Land of the free, home of the brave

On the 4th of July, the anniversary of our nation’s independence, I couldn’t help but wonder, what other countries might want to celebrate their independence from us? There’s a reasonable amount of controversy on this topic, ranging from complete denial that we exercise control over other countries militarily, to insistence that the 700 bases in 135 countries constitute an imperial military mindset reminiscent of an empire. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, but for once, I’m going to hold my tongue. I’d like to hear what you think. I’ll leave you with a song from Indigo Girls, Girlyman, and Finlandia on national pride.