Independence Day??? I Thought It Was The 4th Of July!

Okay, quick show of hands. Who knows a) why we celebrate Independence Day, B) which country we emancipated ourselves from, and c) what year the Declaration of Independence was signed? Great! Liars. Did you know, a poll using a sampling of average Americans revealed that less than 50% of the people living in this country today can answer all 3 of these questions correctly and just as many respondents believed we were liberated from the rule of Canada, as that of Great Britain?

For many citizens, it's another formal recognition of out military and the security and freedom they provide for us, when this simply is not the case. We have 2 such holidays in place to represent the greatest fighting force in the world: Veteran's Day, which honors the distinguished service of the men and women who have fought for our country, and Memorial Day, which commemorates the lives lost in this service. No, today is about the brave men who established the freedoms that these warriors protect, and signed their names to that great document which declared us a sovereign nation and provided our laws and amendments which, to this day, play a vital part in our daily existence.

So where did we go wrong? When did this become more about people who don't have quite enough money, going out and buying explosives they don't really need, to impress a neighbor they don't even like, and less about these men who stood up to tyrannical law and said, 'this just isn't good enough and we demand better', and then making..it..happen. Somehow, we've managed to turn this into another good ole' U.S.of A. pyrotechnic beer festival and clambake, and forgotten the reason for the season (so much for the 2 drink limits and wristbands). 

We owe it to our fore fathers to quit being stupid and give at least a moments' pause on this greatest of days for our country. Honor them by remembering the why, when, and how the events of this day unfolded. They deserve that much from us, because although Mr. Franklin may have been on to something with that whole, 'key on the kite string trick', we can't honestly be led to believe this was the vision they had for their future. They were far too intelligent a people for that. Never forget (and don't blow me up)...

Until tomorrow, 

Scott