Happy Independence day, everyone!

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Although many call it "The Fourth of July" my preference is for "Independence Day." That more precisely gives the reason for the holiday, which is more than hot dogs, fireworks and a day off.

Two hundred and thirty-five years ago, the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Many of them indeed gave the first two, their lives and their fortunes, in the herculean effort to wrest the fledgling United States of America from the yoke of the oppressive government of Britain's King George.

To me it's fitting to remember them and their hopes for their new country. And it's also fitting, I think, for us to pledge a renewed belief in their principles of a free people without the fettering of an overly restrictive government - a republic of the people, by the people, and for the people. In this country, the people are at the top of the organization chart - not the President, the Congress, or the Supreme Court. Independence day should commemorate those ground-breaking ideas, and also give us pause to remember that it's our responsibility now to insure that our star-spangled banner will always wave as a symbol of freedom.

Hope you all have a terrific holiday. Be careful out there!

John

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Well said.

May God bless those that gave their lives and those now in harms way.

GF
 
Indeed. Tomorrow, while spending some time with your friends or family, take a few moment to think about how lucky we were to have the right people in the right place at exactly the right time to accomplish what had never been done before.
From the fire of Sam Adams, the mind of John Adams, the diplomatic expertice of Ben Franklin to the leadership of Gen. Washington, just think about how unlikely the odds where that those great people happened to all come together to produce a new form of government. It had never been done before, probably will never be done again.
Tip your hat if you will to the desire of Lafayette to serve this fledgling effort, the efforts of Von Stueben to lend his expertice to build up rabble into a functioning army. Those Men left all they had in the old country on a gamble for a new one.
How very lucky we were, how very fortunate there were others who belived as we did and sacrificed thier careers to lend us a hand when we so desperately needed it.
From Lexington, Breeds Hill, Saratoga, Boston all the way to Yorktown, simple men stood and fought for a future that most said wasn't possible. The very idea that unwashed colonists could even try to stand for themselves had to be just a joke to those in England who held power over much of the world.
All the blood shed, all the tears, all the sweat and terror felt, bought this for us, Freedom.
I just hope that we haven't already squandered it. I'm just not so sure anymore.
I would strongly suggest all of us read Jeff Shaara's 'Rise to Rebellion' and 'The Glorius Cause', you'll get an insight into things you'd never even thought about.
Also, do a search on 'Molly Pitcher', if that doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you have no soul.
Happy Independance Day all!
RD
 
Well said fellas - thanks for the posts.
Happy Independence Day and may God continue to Bless America.
 
The signers of the Declaration of Independence...

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the revolutionary war.

Another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants,

Nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your Independence Day holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

John
 
And it has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson to have said this in a letter to John Adams:

"Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction."

Not sure if he did write this or not,or if it came from the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, but it still seems appropriate to this country today.
 
Happy Independence Day to all: the standing and the fallen.
 

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