Just three years after the country pulled together after 9/11, it seems that America is already back to the old ways.

As we approach this Independence Day it is possible that our country is more divided than it has been at any one time since Vietnam.

But that’s not what today is about.

For today, let’s set aside our political differences and celebrate the things that bring us together.

For all the problems we face, we still are the ones who rush to aid other countries in need.

For every bad rap we take in headlines across Europe, Asia and Africa, we’re still the first ones in with money, with food and with support.

America is still a beautiful idea.

We’re far from perfect, but we have far more good going for us than bad against.

It’s true that we make take many of our freedoms for granted, but in a way that’s a good thing, too. The freedoms that

generations fought so hard for, starting in 1776 are now commonplace.

But America is more than a list of freedoms.

Being born in America means you have a chance. It is still possible to pull yourself up in America, to be successful, to be great not matter how humble a beginning.

America is still the land of beautiful skies and waving oceans of grain.

It is still graced by majestic purple mountains and deep blue oceans.

For all our natural beauty, what makes America great is the people in it. From Montana to Alabama, from New Hampshire to Arizona we all have one thing in common.

We’re Americans.

America is still a great place, maybe the best place, to live in the world. On July Fourth, we should join together and celebrate it.