I rarely get pensive on the 4th of July. For me, like many Americans, this holiday has become synonymous with drinking, BBQ cookouts, fireworks, and an excuse not to go into work. Yet for some reason, on this Independence Day, I've been reflecting on what my country means to me. Here's my list.

1. I am thankful for my right to be financially independent, to not have to rely on a man for money & sustenance.
2. I am thankful for my right to criticize my government, to get as mad and opinionated as I want to be.
3. I am thankful for the fact that my daughters can be anything they want to be, their only restrictions self-imposed.
4. I am thankful for my right to practice (or not) my religion, to change my mind and practice (or not) a new religion, then to change it again and become an agnostic if I'm so inclined.
5. I am thankful for my right to free speech and for being able to make a living in a controversial field that scares a lot of conservative men.
6. I am thankful to live in a country where, as the Civil Rights slogan goes, priests & legislators do not hold shares in my womb or my mind.
7. I am thankful for living in a country that is comprised of every race, religion, and creed. This is our strength, though idiots would call it a weakness.

I am thankful to be an American, period. Sometimes my country embarrasses me with shameful actions; sometimes my country does things that causes my heart to swell up with patriotic pride. Either way, this is my home. I will never accept anything less than freedom and will continue to fight back when I feel my freedom, or the freedom of another citizen, has come under attack by my government. This is both my right and my duty. Complacency is un-American. Blindly following the status quo without question goes against the very foundation of our country.

Happy Birthday, USA. For all your faults, you are still the home of the free and the land of the brave. God bless America!