Note: this was written on July 3. Thank you.


And so, ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the 234th anniversary of our country being declared an independent nation.
I know that there are a lot of problems within the infrastructure of this great nation. I am also aware that there is sentiment aplenty worldwide that we are handling our business all wrong.


Let me tell you why I love America.

I love the Southeast. I love boiled peanuts. I love the Appalachian mountains. I love looking at pictures of places out west that I have never been to, but would like to see. I love fishing. I love Ford trucks (particularly mine). I love the freedoms that we enjoy and the people that fight to protect them. I love being able to walk down to a Hardee's and have a cup of coffee on any given morning. I love the gift of an accessible education. I love grilling Sunday dinner with my dad on our back porch. I love a well-stocked hardware store. I love the smell of apple pie and peach cobbler. I love a good Arnold Palmer (both the drink and the man). I love sitting in a rocking chair and watching the sun set. I love Levi's bluejeans. I love waking up early Saturday mornings to eat cereal and watch cartoons. I love sports. I love dressing up for church, then hurrying home after service to get into some real clothes. I love barbecue.
I love that anyone on any given day possess the inalienable right to disagree with anything that I say.

I know we have our problems, but this is still the greatest country on the face of the earth.

It is, and will always be, my home.