It's More Than a Birthday...

Is there a fourth of July in Great Britain?  Of course there is.  They just don't celebrate it.

 We do, and for good reason.  The Declaration presented a framework for the people, the WE of the Constitution, to establish a government that protects and furthers the self-evident Truths.  Nothing like this had ever existed in the history of Mankind.  It was to be the great experiment, and, if successful, perhaps the blueprint for prosperity, peace, and the pursuit of happiness for anyone and everyone.

But that was long ago.  Our wildly successful Republic is evinced by the loony excesses that safety, prosperity, and freedom allow.  What would the Founders think if they could walk the "mean streets" of San Francisco, or Shreveport?  Probably a big  "Whoa!  Where'd this come from?"  Freedom is where it comes from.  Freedom to decide doesn't mean that people always make "good" choices in what they think/say/do.  And, since we're products of physics, for every cause there is an effect, and every effect has a cause.  Misery comes from engaging in the same "causal" action but expecting a different result or "effect."  But that's what it's all about.  And it's why so many do what they think is what they must do to somehow get to the USA.  Just stepping foot in this magical land would somehow improve their life.  Well, yes  A generous people (citizens of a Republic tend to be very generous) WE have many, many, ways for people to visit, work, and, yes, become a full fledged citizen.  It's the Rule of Law, and not the whim of the Despot that defines us.  And most folks around the globe get it.

July 4, 1776 was a time and place where a remarkable gathering of wise, albeit totally human, souls came together to imagine (IMAGINE!) the best way for a people to govern themselves as a society.  Fortunate.  Yes indeed, we are fortunate.  And, even though the wild success of the great experiment can create problems unprecedented (you have to have prosperity and freedom to find new problems), the USA has the means to continue as the haven and launch pad for the freedom of Mankind.

John Stossel puts it very well:

Now, let the fun, festivities, and fireworks begin!