Sunday marked the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” speech. Henry delivered the speech at the Second Virginia Convention in March 1775, when colonial leaders were debating the future relationship with Great Britain.
 
While the colonists bristled at unfair taxation by the British, the possibility of rebellion against the king deeply divided the colonies. Henry’s passionate address before the Second Virginia Convention was a decisive turning point.
 
It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the American Revolution might not have happened without Patrick Henry’s stirring oratory. Thomas Jefferson, who was at the convention, later wrote, “It is not now easy to say what we should have done without Patrick Henry. He was before us all in maintaining the spirit of the Revolution.”
 
That’s high praise from the author of our Declaration of Independence!
 
Over the weekend, several liberal publications tried to downplay Henry’s address as “just another of those American myths.” These “progressives” and leftists get up every day determined to denigrate America. They just can’t allow any American child to believe they live in an exceptional nation that has brought liberty and prosperity to the world.
 
Patrick Henry’s words can and should still inspire us today. He said in part:
 
“This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery…
 
"If we wish to be free … we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us! …
 
"Gentlemen may cry, ‘Peace, Peace’ – but there is no peace…  Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
 
Two hundred and fifty years after Henry’s appeal to God and patriotism, anyone who says, “I love God and I love America,” is denounced as a “Christian nationalist,” as if loving God and America is somehow a bad thing. By that definition, virtually all the Founding Fathers and every American until roughly 30 years ago would be considered “Christian nationalists.”
 
Like Henry’s speech, there will be other famous 250th anniversaries this year, all leading up to July 4, 2026, when we will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. I am pleased to report that when I was recently at the White House, President Trump promised we will see a celebration of America like never before.
 
I am looking forward to it!
 
 
 
Trump & Sports
 
Whether it’s golf, boxing, football, or NASCAR, Donald Trump loves sporting events, and the fans love him! That relationship was on display this weekend at the NCAA wrestling championships in Pennsylvania.
 
Wrestling is a huge sport in Pennsylvania, and the Wells Fargo Center was packed. The crowd erupted when Donald Trump walked in. Chants of “USA! USA! USA!” filled the arena.
 
It’s always risky when politicians and government officials go to sporting events. The crowd might just as easily boo if they think they are being exploited for a photo op. But not Donald Trump. He knows sports are part of the fabric of America, associated with strength and masculinity. And he knows sports have become a flashpoint in America’s culture war as the radical left seeks to make sports “woke.”
 
When many Republicans were too squeamish to speak up, Donald Trump took on Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee during our national anthem. Many Republicans just don’t understand the importance of cultural and values issues.
 
Where is Colin Kaepernick today? And where is Donald Trump today?
 
Trump understands that the battle for America is raging in these sports venues as surely as it is in the halls of Congress.
 
Clinton pollster Mark Penn said he has never seen anything like the collapse of the Democrat Party right now. Working-class Americans of all races are running from the party as quickly as they can.
 
Who is the Democrat official today who could walk into the Wells Fargo Center and get a reception like Donald Trump got? Bernie Sanders? AOC? I don’t believe Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is relatively popular, would get a reception like that.
 
Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State won the championship in a remarkable upset. The first thing he did was salute President Trump. He then draped an American flag around his shoulders and shook hands with the president.
 
The left often accuses Trump of promoting toxic masculinity. But Donald Trump is also defending women’s sports from sick men who are pretending to be women.
 
This bizarre transgender phenomenon of men cheating in women’s sports is destroying the hopes and dreams of young female athletes across the country. The once feminist left is all in because LGBTQ rights trump women’s rights. And it’s a perfect example of the battle raging in America and in our sports.
 
 
 
The Editors v. Trump
 
The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal appears to be recycling old columns. The Journal editors went after Donald Trump, yet again, telling him to obey even the most obnoxious judicial orders.
 
They seem to be endorsing the idea that a single district judge can tie the president into knots, and he cannot act until a higher court overrules the lowly district judge, no matter how long it takes.
 
That means the Wall Street Journal has joined the left in trying to paralyze the Trump administration, hoping that his time in office will run out before he can accomplish anything meaningful.
 
Peggy Noonan, Chris Christie, and the Journal are warning that the justices of the Supreme Court will rule against Trump if his criticism annoys them. So, the justices, who are supposed to determine the requirements of the Constitution, will get angry and petty and punish Trump because they want to get him back?
 
I don’t recall anyone saying the justices would “get back” at Chuck Schumer when he threatened them.
 
The argument that the justices will get back at Trump is like Schumer’s threat that the Deep State has six ways to Sunday of getting back at someone.
 
That should bother you, Senator Schumer!
 
That should bother you, Chris, Peggy, and the Journal editors!
 
You should be bemoaning the possibility that any court would act politically, rather than criticizing the president for doing what the American people elected him to do.
 
Just imagine that Congress passes a tax cut and a district court judge imposes a nationwide restraining order claiming the tax cut benefits the rich and, thus, violates the Equal Protection clause.
 
Would the Wall Street Journal publish an editorial defending the judge blocking the tax cut because that’s the way our system works?
 
If a district court judge ruled that Joe Biden couldn’t send billions of tax dollars to Ukraine every month without a formal declaration of war, would the Journal demand that Biden respect the court?
 
 
 
World Down Syndrome Day
 
Friday marked World Down Syndrome Day, and it’s always a good time to reflect on the dignity and worth of every individual. I have an extended family member who has Down syndrome. She is a delightful lady and a real joy to be around.
 
Sadly, many on the left, including “faithful Catholic” Joe Biden, see people with Down syndrome as “inconvenient” and “expendable.” In recent years, the pro-abortion left has waged a relentless “search and destroy” mission for pre-born babies with Down syndrome, hoping to abort as many as possible.
 
I recall several years ago when Iceland made headlines for allegedly “eradicating” Down syndrome from the tiny island nation, as if they had discovered some sort of “cure.” It turned out that their “cure” was a nearly 100% abortion rate among women following a positive Down syndrome genetic test.
 
One doctor in Iceland said of these babies, “We look at it as a thing that we ended… And I think that is more right than seeing it as a murder – that’s so black and white. Life isn’t black and white. Life is grey.” 

Hitler’s program to purify the German people used the same argument. He put those with diseases and disabilities into camps and euthanized them in the name of mercy. The Nazis determined that some lives were more valuable than others. 
 
Today, people with Down syndrome have more opportunities than ever before to live long and fulfilling lives – to graduate from high school, live independently, and hold meaningful jobs. They make the world a better place. They make us better.
 
But what matters most is that they are created in the image and likeness of God, just like you and me.