 July 4th celebrates our liberty and national independence. I get a thrill every time I hear the cannons blast that rousing finality of the 1812 overture. And I get a lump in my throat whenever I join in singing, America, America, God shed his grace on thee. Indeed, God has blessed America. This nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights has endured 228 years.