July 4th, Independence Day what does it mean to you?
What it means to me: Having been a U.S. Soldier and coming from a Military Family I can tell
you that the 4th of July holds a special meaning to me for many reason. The two that stand the
most are it is my Parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, and as a Soldier I took an oath “To support
and to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic”.
When I enlisted in the Army and took that oath A chill came over me and I thought to myself,
this oath carries a lot of responsibility.
Having been to many countries and I can tell that as screwed up as our government may seem
to you, it is by far the best place to live.
Case in point: Could you imagine that if you were part of a protest, injured somehow in the
process being arrested at a hospital and someone in the government calling for the execution to
anyone that was protesting? It is happening in Iran because of an election dispute.
I would like to publicly thank a few people here:
Alaskan Family/Robusto Dude for whom I have had the pleasure of serving in the Army with
back in the day. He is my brother from another Mother.
Clipper, a fellow Soldier in arms though we served at different times, we where serving for the
same reasons.
Two special people serving now Matt who is serving over in the Big Sand Box somewhere and
Fairal, not sure where he is at present but my prayers go out to the two of you and may the
powers that be keep you both safe and bring you both home soon. And you two Damn Well
Better Be Watching Your Six!!!!!!!
So please, while the rest of us celebrate today, let us take a moment and say a big Thank You
to the Men And Woman of the US Armed Forces and other Free Nations serving here at home
and worldwide for their continuing effort to keep us safe and free. And please remember this
quote from George Orwell
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do
violence on their behalf.”-George Orwell
Also if you are surfing about today please stop by SOFIA METAL QUEEN’s myspace page as
today is her Birthday, Happy Birthday to you Sofia and Happy Birthday to the U. S.A.
Brief history of this historic day:
Independence Day (United States)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal
holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,
declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly
associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games,
political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the
history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day
of the United States.
Background
During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great
Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a
resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.
After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence,
a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with
Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally
approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:
“ | The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more. | ” |
Adams' prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on
July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July
2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.
One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that Congress signed the Declaration
of Independence on July 4, 1776. The myth had become so firmly established that, decades after
the event and nearing the end of their lives, even the elderly Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
had come to believe that they and the other delegates had signed the Declaration on the fourth.
Most delegates actually signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776. In a remarkable series of
coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States
and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on
the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary. President James
Monroe died exactly five years later, on July 4, 1831, but he was not a signatory to the
Declaration of Independence.