Happy Independence Day
OK, this post is not about either security or technology, it’s about the 4th of July. My two favorite secular holidays are Thanksgiving and Independence Day. Happily, Independence Day retains much of its original meaning, as well as its original date (rather than the closest Monday).
July 4th is a day for remembering the founding of this country and the lofty ideals of those who founded it. It is also a time to reflect on the words of Thomas Jefferson, one of the sharpest minds and greatest writers of that period. Consider the soaring prose of “all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them being life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Part of the brilliance of the Declaration was Jefferson’s morphing of Locke’s “life, liberty and the pursuit of property” to something accessible by everybody, happiness, rather than just the landed gentry, property.
I hope that everybody, regardless of political orientation, will take some time to celebrate the American experiment. We have our ups and downs, and plenty of imperfections, but it’s still descended from the ideals on which it was founded.
A famous quote from Winston Churchill come to mind. “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried”. He also thought that the fourth was a holiday for Englishmen, since it recalled the fight by Englishmen for their rights as Englishmen against a German king.
Happy holiday, everybody.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Here in Brooklyn there seemed to be a constant NYPD presence in the streets which resulted in very few (illegal) fireworks display. Of course, that’s always the part I remember from when I was a kid!
Looks like we’ll be checking out the “approved” displays at the local minor league stadiums in the coming weeks.