Celebrating Independence

Mural in Nashua, NH

Today is Independence Day, a day of celebration that commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the United States on July 4, 1776. 

It's the most iconic American holiday and traditionally is the biggest holiday of the summer season when many folks travel by cars, planes or trains as they head off for summer vacation time. Many stores celebrate with sales.

Pyrotechnic displays, more commonly called fireworks, usually cap off July 4 celebrations in many U.S. towns; however, recent shootings have caused many folks to be nervous about loud sounds in their neighborhoods. 

Online Source:  Compound Interest Website

Fireworks release vibrant colors skyward, but unfortunately the colors come from chemical compounds that release smoke and gases into the air. Environmentalists have long been concerned that fireworks cause too much air pollution. According to one online environmental site: The temporary enjoyment of fireworks releases contaminants that not only affect air quality, but can contribute to climate change, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter.

Mishandled fireworks have caused serious injury to many people. In 2022, there were over 10,000 fireworks-related injuries, nearly three quarters of which happened during the one-month period around July 4th. Most victims were male, burns were the most common injury and most came from firecrackers and sparklers.

Nashua, NH pyrotechnics

It's not only the environmental or safety impact of fireworks that's dampened the spirits of many holiday celebrants today. According to several recent articles, many Americans are not celebrating the holiday the same as before, whether for reasons of traffic, crowds or the current political climate, and overall world events. Still others sense a loss of patriotism.

Nevertheless, many favorite traditions will prevail on this holiday, including parades, concerts, singing patriotic songs, baseball games, carnivals, and family gatherings. 

Here's some unique New England trivia about this American holiday:

• Massachusetts was the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday July 3, 1781
• Bristol, Rhode Island, has the longest running 4th of July parade
• It's a tradition in New England to eat salmon on the 4th of July (new one to me)
• In 1866, a July 4 firecracker started the Great Portland Fire in Maine. The conflagration, the worst to date in the U.S. burned 1800 buildings. 

And, even more July 4 trivia . . .

• The Liberty Bell is tapped 13 times on July 4; it hasn't been rung since 1846
• There have been 27 different versions of the U.S. flag
• Only one U.S. president was born on July 4: Calvin Coolidge (1872)
• Three presidents have died on July 4: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (1826) and James Monroe (1831)
• President Zachary Taylor fell ill at a July 4 celebration and died July 9, 1850
• President John Adams thought Independence Day should be celebrated on July 2
• Only two men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776: John Hancock and Charles Thompson
• The national anthem wasn't The Star-Spangled Banner until 1931
• Nathan's Famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest began in 1916
• One World Trade Center in New York was designed to be 1,776 feet tall
• The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence
• There are 31 towns in the U.S. named Liberty; largest is Liberty, Missouri
• There were only some 2.5 million people living in the U.S. in 1776
• Over 16,000 fireworks displays occur each year; Americans spend over $1 billion on fireworks every July 4

As for Grenville and myself, we're spending today at home with no family or friends gathering, no downtown parade or concert, and no shopping (not even online). We're not even cooking traditional hamburgers and hotdogs; Grenville is preparing a surf and turf dinner😋.

Nashua, NH, 7-day forecast

It's just as well as today's forecast doesn't look encouraging for any outdoor holiday activities. The City of Nashua moved its annual fireworks display to Wed, July 5.

No matter where or how you're spending this holiday, Enjoy it safely!

Independence Day 2022

Nashua, NH, fireworks displays in previous years

Today, July 4, is the day set aside to celebrate the birth of the United States of America.

But, it's not actually when its independence was declared.

The actual vote for  U.S. independence happened on July 2, 1776.

The Lee Resolution ( named for Richard Henry Lee of Virginia)  also known as The Resolution for Independence  was the formal assertion passed by the Second Continental Congress on this date. It resolved that the Thirteen Colonies in America were free and independent States, separated from the British Empire creating the United States of America. 

So what happened July 4, 1776?

That's when, delegates from the 13 colonies at the Second Continental Congress  unanimously approved (ratified) the Declaration of Independence (formally The unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America).  This approval became the day know regarded as the birth of American independence.

The Declaration of Independence was not signed until nearly a month later on August 2, 1776 . That's when 56 delegates of the Second Continental Congress began signing it  in Philadelphia, PA.

We're celebrating the holiday at home, so no airport or road traffic delays for us.

As in previous years, we'll watch fireworks  from the riverbank near the mill apts. 

(Comments are off today.)

Independence Day 2020

Independence Day this year is a markedly different holiday than in past years.

We're celebrating quietly together at home. Burgers and fixings are on the menu.

After dinner, we'll join some mill apt neighbors for a social distancing dessert get together at the Nashua River. (There will also be some adult beverages.)

Sadly, there's no “official” fireworks displays to watch, but we'll happily reminisce about years past and watch many “unofficial” and private ones we’ve been seeing lately.

(FYI: The patriotic-themed masks we’re wearing are USA made. They were bought from the American Quilt Company, based here in Nashua, NH, which has an online website.)

We hope you have good times, today, whether celebrating solo or with family and friends. Missing everyone is hard, but being safe is a mandate in uncertain times. 

Thanks for your comments on yesterday's Friday Funnies post. Admittedly, I had a lot of fun with those photo puns. Now, I have to be on the lookout for more to post in the future.

