Two hundred fifty years ago, delegates, who were considered treasonous by the English crown, signed a document that outlined unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and declared independence.
This new nation became known as the United States of America.
Since that fateful day in 1776, America has had her share of faults. We as Americans spread slavery throughout the new territories as in the name of manifest destiny. We broke every treaty we ever made with the Indians. We demonstrated unrest as a result of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War.
But, we also had a lot more positive moments in our 250 years as a country. We defeated the British in New Orleans and remembered the Alamo. We spread freedom around the world as we liberated nations from Nazi tyranny. We put a man on the moon and won the space race.
We emerged from it all as what President Ronald Reagan described as a “shining city on a hill.”
That city today is shining a little brighter on the hill. At this year’s Winter Olympics, the US Women’s and Men’s Hockey teams swept Canada to win the gold medal. For the men, it was the first time the team won the gold medal since 1980 and the miracle on ice in Lake Placid against the Soviets. As a matter of fact, the gold medals in 1980 and this year were both won on February 22 - which is the birthday of George “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen” Washington.
On Sunday, my Twitter feed was all abuzz with reaction to the American men winning over Canada, and it was all great to see. There were videos of President Donald Trump calling the team while it was celebrating in the locker room and inviting them to the State of the Union address. There were other videos of FBI Director Kash Patel chugging beers with the team in the locker room. There were other videos of the team celebrating in the locker room while Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” was blaring on the speakers. And, by the way, that picture of a bloodied Jack Hughes with an American Flag draped over his shoulders is iconic.
I will be honest with you. American still has her negative moments today. Just turn on the television and you see stories about Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, Jeffrey Epstein’s list, and civil unrest over our crackdown on illegal immigration. With all of this coverage, it is easy for us to let our national pride fade.
But, I tell you there is still hope in our country. The American hockey teams are an example of that hope. We have undergone trials before and will always emerge as President Reagan’s shining city because our country was founded on rights from the Creator and His law.
To close, I will use the words from Cleo McDowell in Coming to America... “This is America, Jack!”
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