Here’s Peter on the Declaration of Independence:

Wouldn’t it indeed be something if we actually "held these truths to be
self-evident?" – "That all men (people) 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. — That to
secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any
Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right
of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their
Safety and Happiness."

What a radically wonderful and different country we would be living in
than this one. How did this happen? How did we stray so far from the
ideals set forth in this document? Were these always too high as
standards for us to live up to? Are we still just too insecure, greedy,
needy, narcissistic and ego-driven to honor by action the words of our
Founders? What is the lesson in the ironic fact that the people who
boistrously tout themelves to be true Americans the most are almost
always the ones who live furthest away from these ideals?

Finally, wouldn’t it be something if on this July 4th, we could just
take a brief break from the fireworks and hot dogs to reflect on the
state of our country, and perhaps marvel at the brilliance of these
words given to us as such a gift 231 years ago.