‘At the Heart of Our Common Defense’

Ken McIntyre / November 12, 2009

Heritage constitutional scholar Matthew Spalding has quite a few things to say about Americans’ love of liberty in his book,  “We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future.” Some of the passages stand out all the more this week as the nation again saluted its defenders on Veterans Day, which this year fell six days after the Fort Hood shootings.

“An understanding of our deepest principles, as well as an appreciation of our history, tells us why this nation is a noble achievement, and worth defending,” writes Spalding, who directs Heritage’s B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies. “We must constantly rekindle an enlightened love of liberty, and of the country that is responsible for upholding the great principles of human civilization here and abroad. We need to take up the work of honoring liberty’s patriots and making new ones.”

In his book, Spalding writes that a passion for America’s core principles must guide our national defense, not just overseas but on these shores: (more…)