We must protect as well as celebrate our freedoms in U.S.

By now, the holiday fireworks should have been exhausted, the food long gone and, once again, we return to the summer routine.

The Fourth of July celebration, as you'll recall, is an opportunity to celebrate not only our independence but the freedoms that the independence brings.

No nation in the world can boast the freedoms that this great country provides.

But if you're like me, you see a daily erosion of those freedoms especially in the area of privacy and government intrusion.

And that is, quite honestly, very frightening.

But also if you're like me, you share a frustration of how to have your voice heard in this era of big government.

I find myself yelling at the television set when some progressive outlines their vision for America that I know in my heart is not the vision shared by most Americans.

But the frustration is that simply yelling at a television does absolutely nothing to change the course of this wayward ship of state.

My first reaction is to pick up a phone and call my congressman. But the truth is our congressman is not part of the problem.

And when you see some coastal progressive advocating more government and less freedoms, we are virtually helpless. We cannot vote them out of office and they care absolutely nothing of our opinion.

So we're left with yelling and complaining about an issue over which we have little to no control.

And that is frustrating.

Why can't we halt this massive shift in government control? Why don't the majority of Americans who share our views combine their voices to halt this progressive landslide? Why can't the national media - clearly in the administration's pocket - for once acknowledge the lies that come out of the White House?

And yet there is ample reason to celebrate our freedoms and hold the belief that our day will come.

Like Martin Luther King, I, too, have a dream. I dream of the day when the government protects our sovereignty and abandons their social engineering agenda. I dream of a day when the hard working citizens who provide the backbone of this great nation are recognized for their importance.

But most of all, I dream of a day when our federal government ceases rewarding irresponsible behavior and demands accountability for all.

For now we celebrate these freedoms. Let's pray we can continue this celebration for years to come.