“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.”

These remarkable words are the heart of the Declaration of Independence and soul of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

The notion that all people have inherent moral rights that cannot be taken away by a tyrant, or even a democratically elected government, has shaped our national conscience as well as our laws and traditions.

It was the moral core of the uniquely American democracy experiment that led French historian Alexis De Tocqueville to observe: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

As we celebrate our glorious heritage on July 4th, we would do well to reflect on the values and ideals that make us good and the warning that our greatness grows out of those values. Thus, these moral principles not only define us, they confine us.

I talked last week about the arbitrary internment of thousands of innocent men and women of Japanese ancestry during World War II to remind us that, in the face of fear, we haven’t always had the moral strength to honor our ideals.

Ever since 9/11, we’ve faced a parade of seductive justifications and excuses to ignore our founding principles, including the presumption of innocence, the rejection of cruel and inhumane interrogation or punishment, and the right of every person to demand that the government prove in a court of law good cause for arrest and confinement.

So the question is: Are we strong enough and good enough to protect ourselves well enough without sacrificing our claim to greatness?

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.