Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the following statement in honor of the Fourth of July:
“All across our state Minnesotans are gathering with friends and family to celebrate the Fourth of July. There will be picnics, parades, and yes, lots of fireworks. I’m going to be taking part in all three and, of course, parades.
“As we round the corner of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s holiday feels especially meaningful. We’ll be seeing people we haven’t seen for a long time. And thanks to the ordinary people who did extraordinary things—people working in the hospital, the workers on the frontline, the people who developed the vaccines—we are once again able to come together in person to celebrate the birth of our country—the great American experiment in democracy that began in 1776, when our founding fathers adopted the principles penned in the Declaration of Independence. Those principles became the bedrock of our democracy, a roadmap of America’s purpose, and the foundation for a new way of governing.
“There are so many who have sacrificed for our country in the military over the years. You go back to our independence. You go to the battle of Gettysburg. You go to Normandy. You think of those that sacrificed in Korea and Vietnam. Those that fought in the Gulf War. Those we lost in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Americans have fought and given what Lincoln called ‘the last full measure of devotion’ for our unalienable rights. Those rights—and our constant drive to do better—are what defines our country’s democracy.
“Our democracy was tested this year when an angry mob attacked our Capitol. It wasn’t just an attack on our building—it was an attack on our Republic itself.
“But just two weeks later at the inauguration, democracy prevailed. And as I said from the inaugural stage under that beautiful blue sky at the very place where you could still see the spray paint at the bottom of the columns and the makeshift windows, ‘This is the day our democracy picks itself up, brushes off the dust, and does what America always does: goes forward as a nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ We came together that day as Democrats, as Republicans, and Independents for the inauguration of a new president. Because in the face of division and strife, we have time and time again seen that peaceful transition of power—even if you didn’t vote for the person—and we have seen our democracy endure.
“The Fourth of July is another day that brings us together, a time to celebrate America with friends and family. And it is a time to once again remember America’s principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and our ongoing desire to create a more perfect union that has always made us stronger.
“Happy Fourth of July, everyone.”
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