Happy Independence Day!
There’s a story from the end of the Revolutionary War I want to tell as we celebrate America’s 250th Birthday, and it’s one everyone in the world can learn from.
George Washington, at that moment, after commanding the American forces to victory, was the most powerful man in the new country. Many people talked about making him King of America.
Across the ocean, King George was sitting with an American painter, and asked what he thought Washington would do now that the war was ending. The painter said he believed he would go back to his farm.
The King said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
As the war officially ended, Washington came to speak to Congress and said, “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of Action.” He returned his commission they’d given him in 1775 - after more than 8 years of leading the Americans to victory without pay, and he was home at Mount Vernon for Christmas.
Of course, he was elected as our first President a few years later, and after two terms, showed the same selflessness again when he willingly gave up his power and went back to Mount Vernon again.
That’s true greatness. He had all the power in the world. But power, alone, does not make you great.
Washington’s greatness came from being a true servant - to a cause much bigger than himself. His greatness was his complete lack of selfishness.
The whole story of American Independence is a story of selflessness. It’s a story of people who set their self-interest aside and worked for each other.
We’ve all heard the line about “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
Apparently, Ben Franklin might have actually never said that.
But that’s fine, because the same mentality is right there in the last line of the Declaration of Independence, published on this day 250 years ago:
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
We mutually pledge to each other.
No one was in this alone. No one was in it for themselves. This was a group of people with different backgrounds who were in it for each other.
Today is a reminder: greatness comes from what we do for each other, never what we do for ourselves.
That’s a lesson that applies no matter what country you call home.
It’s a lesson that doesn’t require any law passed by a politician, because, let’s be honest, if you’re waiting for selfless politicians, I really hope you are not holding your breath.
All of us have the power to be there for the people around us. For our families and friends. For our neighbors. For everyone.
All of us can reach for greatness.
It’s as simple as looking beyond yourself, seeing past the mirror, picking your eyes up from your phone, and pledging to be there for each other.
Happy Fourth. May you all find your own version of greatness today by lifting each other up.
Lift up your neighborhood. Lift up America. Lift up the World.
Proud to have been asked to narrate the WW II Veterans Honors at the White House, in Wash DC, July 4th. I will be standing proudly next to TEN living veterans of WW II. The greatest generation.!!!
Happy 250th Anniversary to the greatest country in the world. Lest we forget, without America’s Veterans, America simply wouldn’t exist. All gave some. Some, gave all. God Bless America.
In honor of my mother, Flora Klein, who at 14 years of age was in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, I will be at the White House July 4th honoring our veterans from WW II July 4th. Alongside me, will be 10 surviving WW II veterans. God bless our veterans.
1,000 days ago, UNRWA employee Faisal Ali Musalam al-Naami kidnapped the body of Israeli civilian Yonatan Samerano.
His body was held hostage for 625 days.
UNRWA must be fully defunded and dismantled.
Meet Judge Derek Malan.
He just sentenced a radical Islamist to ONLY 1 YEAR in jail after he killed a 69-year-old man.
These rogue judges are giving terrorists a slap on the wrist for kiIIing innocent Americans.
This is NOT justice.
UN 'Health' Rapporteur, Tlaleng Mofokeng quits after pushing pro-Hamas views, decriminalizing prostitution as 'work', & calling on countries to adopt 'anti-racist' and 'anti-colonial' health policies.
Obese retard shouldn't be in any health related role.
Catherine Beth Washburn of Rochester, NY has been arrested and charged with providing more than $30k in cryptocurrency to a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a known terror organization on the OFAC list.
Washburn has stated in the past "I wish every day were October 7th", she hates Jews "very much" and that she wished Israel "would disappear".
This Jihadi Jane is facing 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
🚨 I am currently in court attending the trial of Mohamed Llyess Akodad, who firebombed Congregation Beth Tikvah in December 2024.
Today, we learned that he was allegedly paid for the attack. According to the testimony, he was promised $15,000 but ultimately received only $3,000 because he allegedly did not complete the “mission” properly.
I also discovered that the defence lawyer, the defendant’s father, and another man, who allegedly aggressively asked the media to stop filming outside the court room, all appear on the team page of the Centre d’écoute et d’aide pour les Maghrébins du Québec.
I will be providing a full report on what happened during today’s hearing.
JUST IN: In California, Loay Alnaji, the former Moorpark professor who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Paul Kessler, a Jewish man defending Israel at a pro-Israel counterprotest in Thousand Oaks in November 2023, was sentenced to probation and just 365 days in county jail after the judge rejected the DA’s request for prison time.
A disgraceful sentence and a complete failure of justice. He lives near me. Horrifying.