Yesterday, I couldn't help but notice how the media characterizes the 4th of July: It's our nation's birthday! Celebrate, everybody!
Actually, it took our founders over ten years - first, fighting back the British overlords who had the world's most powerful navy, then, finding some common ground among the colonists along the east coast with which to craft a new form of government. The United States of America did not have a birthday on July 4, 1776.
What did occur is that a small group of truly ballsy guys signed a written declaration that slapped the British Crown in the face. They had the audacity to "fire" their rulers and attempt to live independently of their former masters.
Naturally, the rulers took offense. They sent their formidable navy to put down the rebellion among the upstarts.
After all, the vast majority of colonists came from less than royal stock. Many were fleeing law enforcement in their old homes, often because they were "rabble-rousers", political dissidents, or malcontents. Surely the sheer force of the British Empire could end the American exercise in short order.
The much-entitled aristocracy of Great Britain just couldn't fathom the allure of freedom, so they greatly underestimated the resolve of the malcontents. The military operation did not go as swimmingly as planned.
So, on the 4th of July, celebrate the guts and perseverance of our nation's founders who risked their lives in an effort to provide the blessings of freedom to their descendants and for all the others who found themselves in North America. It isn't time for cake and candles. It's time for the rumble of small explosives, the laughter of families getting together, and the free exercise of doing whatever makes you happy.
