Happy 4th of July to All Who Celebrate It

It was on this day, exactly 233 years ago, our country, then just a loose confederation of rebellious English colonies, officially declared its soveriegnity from the British Crown. On that historic day, fifty-five delegates from across the Eastern Seaboard convened in Philadelphia to sign their marks on one of the United States' most cherished documents. By then, the point of no return had been crossed. Had these independent minded men lost the war, they, in the words of the main character in the movie National Treasure, "would have been shot, hanged, and, my personal favorite, had their entrails cut out and burned." But, as most people know, this was not the case, and these thirteen colonies became a new nation, a beacon of freedom to all the people of the world and an ominous symbol to the monarchs of Europe.

It is today that many Americans go out and watch fireworks and eat grilled hotdogs, all in celebration of the signing of a document of succession (and due to the desire to eat hotdogs and gaze at fireballs in the sky, of course.), but other practices are, well, practiced. Some just laze around and watch movies from the 80's and early 90's. Others go out to eat a nice sit down meal. Still others just salute the flag.

My fellow Americans, whether at home, in the trenches, or simply living peacefully in other countries, I wish you a Happy 4th. We may be citizen of a country with a hell of a lot of issues, but it's still ours.

*cue fireworks behind me*