Independence Day, independent minds

As I was coming home today, I was thinking about what to write for a July 4 post. It grew impressively, "There was darkness over the land" dark during the train ride home, foreshadowing the downpour that followed and echoing my feelings about the way the country is going. We're seeing that the opposition of the left to excessive presidential power was nothing but a political game, and they're abandoning it with ludicrous haste now that they smell a Democratic presidency coming. In an utterly disgusting editorial, the Washington Post has adopted the Bush line almost verbatim. (See commentary on the Cato website.)

Trusting in elected politicians can lead only to betrayal and disgust. The replacement of Bush with McCain or Obama won't improve anything. Mass media can't be trusted very far, though there are reporters who have done and will continue to do excellent things. I'm sure some of them are as disgusted with the Post's betrayal as I am.

The only repository of human worth is the independent individual. There are people who aren't going to change their colors to win an election or gain popularity, and they're the ones who deserve our respect and support. Full agreement is less important than reliability on the issues on which they're right. They're the ones who stand by their reasons more than their conclusions, who put principles above parties, who want understanding rather than belief.

Such people have always been scarce, but they're the ones who make a difference when times are dark. So for Independence Day, take a moment to honor some of the people who have shown their independence of thought and stood by the principles of liberty. They're the kind of people who made us free in the first place.