Not taking freedom for granted

Just wanted to write a quick post to say Happy July 4th! Although a God-given right, freedom doesn't just happen for many people in the world. One of my friends is in Burma right now, where the government there bans public gatherings and persecutes ethnic and religious minorities. (Well, they've actually proved themselves to be not so friendly to the majority Buddhists, either.) Watching news of the protests in Iran, I was asking myself if I would be brave enough to go out and face possible imprisonment or even death to fight for a fair vote. So we should be glad, thank God, and thank the men and women who some 200 years ago decided that the fight for freedom was worth risking their lives, fortune, and sacred honor.