We take so much for granted. That's why this Fourth of July it's worth meditating, if only briefly, on the Iranians who have taken to the streets in the tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.

It says a lot about a culture, those it celebrates and mythologizes. Ours has become too disproportionate, too lacking in perspective.

Good things don't come easily. It took 239 days, but the Minnesota Supreme Court finally declared Al Franken the winner over Norm Coleman. And suddenly Democrats have 60 votes in the Senate - and no more excuses.

There was a fireworks demonstration on the National Mall this week, but it wasn't an ooh-aah sort of thing.

We are a nation born of hopeful strangers - pilgrims, seekers, adventurers and refugees. Yet in our post-Sept. 11 world and uncertain economy, resentment of immigrants seems rampant.

Al Franken, the comedian turned politician, should be right at home in Congress, which humorist Will Rogers once described as the greatest collection of his type in the world. "Every time they tell a joke," Rogers said, "it becomes a law and every time they pass a law it becomes a joke."

One of the best things an adult can do for a child is to teach him or her how to lose. From Little League to Little Miss Sunshine, too many children are being given the impression that failure is something that happens to somebody else.

For more from Dave Granlund, go to www.davegranlund.com

The conversation continues at Holmes & Company, an new blog that is the online cousin of the Daily News Opinion pages.  Editor Rick Holmes and a wide range of commentators  opine on a wide range of topics - and readers can weigh in as well.