by

Remembering That Which We Celebrate


declarationThe Declaration of Independence was approved JULY 4, 1776.

John Hancock signed first, saying “the price on my head has just doubled.”

Benjamin Franklin said:

“We must hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately.” Of the 56 signers:

17 served in the military;
11 had their homes destroyed;
5 were hunted and captured;
Abraham Clark had two sons imprisoned on the British starving ship Jersey;
John Witherspoon’s son was killed in battle;
Francis Lewis’ wife was imprisoned and died from the harsh treatment;
many, such as Thomas Nelson and Carter Braxton, lost their fortunes; and
9 died during the War.

When Samuel Adams signed the Declaration, he said:

“We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.”

John Adams wrote:

“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 shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

John Adams continued:

“You will think me transported with enthusiasm but I am not.

I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States.

Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.

And that Posterity will triumph in that Days Transaction, even although we should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”

In addition, on this Fourth of July, please be inspired as a former marine stuns a crowd at a Herman Cain event by singing the final verse of the Star Spangled Banner impromptu.



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  • Mark Agan

    The thing that makes me most sad this time of year is that we would be better off as an English Colony than we are today living under the oppression of a corrupt government that does nothing for the majority but rather for the minority, in this case the rich. We have lost our manufacturing, the jobs are now done in nations where slave labor is used. Our educational system is being destroyed, teachers with tenure and knowledge, the arts, and humanities eliminated. We work for wages comparable to that of the 70′s despite a 3-400% increase in the cost of living and all so that the rich become richer. The rich control 95% of America’s wealth and do not pay an equal share of tax’s which according to the Constitution violates the “All Americans are to be treated equally” The members of the house and Senate have been so corrupted with bribes that the Banks, Oil, Insurance, Pharmacutical industries hold Americans hostage with a “pay or Die” attitude, pricing americans into Poverty. Banks, long denied investment opportunity because of a bill passed after the Great Depression were again givin the opportunity thanks to Bill Clinton and in less than 10 years conspired to steal from and then pitter away so much money from Americans that the world’s economy was nearly destroyed and millions of Americans have had their homes stolen from them, all in the name of greed. The nations number 1 Employer, Wal-mart brings 75% of their products into the US, nearly tax free from COMMUNIST China, using this advantage to bankrupt thousands of competing US based manufacturers that used to be protected from unfair competition. The 4 Walton family members, America’s richest family, are each worth 25-40BILLION and despite this refuse to pay a fair living wage or to supply employees with medical insurance, 401 plan or stock options. Rather they tell sick employees to see social services assistance, paid for by middle class taxpayers. All with the blessings of the Leaders we elect, I am sure who are also Wal-mart investors to no surprise.
    In summation we are a nation being destroyed by Greed, allowed to grow in historical preportion thru our corruption fo our leaders. There was a time when a man such as Jimmy Stewarts character George Baily inspired men to work hard for his family and future but to always try to help his fellow man share the best America can provide a working man; a job, a fair wage and a home.
    Today it is Jimmy Stewarts nemisis; Mr. Potter providing the inspiration for the people stealing, cheating, robbing America of it’s greatness. The rich. Those who receive the most, have the most, refuse to pay their fair share and do not care if America dies as long as they have all of the money.

  • Rosebud

    The second Muslim to be elected to the US Congress, Andre Carson from Indianapolis, IN believes we should have schools to educate our children like the Madrassas schools. May 26 he spoke to the North American Islamic Association saying:”“America will never tap into educational innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in our madrassas, in our schools, where innovation is encouraged, where the foundation is the Quran. And that model that we are pushing in some of our schools meets the multiple
    needs of students.”
    We must keep Muslims out of our Congress and City Governments if we want to keep the founding principles of our Nation secure, otherwise we will be using the Quaran in the next 10 yrs.

  • Ron

    Raymond, I could not describe the Bush ineptocracy of 8 years any better than your observation! It will be many years before the nation fully recovers from that disaster.

  • Chadrack

    “It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty,”

    for,

    “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.”

    Do America today remember these GLORIOUS words?

  • Hal

    Raymond and all fellow veterans, happy 4th of July! I like your term, it fits. However, what we are really celebrating is Dependence Day! How so? The Supreme Court decided that Congress can now tax/penalize all of us for what we don’t do. So, it’s like forcing us to buy car insurance even if we don’t own a car!
    One in 7 Americans are now on Food Stamps! More and more Americans are ceding their independence to the government. As our kids/grandkids are more and more brainwashed, the 4th of July is in danger of becoming an irrelevant date. It is past time for parents to educate their kids in what it means to be an American.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/BSXOJSGY2CFNGV44B2DDP2AROY Bobgood1

    We read about all of the horrible things that happened to the signers & their families. We are barely able to think about what this day stands for besides time to have a picnic & cookout. The Liberals are so quick to want to take us back to the Fruedal System that our forefathers sacrificed so much to have our Freedom from The King. Now we have a NARCISSTIC who wants to be king.

  • Blair

    We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal.

  • Raymond

    Doctor Seuss for 2011: “I do not like Barack Obam, I do not like his health care scam. I do not like that sneaky crook, or how he lies and cooks the books. I do not like it when he steals, I do not like his secret deals. I do not like that metro man, I do not like his ‘YES WE CAN.’ I do not like his spending spree, does he not know that nothing’s free? I do not like his smug replies, I do not like his constant lies. I do not like his kind of hope. I do not like it. Nope, nope, nope.”

  • Raymond

    Modern American Currency

    One dollar bill: George Washington
    Five dollar bill: Abraham Lincoln
    Ten dollar bill: Alexander Hamilton
    Twenty dollar bill: Andrew Jackson
    Fifty dollar bill: Ulysses S. Grant
    One hundred dollar bill: Benjamin Franklin
    Food Stamps: Barack Obama

  • Raymond

    (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) – a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

    I love this word. Finally, a word to describe our current political situation.