The United Kingdom may lose Scotland next week as the Scots decide at the polls whether to break away. At one time, the British empire encompassed one-fourth of Earth's landmass. From that small island known as England, many great nations were born. English law and traditions were the underpinning which made early America an economic, social and political juggernaut.
Those of us lucky enough to live in the English-speaking world owe an incalculabe debt to the Brits. They handed us a ready-made society favored by capitalism, Christianity and a can-do spirit. It was the recipe for unprecedented success. For the next thousand years, historians will study and marvel at how the tiny nation-state of Britain spread its culture far around the globe. Much of human advancement, and certainly Western civilization, can trace its roots to the ingenuity of the English. What a remarkable people.
Happy news: royal couple, William and Kate, are expecting a new arrival.
