IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN Dinesh D'Souza's America, go.

"IF YOU STILL BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING, I have a tropical island in Alaska you may be interested in buying." For sale by the Scorekeeper (#7).

WHAT OUR FLAG REALLY STANDS FOR:

Courtesy of Michael Ramirez.

TED CRUZ on the modern meaning of Independence Day:

The persistent march of terrorists and tyrants around the globe gives us reason to reflect on the precious gift of freedom we have been given and must continue to safeguard.

In signing the Declaration of Independence, 238 years ago, our Founding Fathers defied an intolerable King and proclaimed a God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those men signified to the world that, although they yearned for peace, they would not submit to despots. Their demand for liberty offered no compromise.

As Thomas Jefferson later wrote, the Declaration was “an expression of the American mind”—one that refuses to accept insufferable evil, abuses, and usurpations and holds the freedom of its people supreme.

This is the spirit America was founded upon.

This is the heritage we all share.

This is what makes us Americans.

Much time has passed, but many of the challenges our forefathers faced have not changed. One doesn’t have to look very far on the world map to find nations where people suffer under brutal oppressors.

“Terrorism” is an often-used word because the maiming and killing of innocents is so frequent. Suicide bombings, IEDs, mass killings, kidnappings, and hijackings are tools of their trade.

Hamas recently kidnapped and murdered three Jewish teenagers who were waiting for a bus to get home from school. They committed no wrong; they were targeted, forcibly taken, and shot.

Hundreds of girls remain missing in Nigeria, kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram.

We remember when Taliban forces shot Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager because she was campaigning for girls' education. Courageously, she continues to advocate for it today.

We remember watching Neda Agha-Solten perish on the streets of Tehran during anti-government protests from a gunshot wound to the chest.

We remember when the Syrian government gassed hundreds of beautiful, faultless, cherished children in their sleep last year, shocking the conscience of people around the world.

And, there are countless others whose stories have not been told.

Most of us, because we are Americans, will never have to suffer as these people and their families have. Thank God for the blessing of being an American and those who have fought and continue to fight to keep us free.

And, remember, those Americans who are trapped, at this moment, in dark corners of the world.

Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen, has been brutalized and remains imprisoned in Iran for merely sharing his Christian faith. Another American citizen, Kenneth Bae, is imprisoned in North Korea for also sharing his Christian faith. And, Meriam Ibrahim, a young mother who was forced to give birth with her legs in irons because she would not renounce her Christian faith, was kept in a Sudanese prison with her two small American children. Due to international outcry over their plight, they are finally out of jail, but are still waiting to experience real freedom in America.

We should never take our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for granted. Too much of the world does not recognize them. We must still hold these truths.

Just as those brave men did 238 years ago, let us affirm our commitment to a government defined by consent of the people—a transformative concept that launched America into becoming the greatest force for freedom the world has ever seen.

On this Fourth of July raise up your American flags high and wave them proudly. The spirit of our star-spangled banner makes us who we are. That spirit keeps us strong, safe, and free.

From my email.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN on the eternal meaning of Independence Day.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT on this, the 4th of July:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well-educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free! We thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!

From my email. This one makes the rounds every year, and every year it's worth repeating, if only for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is not a sin.

AUDIO: The Declaration of Independence.

PUNCHING BACK: Cosmopolitan Magazine probably didn’t anticipate the backlash it would receive when it ran an online article mocking a conservative reality TV show star for an item on her wedding registry.

It starts off as you would expect, with requests for things from Walmart, Amazon, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Then it gets a little unconventional, with requests for Froot Loops (smart), Hershey’s cereal (smarter), and Raisin Bran (smartest). They also ask for gift cards to Panera, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Subway.

Finally, the weird stuff: They want some WD-40 and two fuh-reaking shotguns.

One of the two 'fuh-reaking shotguns' is a .22 rifle. She should have also asked for .22LR ammunition; that's still hard to come by.

I wish the couple well.

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Conservatives won the unemployment debate. But, but ... he used numbers! Numbers aren't fair.

IS OBAMA acting like a former president?

It looks like we have officially entered the world of the post-Obama presidency. President Obama’s recent speeches and remarks make it obvious that he is not making any serious effort to govern or to drive world events. Except for covering the basics, he seems to have taken something like an early retirement.

Truth be told, I don't think he's chosen 'early retirement'; I think America has 'early retired' him. His public events are the acts of a desperate man: "Look at me! I'm relevant. Really I am." Americans are simply going on about their business and ignoring him.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: How Obama lost the Middle East.

BY THE WAY, the D.C. Circuit might nuke ObamaCare. Unlikely, I suspect, but still a pleasant thought to send it back to the Supreme Court.

POWERLINE publishes the Obama 'scandal bracket'.

One commenter suggested that a 32-scandal bracket was needed, but from the rest of the comments, I'm leaning more toward a 64-scandal bracket to ensure completeness.

WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Obama thinks his is the only branch that counts.

Congress, Republican and Democrat, should make the first order of business the defunding of every activity in which Obama usurps power that the Constitution doesn't give the chief executive.

MORE OBAMACARE CHALLENGES:

Five problems a government inspection found with Obamacare subsidies.

Eighty-five (85!) percent of ObamaCare ‘inconsistencies’ can’t be fixed.

All of which is understood by anyone capable of thinking and chewing gum at the same time....

HOT NEW IDEA: Doctors Should Be Trained to Determine Who is "Fit" to Carry a Gun. Only if the training is conducted by the NRA, the doctors are NRA members, and the standards applied to all city, county, state, and federal employees authorized by law to carry weapons.

ONE CAN HOPE: Did the Supreme Court Just Signal Mandatory Union Dues Will Become a Thing of the Past for Public Sector Employees?

NEW HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY: "[T]here is an 'opportunity' to negotiate for the legalization of illegal immigrants, but only after the border is secured."

A BURGER JOINT I could learn to love....

IS THE ACADEMIC ESTABLISHMENT laundering contributions for an ally? More like laundering your tuition money, but, yes.

And providing a fertile recruiting ground.