Happy 240th Birthday, America

America, past and present, is flawed.  The nice and tidy narratives - about our founding fathers and the Bill of Rights and checks and balances and equal opportunity - they unravel with just a cursory poking and prodding. We have much to be ashamed of, and much that stains our historical record and our global reputation.

And yet I would not trade this country for anything.  It is far and away the best thing humanity has ever seen, and its best days lie ahead.  We aspire to a worthy ideal and we aim to achieve it more and more each day.  Let the great experiment continue.