Thanksgiving is usually the day when we give a half-hearted, half-spoken “thanks” for our friends and family, and for some, to our God. But on Thanksgiving Day, we should give thanks to those who gave their lives to settle, create, and protect this nation in the name of liberty. This is a nation forged in hardship, in a long struggle for freedom. Generations of men and women struggled and died (and still do) to achieve this:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

We are privileged to be Americans. Let’s be vigilant, and strive to keep this for future generations.