Friday, July 04, 2008
The 56 brave patriots whose names were affixed to the Declaration of Independence did more than sign a world-changing document. So doing, they signed their death warrants. And they knew it.
What these brave statesmen, our forefathers, did by giving birth to freedom, liberty and self-government may very well be mankind's most illuminating achievement.
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You will do your patriotic duty by reading the Declaration of Independence to your children on this great day.
Today, we have brave young men and women fighting overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan to give others a chance at freedom and independence, the way God intended.
Each generation of Americans has faced its challenges. Americans have always risen to the challenge of the day.
In 1961, President Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon within the decade. We did it. As I write this, America has a spacecraft sitting on Mars.
Today, America faces difficult challenges but we must never waiver or surrender. That is not within the defiant DNA our forefathers gave to us.
A crucial issue we face relative to our independence is energy. For too long we have been energy-dependent on other countries.
We need spirited and bold leadership in both the public and private sectors to achieve energy independence.
Instead of political posturing by bureaucrats and lobbyists on K Street in Washington, D.C., America needs statesmen to step forward to do what is right.
Similar to President Kennedy challenging the nation, we should demand that America be energy-independent in 10 years.
We cannot divest ourselves of foreign oil tomorrow. What we can do is set a course with our ingenuity, intellect and unstoppable all-American can-do spirit.
Energy independence mandates that we must start by drilling hard-core for more of our own oil and gas. This includes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and off of our coasts and exploring for other oil within our own borders.
We must build more refineries. We must knock off the silly nonsense of threatening oil companies with windfall profits taxes.
If you want to deter an industry, thereby guaranteeing dependency, hit it with more taxes. I am just a guitar player and I figured that out all by myself.
Both senators McCain and Obama previously voted to keep us from drilling in ANWR, which has kept an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil off the market.
We have tens of billions of barrels of oil and untold reserves of natural gas right off of our coasts, but are not allowed to tap that energy because Congress, in its eternal wisdom, voted to keep this abundant energy off-limits.
That has made us more dependent, not independent.
I agree with McCain on the need to build more nuclear reactors. He supports building 40 as soon as possible.
We currently have 104 nuclear reactors. We should have 204 reactors in the next ten years. Nuclear power is clean, safe, efficient and very productive compared to other forms of energy such as oil and coal. The vast amount of nuclear waste stored in Yucca Mountain could be recycled and used again. The French are doing it and so should we.
We also need to aggressively explore technology for vehicles that run on batteries. If the auto industry wants to save itself and once again lead the world, it must produce a product that does not rely on outrageously expensive fuels.
Independence. I love that word. It means rugged individualism, self-reliance, freedom and opportunity.
America must never compromise our independence to anyone. We deserve an energy policy that makes America once again independent — just like our forefathers taught us.
God bless you and your families on this most sacred of days. Happy Independence Day, America. I celebrate it every day.
Ted Nugent is a Waco-based musician and television-show host. Contact him directly tednugent.com.
