By  Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,  
Grand Knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911

The fourth of July is a day of great importance. In 1776 we fought as a people for the birth of a great new nation founded on the principles of self government and freedom from tyranny. Since then we have fought many wars and many lives were lost for the cause of freedom. My own family has fought for freedom. My great-great grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War, my grand-father fought in the Civil War, my father in WWI and WWII served as a air raid warden and Chaplain and I myself served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. Now today I serve as a member of the American Legion Post #103 in Douglaston. In this republic, we have the right to speak our minds, the right of freedom of religion and the right to vote for those who will best represent our rights of freedom and justice for all. So in the next election, please get out and vote. Let not our ancestors, who have died for what most of us hold most dear, and that is freedom, to have not have died in vain. As it says in the Declaration of Independence,” We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.” So, let freedom ring on the 4th of July. Remember this too: The 4th of July is not just a day off, for store sales and barbecues but a day of Independence from tyranny.