Happy Fourth, All!

As I've noted many times, crowds and noise set me on edge, so the fireworks downtown are stressful rather than fun for me. But I just found this display at BuzzFeed that's more to my liking...

My personal July 4 tradition for the last ten years or so has been to re-read the Declaration of Independence (text); every year I end up with a little more respect for the eloquence and intelligence of our founding fathers, and a slightly different take on the document itself. It's interesting to note in particular that the stated purpose of the document is not to declare independence, though that is implicit from the outset, but rather to explain and justify the decision to other countries and people. In other words, it's a public relations ploy:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The explicit declaration itself comes only in the penultimate sentence:

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

If you have been able to read and comprehend those two passages- sadly, too many residents of this country cannot- you really should take a few minutes to read, and savor the beauty of, the entire document- even if the laundry list of complaints aginst King George gets a little tedious (from our perspective) after a bit. Then take a few more minutes to really think about the context, and how important the statement is, not in terms of just our history, but to world history. Then think about the courage required for the founders to produce it and make it public, knowing that it would precipitate war with what was at the time one of the worlds great military powers.

Thanks, USA. Despite all my snarking, cynicism, gloom and doom, and disdain for your leaders even in my own party, I think the smartest decision I've ever made was choosing to be born as one of your citizens. Happy 133rd, and may you have hundreds more!