Kevin Patrick Yeary Discusses Freedom and Why He's a Proud American with Aubrey AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What does freedom mean to you? KEVIN PATRICK YEARY: Freedom is the power to act according to one's own judgment. It carries with it the duty to be responsible for one's own actions. It includes the ability to seek one's own path in life, the right to choose the good or the bad, and the ability to prosper or fail. It requires the will to accept consequences, be they good or bad. Real freedom, understood properly and exercised appropriately, leads people to a sense of gratitude and to a spirit of charity and joy. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American? KEVIN PATRICK YEARY: I am proud to be an American because no other country in the history of the world has secured more freedom for more men and women on the planet than America. I believe that because America secures freedom, it generates blessings for its own people and for all the people of the world. So many examples are apparent: the rejection and defeat of slavery and racial segregation in this country, the expansion of the vote to all citizens who have achieved the age of 18, the many examples of America's liberation of other nations from tyranny, the interstate highway system, the creation and maintenance of many of the worlds’ greatest institutions of learning, the birth and growth of commercial airline transportation, our successes in our efforts to explore the universe beyond our own planet, the advance of life saving medical technology, tools, and medicines, the volunteer military that is unparalleled in the history of the world, the peaceful
coexistence of a diverse population, the fact that what is known as poverty in America could pass for wealth in so many other nations in the world. I could go on and on. America's greatness is a product of her commitment to freedom rightly understood and appropriately exercised. As freedom expands, so does opportunity and justice. When freedom contracts, both opportunity and justice diminish. America exists to serve the cause of freedom, and that makes me proud of my country.
Judge Kyle Carter Discusses Freedom and Why He's a Proud American with Aubrey AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What does freedom mean to you? JUDGE KYLE CARTER: We are all endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom is the ability to exercise those rights. However, this freedom is not something that just happens. Our forefathers made it possible for us to experience the American dream of freedom and we must, as part of our generational duty continue to fight against those who would take our freedoms away and to ensure opportunity exists for all Americans. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt aptly stated "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American? JUDGE KYLE CARTER: I am proud to be an American because we live in the greatest country on earth. Our opportunity, diversity, individual liberty and collective spirit are unparalleled. As the son of a veteran, I am particularly proud of the sacrifices made by those who have fought to protect it. We have built the largest economy the world has ever 27