The Fourth of July is a day of great importance. In 1776 we fought as a people for the birth of a great new nation founded on democracy. Since then we have fought many wars and many lives were lost for the cause of democracy. My own family has fought for democracy. My great-great-grandfather and his brother fought in the Revolutionary War, my grandfather fought in the Civil War, my father served as an air-raid warden and chaplain in World War I and II, and I myself served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. And today I serve my country as a member of American legion Post 103 in Douglaston. In this democracy, we have the right to speak our minds, the right of freedom of religion and justice for us all, and also the right to vote for who is best to represent us and protect our rights. So, in the next election please vote. Let not our ancestors have died for what we all hold most dear in vain. As it says in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that all men are endowed by their creator, with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." So, let freedom ring on the Fourth of July, and please fly the American flag from businesses, homes and offices. Remember this too: The Fourth of July is not just a day off but a day of independence from tyranny.

Sincerely yours,
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose, N.Y.