Patriot Day 2006

By joint resolution approved December 18, 2001, Congress designated September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day." Today is, therefore, Patriot Day, 2006.

Although the reasons why September 11 were chosen are obvious, we should always ask ourselves the questions, "Why should we be patriotic? What makes the United States special?" We can find the answers in the documents the Founding Fathers left for us. From the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

And, from the Constitution:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posteridy, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

These are the reasons why we should be patriotic. The United States is a worthy nation because it supports these principles. As we remembers the heroes and victims of September 11, 2001, we should also be thankful for the wisdom and foresight of the founders of our nation.