It's that time of year again. We celebrate America's birthday by raising and putting on our red, white, and blue stripes as a way to show both patriotism and dedication. We also partake in other festivities by going to a local parade in our town and firing up the grill to cook hotdogs, hamburgers, ribs, and all the food your heart desires. With all the festivities in tow, we have to think about things that we often take for granted on this celebration of independence.

You can turn down an invitation to meet the president

Hatred for the current sitting president isn't just for the common folk. The football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, did not attend the celebratory visit to the White House after their Super Bowl win because most the players disagreed with Trump's stance on standing for the National Anthem. Even though they turned down a once in a lifetime experience, those players had every right to turn down the visit. They made the decision in which they thought was in their best interest. If you turn down an invitation to a sitting president, you won't be subjected to ridicule and vitriol, and with this current president, you'll be met with congratulatory praise for not wanting to shake hands with the "orange thing."

You don't have to stand for the national anthem

Another privilege that Americans can exercise is not standing for the pledge of allegiance or the national anthem. This trend of not standing for the nation's anthem was amplified with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, along with his teammate, Eric Reid kneeled during the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner" during an exhibition game with the San Diego Chargers. After that This prompted the debate on whether or not standing for the National Anthem was disrespectful to the country. No matter what side you're on about the debate, the privilege on not standing for our nation's anthem is an action that's not really expressed in other countries.

Voluntary military service

Enlisting in the military is an enormous responsibility for a civilian. They say goodbye to their loved ones, have to go through basic training, and a Drill Sargent constantly telling them that they're weakling and they need to get stronger. Once all of that is done, they get deployed to a foreign land and have to run into possible traps set up by the enemy. Voluntary military service is another privilege that we Americans can practice. Even though we still have the draft system in place, military enlistment by choice is still the top decision for most Americans. In other countries, military service is compulsatory, meaning that the citizen living in that country has to serve.

Voluntary voting

When it comes to deciding our nation's leaders, we have the privilege who can put into office. During our nation's history, women and minorities have fought tooth and nail so they can have the right to vote but they also fought for the right not to vote. Say what? There are some people out there who feel that our government isn't adequate when it comes to our needs, so they make the decision to not vote. People will look at you funny if you decide not to partake in an election but just be thankful that you don't live in a country where voting is mandatory.

The right to bear arms

Ok, this is going to ruffle some feathers, but I have to address this. States like Texas and Kentucky have lax guns laws, meaning that you don't have to register your firearm and there is no limitation when it comes to magazine rounds. When it comes to states like New York and California, gun laws are much more strict. Your firearm must be registered, and the magazine rounds are limited to just 10. No matter where you live in the country, guns are apart of the American way of life. There is a certain group of people who want to take away our right to bear arms, but that will be an Impossible task. Countries like Japan and our former mother country have passed strict gun control laws where ownership is near impossible, so be thankful that the second amendment is instilled in our constitution.

There are many more American privileges that haven't been mentioned on this list, but it's important to know that other countries don't have the freedoms as we do. Despite being an official country for 243 years, we've made progress when it comes to basic human rights and the everchanging values on what it means to be an American. Happy fourth, everyone!