July 3, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward

The real meaning of Independence Day

America celebrates Independence Day tomorrow. While many Americans prepare to celebrate with fireworks and backyard barbecues, Heritage Foundation scholar Matthew Spalding reminds us of what lies at the heart of the holiday.

The principles and values outlined in the Declaration of Independence, he says in a new Heritage video, “were true then, and they’re true today.”

Watch the video on MyHeritage.org

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the document reads, “that all men 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.”

These are universal principles, Spalding continues, “which means they inspire not only Americans but people around the world. That is why we as a nation celebrate the Fourth of July and take the opportunity to renew our allegiance and praise for those principles.”

As Spalding writes in a special First Principles paper, “The ringing phrases of the Declaration of Independence speak to all those who strive for liberty and seek to vindicate the principles of self-government.”

A reminder that we’re at war

The attempted terrorist attacks in Britain over the past week should serve as a reminder to Americans and our allies in Europe that the war on terror continues. Even with a change in government—and a troubling change in its foreign policy stance, detailed in a new Heritage paper—Britain remains a prime target for radical Islamic terrorism.

Pundits will be quick to draw “lessons” from the foiled attacks, Heritage’s James Carafano writes in The New York Post. They will propose such ineffective plans as expanded police monitoring of our streets with cameras. They will advocate impractical new restrictions to guard against car bombs. And they will push for changes in our foreign policy based on the premise “that the killers, whoever they are, wouldn’t be trying to kill us if we would just stop doing things to make them mad.”

How can we stop terrorist attacks in the future? And should Britain expect more terrorist attacks? Read on for the answers.

Free enterprise and irrationality

Liberals are mistaken in their belief that restrictions on commerce are good for the American economy, economist Bryan Caplan said yesterday at the Heritage Foundation.

A growing number of people, explained the George Mason University professor, support policies that constrain free enterprise—a trend that will only hurt the United States economy and limit entrepreneurial freedom.  This “anti-market” bias is one reason why many Americans support irrational economic policies.

—DeEtte Chatterton

Read more about Caplan’s debunking of irrational liberal economic myths.

Taking a stand on education

Emboldened by their victory over the misguided immigration proposal last week, conservatives in Congress are setting their sights on another ill-advised law, Heritage’s Rob Bluey reports. “Conservatives [have] begun to speak out loud against Washington’s expanded role over local schools,” he explains.

Read more about conservative efforts to reform No Child Left Behind.

Heritage’s impact on immigration

Congress continues to rely on The Heritage Foundation for the facts on immigration and other issues.

For example, Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) cited Heritage’s analysis of the costs of amnesty in a statement on the defeat of the Senate’s amnesty proposal. “I admire and trust the Heritage Foundation,” he said, “and they estimate the costs of the bill at $2.6 trillion.”

Heritage gets the message out

At Heritage, we recognize that if our ideas for conservative reform are going to advance in Washington and around the country, we must break through the media spin—and take our message directly to the American people. Last night, Heritage experts took to the airwaves nine different times, demonstrating exactly how we’re getting the job done.

Read a full list of Heritage’s media appearances on Monday evening.

In other news

• The number of Iraqi civilians killed by the ongoing fighting dropped sharply last month. The Agence France Press news service suggests that the American security crackdown may deserve some credit for the news.
• Filmmaker Michael Moore, who traveled to communist Cuba to film parts of Sicko, his leftist health care propaganda movie, now plans to screen the screed in Iran.
• ABC News reports on a secret government memorandum that warns of “spectacular” terrorist attacks this summer. Such threats make it all the more urgent that our security policies be effective and not merely symbolic.
• A new study confirms that children who play video games perform worse academically than those who don’t. Perhaps parents can try a new tactic: they, and not their televisions, should raise their children.
• Congress failed to renew President Bush’s trade promotion authority before it expired over the weekend. The powers had allowed the President to negotiate beneficial trade deals with an expedited approval process.
• Environmentalists have long complained that humans use too few “renewable” resources like plants, instead relying on non-renewable resources like oil and metals. But now one report says that humans are using too many renewable resources too. It’s hard not to get the impression that some radicals just don’t like human beings at all.

Coming up at Heritage

To attend the following Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.

• On Tuesday, July 10 at noon, James Phillips hosts a panel discussion on the new book Taking on Tehran, featuring Ilan Berman of the American Foreign Policy Council.
• On Wednesday, July 11 at 11 a.m., Edwin Meese hosts a panel discussion on the Supreme Court’s recent term.
• On Thursday, July 12 at 11:30 a.m., scholar David Aikman speaks on the possibility of peaceful reform in communist China.

Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. DeEtte Chatterton contributed to this report.

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