Happy 240th Birthday America

Well it is time to breakout the grill and get some hotdogs and hamburgers sizzling. AHHHHHH !!! I can smell it now. And don't forget the "Tater" , Macaroni, and 3 Bean Salad. Then there are the games, parades, and Fire Works later tonight. 

Two Hundred and Forty years ago a handful of people took a stand for freedom. A stand that they knew might cost them their lives. Even though they faced overwhelming odds, they stood fast in what they believed in. A revolutionary idea of a country "of the people" and governed "by the people and for the people". The first of its kind in history.

Today, we should give thanks to those brave patriots for the freedoms we enjoy today, and be ready to continue defending them. Our rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and the U.S. Constitution that guarantees these rights to every American.

Beatrice and I would like to wish all of our friends a Happy and Safe Independence Day. 
Let Freedom Ring, and 
                God Bless America!
Grenville

Let Freedom Ring

Today is July 4th. The birthday of our country, and in 1776, the birth of a brave new

experiment in governance. A country of the people, governed by the people and for the people. No nation up to that time had ever attempted this type of government. For the past 239 years the United States has been the gold standard of democracy. 

Or has it??

Our constitution lays the groundwork for our government, while the amendments do the fine tuning. The first amendment is just one sentence long, but it covers so much ground. 

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The first phrase, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof", allows us the freedom to believe what ever way we want. The government can not tell us what to believe, or how to believe. In fact we even have the freedom to not believe if we choose. 

Throughout our history, individuals, groups, and organizations have tried force our government to violate the first amendment by forcing their particular religious beliefs on others through laws. Laws that were based on certain personal religious views. Your beliefs are yours, and you have the freedom to follow them as long as they don't hurt another. 

This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can not intact laws restricting same sex marriages. Laws that are based on certain individuals religious beliefs. I will not take a side on this issue here. As someone who believes in our Constitution, I feel that the Court has upheld the first amendment by restricting laws that are based on certain religious beliefs being forced on others. 

Of course others feel differently about this, and I have no problem with that. It is part of what freedom is all about. As is often quoted, "I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" (Evelyn Beatrice Hall, 28 September 1868 – 13 April 1956), The Friends of Voltaire)

Since the decision came out I have been following the quotes made by some of our Presidential hopefuls.

"If I become President, I just want to remind people, please don't complain if I were to put a Nativity scene out during Christmas and say, 'If it's my house, I get to do with it what I wish, despite what other people around the country may feel about it,' " Mike Huckabee said on ABC's "This Week."

I like Mike. Some of his thoughts are quite good. BUT we should remind him that IF he ever gets to the White House as President, his residence is only temporary. Why not decorate the White House, symbol of our great nation, for all of the religious holidays that our citizens celebrate?

Other 2016 GOP candidates, including former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, also slammed the Supreme Court decision. If elected, he vowed to use the presidential "bully pulpit" to talk about the importance of marriage "for the survival of our country" — instead of combating global warming.

Does this mean Rick has found the cause of global warming? This seems like a real apples and oranges comparison. Comments like this are truly scary to me. 

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he believed the GOP should back off the idea of pushing for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The proposal would never make its way through Congress, he said on NBC's "Meet the Press.” "It's a process that's not going to bear fruit," he said, arguing it should no longer be included in the GOP's platform.

Now, Lindsey seems to be making some sense here. It is time the Government stop trying to rule and run other folks lives. With so many other dangerous, possible disastrous situations both here in our country and around the world, it truly is time to move on.

Responding to the high court’s gay-marriage decision, the most mainstream among GOP presidential candidates – former Florida governor Jeb Bush – said, “Guided by my faith, I believe in traditional marriage.” (Mr. Bush is Roman Catholic.) But he also said: “I also believe that we should love our neighbor and respect others, including those making lifetime commitments. In a country as diverse as ours, good people who have opposing views should be able to live side by side.”

Don't get me wrong here. I am not a Jeb fan (nor am I a fan of anyone else), but he may be onto something here. It is time we get back to loving and respecting each other. Quakers have long believed that we are to respect the beliefs of others. I also seem to remember the Almighty making these part of the primary, golden rules. 

Freedom. It is sometimes a double edged sword. But it is what makes our country great. 

Here's hoping everyone has a happy and safe 

Independence Day Weekend.

Grenville, letting FREEDOM ring!!!

LATE ADDENDUM- This just in:::::::
The Attorney General of the nation of Texass has announced that he will not force any County Clerk to a issue marriage license to same sex couples if the clerk feels it is against their religious beliefs. As usual, being a Constitutionalist, I have to agree. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

No one should be forced to do something that violates their religious beliefs. Of course this means that the clerk is not able to perform the duties of their office for which they were elected and get compensated for. 

A definite conundrum !!!! Now, if you were working at Mc Barfies, and said that it was against your religious beliefs to serve Big Yucks, what do you think would happen?????? You were hired and are getting paid to serve Big Yucks. As the manager who does not want to interfere with someones religious beliefs, what would you do????? 

Instead of violating someones Constitutional rights, I would replace that person with someone who had no problem serving the Big Yucks.
AH yes, the double edge sword again.

Grenville

Happy Independence Day!!!!