Let’s take a moment today to remember Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of nonviolence.

The horrible shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is a reminder that hate leads to hate. Vitriol leads to vitriol. Anger leads to anger.

As bad as things might seem in these United States when listening to the contention of politics, you know, we have it pretty good here. When our economy is weak, as a people we still are better off than most of the people on this planet. And we remain a liberated people, free to say and do many things many people in the world cannot do. We have the world’s oldest democracy, the largest First World economy, a highly diverse population, a dynamic and vibrant culture creative and fusional beyond the levels of all others and a bountiful, beautiful land.

On this holiday, let’s count our blessings. Left or right, blue or red, we are all Americans, fortunate participants in the most successful experiment in history to put power in the hands of the people.