EDITORIAL HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA AMERICA'S PROUD DEMOCRATIC TRADITION CONTINUES.IN Mexico, a country that for too long was a democracy in name only, the experiment in popular government is imperiled by a single closely contested election. In Iraq, the nation's nascent nascent /nas·cent/ (nas´ent) (na´sent) 1. being born; just coming into existence. 2. just liberated from a chemical combination, and hence more reactive because uncombined. government is perpetually at risk. Terrorists seek to spark a civil war, and the country's largest Sunni political bloc is boycotting parliament to protest the kidnapping kidnapping, in law, the taking away of a person by force, threat, or deceit, with intent to cause him to be detained against his will. Kidnapping may be done for ransom or for political or other purposes. of one of its legislators. Evidence from the world continually reminds us: Democracy isn't easy. And yet, somehow, America today celebrates its 230th birthday. Well into our third century, we still ``hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal The quotation "All men are created equal" is arguably the best-known phrase in any of America's political documents, as the idea it expresses is generally considered the foundation of American democracy. , that they are endowed en·dow tr.v. en·dowed, en·dow·ing, en·dows 1. To provide with property, income, or a source of income. 2. a. by their Creator with certain unalienable UNALIENABLE. The state of a thing or right which cannot be sold. 2. Things which are not in commerce, as public roads, are in their nature unalienable. Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' And we still proudly maintain a peaceful transfer of power from one election to the other. Not that it's been easy here, either. Just 11 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America had to scrap its Articles of Confederation Articles of Confederation Early U.S. constitution (1781–89) under the government by the Continental Congress, replaced in 1787 by the U.S. Constitution. It provided for a confederation of sovereign states and gave the Congress power to regulate foreign affairs, war, , and produce the Constitution that has served us so well ever since. We had a civil war of our own, one unrivaled in the nation's history in its bloodiness. We for too long tolerated slavery and segregation, and denied the vote to women and African- Americans. To this day, closely contested elections can undermine the public's faith in our democratic system. So, too, does the awesome political power of special interests. America's history is one of fits and starts. Slowly we have inched closer to ``the more perfect Union'' our founders envisioned, but with many zigzags and setbacks. Still, America remains a beacon to the world, its chief exporter of freedom. Our 230-year history shows that democracy isn't easy, but it is worth it -- the freest, fairest, most humane humane pertaining to the avoidance of infliction of pain, discomfort and harassment; used especially with regard to animals. humane considerations and decent way to govern a society. This is a tradition and a legacy of which we should all be proud. Happy birthday, USA -- and many, many more. |
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