Two hundred and forty-nine.
That’s the number of candles on Lady Liberty’s cake this year.
Two hundred and forty-nine July Fourths since a bunch of ragtag farmers, merchants, and clergymen — armed with muskets and courage and divine providence — told the most powerful empire in the world, “No more.”
And here we are.
Still standing.
Still fighting.
Still free — even if battered and bruised from the battle to stay that way.
Because the reality is this: America was never a perfect nation. But she has always been a principled one. And that matters more than ever in a world teetering between tyrannies dressed as democracies and democracies afraid to act like themselves.
We didn’t become the shining city on a hill because of geography. It wasn’t luck that put freedom’s torch in our hand. It was the grace of God and the guts of generations who refused to let darkness win.
This week, as families gather around barbecue grills and community fireworks, let’s do more than celebrate. Let’s remember.
Remember what this country is.
And why she matters.
Especially now.
Because let’s be honest — the American experiment is under fire again. Not from redcoats this time, but from radicals in blue cities. From bureaucrats who believe freedom is too dangerous to trust the average citizen with. From elitists who loathe the very nation that gives them the platform to sneer at it.
They mock the Constitution as “outdated.” They rewrite history textbooks to teach shame instead of pride. They shout down faith, censor truth, and weaponize institutions to crush dissent.
They tell us men can be women, criminals are victims, and patriotism is “problematic.”
They lock up protestors while letting looters walk free.
They drape themselves in rainbow flags and drag queens in classrooms but choke at the sight of the Stars and Stripes.
They’re loud.
They’re wrong.
And they’re losing.
Because the soul of America isn’t in DC boardrooms or Silicon Valley think tanks.
It’s in the volunteer firefighter who hasn’t missed a July 4th parade in twenty years.
It’s in the veteran who salutes the flag with trembling hands and eyes that have seen too much.
It’s in the kid wearing red, white, and blue face paint who still believes this is the best country on earth — because he’s right.
This is still the land of opportunity. Still the home of the brave. Still the dream destination for those fleeing tyranny and terror.
And unlike what the academic arsonists say, our founding wasn’t evil. Our Founders weren’t perfect — but they were brilliant. They wrote documents soaked in liberty’s ink and built a framework that outlasted monarchs, Marxists, and madmen.
They didn't build America so it would be safe. They built it so we would be free.
And freedom is never safe. It’s dangerous, costly, and worth every drop of sacrifice.
So to the self-loathing leftists who treat July 4th like a national apology tour — I say this with all due respect: sit this one out.
Let the rest of us sing.
Let us light fireworks, laugh with friends, put our hands over our hearts during the national anthem, and let the bald eagle soar.
Because America isn’t dead.
She isn’t done.
And by the grace of God, she’s not going anywhere.
Not while millions still believe in her promise. Not while parents raise their kids to know what sacrifice and service look like. Not while veterans stand watch, pastors preach truth, and citizens vote their conscience — even when Big Tech tries to silence it.
We’ve survived worse. And we’ve overcome more.
Civil war. Two world wars. The Great Depression. 9/11. COVID lockdowns. And Joe Biden's teleprompter.
(Okay, maybe that last one deserves its own holiday.)
But we’re still here.
And the ones who mock us? Who try to dismantle the family, erase God from the public square, and replace liberty with compliance?
They underestimated something powerful: the American spirit.
It can’t be bought.
It won’t be broken.
And it absolutely won’t be buried by bureaucrats.
So Happy Birthday, America.
You’re not perfect, but you’re still the last, best hope of Earth.
Still the only place where a kid from the Bronx, a preacher from Georgia, a rancher from Texas, and a single mom from Detroit can all chase the same dream.
Still the country where we fight about everything — because we’re free to.
Still the land where liberty matters more than comfort, and where courage still carries the day.
So fly the flag. Fire the grill. Hug your kids. Salute a soldier. Pray for our leaders. And raise a toast — not just to the fireworks above, but to the freedom beneath our feet.
Long may she wave.
God bless America.
And Happy 249, you beautiful, stubborn, liberty-loving masterpiece.
Kevin McCullough is a syndicated columnist, broadcaster, and host of "That KEVIN Show" on the Salem News Channel, Salem Radio Network, and BizTV.
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