“Independence Day”. Let’s start by calling it that again. I’ve been trying to break myself of the “4th of July” habit, which waters the holiday down to a phrase that carries almost no meaning.
This year’s Independence Day finds me contemplating and worrying about the significance of the Roberts court ObamaCare ruling, and what it is likely to mean for the future of our Republic founded in Liberty. Have we, as it appears, chosen Safety over Liberty in a bargain that Ben Franklin warned us would yield neither, and thus forfeited the latter to encroachment by an ever-expanding central government designed to take care of us like helpless children? Some smart people who I respect say it’s not as bad as it looks, and I’m weighing their reasoning, but I have yet to feel I’ve reached any sort of confident conclusion on the matter.
That said: Never, never, never, never give up.
Here’s my slightly refreshed Independence Day playlist for this year, which I promise is more upbeat than the above. See my previous years’ Independence Day archives for other song recommendations. Enjoy!
- Five for Fighting, “Slice” (iTunes, Amazon)
- Five for Fighting, “Note to the Unknown Soldier” (iTunes, Amazon)
- Chris Ross, “Liberty” (iTunes)
- Krista Branch, “Remember Who We Are” (iTunes)
- Aretha Franklin, “Think” (iTunes, Amazon)
- Jon David, “American Heart” (iTunes, Amazon)
- Stuck Mojo, “I’m American” (iTunes, Amazon, blog)
- Rush, “Freewill” (iTunes, Amazon
- Madeleine Peyroux, “This is Heaven to Me”
(iTunes, Amazon, blog) - Ray Charles, “America the Beautiful” (iTunes)
- Oscar Peterson Trio, “Hymn to Freedom” (iTunes, Amazon)
ps – The venture I started last year has been progressing nicely. I’m having the time of my life, and working toward an end-of-summer launch for the app I’ve been working on. More to come!
