Recent events at the Olympics and ongoing in Iran remind us of the principles for which Americans took up arms 250 years ago.
When our forefathers issued their Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions," they proclaimed:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In another op-ed, I explained the original meaning of "pursuit of Happiness" as "active aspiration towards perfect happiness (or happiness of the soul)."
This op-ed concerns Liberty, and two underlying principles: righteousness and self-determination.
Self-determination is reflected in the first three words of our Constitution, "We the People," and in the final article of our Bill of Rights, the 10th Amendment, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
The following three recent developments help us understand why liberty, righteousness, and self-determination are on the line in Iran.
First, after the USA Men's Hockey Team won the Olympic Gold Medal in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026, it was obvious to the entire world that each member of the triumphant hockey team was singing from his heart the words of the American national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," concluding with "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Second, six days after the USA Men's Hockey Team won the Olympic Gold Medal in Milan, the United States, together with Israel, commenced "Operation Epic Fury" in Iran, which is still ongoing. Presciently, President Theodore Roosevelt wrote this about peace, righteousness, valor, and triumph in his 1914 book, "Fear God and Take Your Own Part":
"Peace is not the end.
"Righteousness is the end.
"When the savior saw the money changers in the temple, he broke the peace by driving them out.
"At that moment peace could have been obtained readily enough by the simple process of keeping quiet in the presence of wrong.
"But instead of preserving peace at the expense of righteousness, the savior armed himself with a scourge of cords and drove the money-changers from the temple.
"Righteousness is the end, and peace is a means to that end, and sometimes it is not peace, but war which is the proper means to achieve that end.
"Righteousness should breed valor and strength; and when triumphant, it necessarily brings peace. But peace does not necessarily bring righteousness.
Third, regarding "the land of the free and the home of the brave," on Oct. 8, 1995 Pope John Paul II said this to an American audience in a packed football stadium in Baltimore, Maryland:
"America has always wanted to be a land of the free. Today, the challenge facing America is to find freedom's fulfillment in the truth: the truth that is intrinsic to human life created in God's image and likeness, the truth that is written on the human heart, the truth that can be known by reason and can therefore form the basis of a profound and universal dialogue among people about the direction they must give to their lives and their activities.
"One hundred thirty years ago, President Abraham Lincoln asked whether a nation 'conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal' could 'long endure.'
"President Lincoln's question is no less a question for the present generation of Americans. Democracy cannot be sustained without a shared commitment to certain moral truths about the human person and human community.
"The basic question before a democratic society is: 'how ought we to live together?' In seeking an answer to this question, can society exclude moral truth and moral reasoning? Can the Biblical wisdom which played such a formative part in the very founding of your country be excluded from that debate?"
The same questions should be asked in Iran today about what will follow "Operation Epic Fury" for the people of Iran. Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul the Great, offered this enduring message of hope in Baltimore 36 years ago, which soon will apply not only to Americans, but also to the people of Iran:
"Surely, it's important for America that the moral truths which make freedom possible should be passed on to each new generation.
"Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."
We should all pray that the people of Iran will soon experience the blessings of liberty, righteousness, and self-determination.
We should also continue to thank our creator for those same blessings in America.
Joseph E. Schmitz serves as Distinguished Constitutional Fellow for "The Oversight Project: It’s Your Government." During the 2016 presidential campaign, he served as foreign policy and national security adviser to Donald Trump. Mr. Schmitz served as inspector general of the Department of Defense from 2002-2005, and now serves as chief legal officer of Pacem Solutions International. He graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy, earned his J.D. degree from Stanford Law School, and is author of, "The Inspector General Handbook: Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Other Constitutional 'Enemies, Foreign and Domestic'" (2013). Read more Joseph E. Schmitz insider articles — Click Here Now.
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