On this the 232nd anniversary of our nation's founding, a happy Fourth of July to the readers of the Mineral News-Tribune.
Every Fourth should be a celebration, of course, an occasion to pause in recognition of the gift bestowed by the Founders, and preserved at dear cost by generations of Americans who have come before us.  And yes, as the letter to the editor on today's page states, we should remember our servicemen and women as well, especially those posted in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan this Independence Day. We are free because of their ongoing sacrifice. Our prayers for the nation begin and end with the patriots who wear her uniform.
Also on this page today, big and bold to the right, is a cartoon that throws a splash of cold water on our national birthday: The Arab oil baron looms large above the American motorist standing by the gas pump, with every drop sending more of his paycheck, more of our national treasure, overseas. “Happy Independence!” the sheik declares with a toothy grin.
Indeed.
We debated whether to run the cartoon. It would be easier in a sense to run the typical fare, perhaps a depiction of Uncle Sam, or fireworks exploding behind the Statue of Liberty. Altogether fitting and proper.
We chose today’s cartoon because it symbolizes a developing national crisis that even a holiday as revered and time-honored as the Fourth of July can't fully obscure. American independence is under assault, not by foreign armies, but by a world economy generating unprecedented costs for energy.
A year ago, oil futures were trading at about $70 a barrel. This week, the price topped $145. Every day, it seems, oil scales new heights. Some economists predict $200 a barrel within a year. Given the relentlessly upward trajectory of the past couple of years, that projection certainly appears possible. It is anyone's guess as to the effect on the U.S. economy if oil continues its upward march. Together with a housing market in free-fall and related credit problems wracking the financial sector, it all makes for a dire national forecast on this Fourth.
That's what the cartoon conveys. It's not pretty, certainly not the kind of message we would prefer to hear, but it's reality. If America is to move forward against this latest threat to independence, to liberty, to the dream bequeathed us, we can no longer afford to avert our eyes from the painful consequences of our addiction to foreign oil. We must as a nation be about the difficult business of restoring our independence, through conservation, development of renewable energy, and renewed emphasis on domestic energy sources, including coal.
As the rockets red glare light the night-time sky tonight, let this year's Fourth of July be more than a celebration. Let it mark a renewed national commitment to the independence that is at the heart of the great American experiment.