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Remember why we celebrate

On Saturday, we will celebrate the birth of our nation.

This year marks the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As usual, it will be observed across our nation with celebrations and fireworks displays.

In Vandalia, the festivities take place on Saturday night, when the Vandalia Lions Club once again will sponsor the fireworks display at Vandalia Lake. Check our calendar on page 2 for other events in the area.

As we celebrate the Fourth, we should remember that it’s more than a day for picnics and fireworks. The real reason lies in the document penned in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. In that Declaration of Independence, he wrote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Those core freedoms were paramount with our nation’s founding fathers as they chafed under attempts by the British to establish control over the American colonies. Their dream of a free nation compelled them to resist the British, even at great peril to their own personal safety.

Though we’re a few years removed from the attacks of 9/11/01, we still have thousands of U.S. troops deployed around the globe to fight the threat posed by terrorists. They, too, fight for our freedoms and our way of life.

We live in an amazing country. As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we should give thanks for the freedoms that all too often we take for granted.

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