Being an American citizen my whole life, and one who has lived a fairly sheltered existence, I guess that I do not fully appreciate the freedoms that I have. Without the context of oppression, repression, and control that far too many understand personally, I really know of no other way to live than how I do. It's one thing to read about how so many others are forced to live, or to hear about it on a news report, but it's another thing entirely to live under those conditions day after day. Millions upon millions of people today live under such a shadow. They can only dream of living the sort of life that we live in America. A land where we are able to come and go, able to worship and celebrate, able to scream and shout, able to protest and affect change. Though I don't fully appreciate what I have, today I celebrate my country and my way of life. I hope you too can find a way to celebrate our Independence Day.