on the line for an idea, that men should live free; that government should support, not endanger that freedom; and that a carefully circumscribed government should be one with the people, and not an extension of the powerful among the people.

Among the grievances professed in the Declaration were that King George "has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out of their substance"; that he "[imposed] taxes on us without our consent"; and that he "[deprived] us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury."

In many ways our freedoms are steadily being encroached by the same offenses, in addition to a plethora of other politically correct infringements on individual liberty unheard of in colonial times. The Constitution which was created to preserve our culture of freedom is likewise being steadily whittled away by serpentine legalisms which seek to justify a desired end result, not to enforce the letter and spirit of the document.

As such, we can never accept the venerable Declaration as being the last fight we need to make for our freedom. The battle deaths of a million Americans over those two centuries attests otherwise.

If you feel American independence is no longer seriously threatened in the one-superpower world, you may not be looking far enough ahead, or reading beneath the headlines. There is still at least one major nation, and lots of little tin hats, that would gladly bring down the shade on our prosperity and our unique heritage. The abominably lax attitude of the Biden-Harris administration towards the worst of those threats, while focused on defaming American patriots, should be a wake-up call for all Americans who feel our fight for freedom and independence is two hundred years behind us. History is replete with the destruction of reigning superpowers, just when they became too self-satisfied.

Instead use this holiday wisely, in remembrance not so much of independence achieved, but of the fiery spirit of liberty and opposition to tyranny -- both internal and external -- possessed by our Founders. We must again find that spirit within ourselves if we are to bequeath to our children's' children the nation they gave us.