One More Fourth Of July

   Fourth Of July, Independence Day. The day Thirteen men pledged …."Our lives, freedom, and sacred honor.." to this idea of a country run not by the inbred insanity of a Monarchy, but to the sanctity of a nation run by free men, and charted to give certain inalienable rights to each man. Where errors made at that time? Certainly, because MEN (not a disrespect toward women at all) put the documents together and attempted to do the right thing by it's people. George Washington, first in war, first in peace, first person in the Colonies to "vaccinate" everyone on his plantations. Vaccinate you say? Why yes. There was an idea that if you scratched a person with a needle dipped in Small pox sores, they'd not catch the disease. I don't remember when they captured the virus from the infected, but not a soul that was vaccinated on his plantation caught the smallpox, while at the time, it was ravaging the New World. Not bad for a maligned person.
 Thomas Jefferson, probably the most maligned of all the Founders, did beneficial things other than bang a slave. You know, like The Louisiana Purchase, and sending Louis and Clark to map the area and explore the Missouri to it's headwaters. Founded the University of Virginia. Passed the Freedom of Religion Bill in Virginia. He was an architect and linguist. Penned the letter that actually uses "Separation of Church and State" (found nowhere in the First Amendment, by the by), and was the Third POTUS. If one is going to use Madison's oft quoted statement on agreeing with the "separation  clause", use the next sentence written as well. As Madison said "….there must be a separation, in order to save religion from the government…" (PS, I may have paraphrased, if so, sue me if you must).

  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm overjoyed that these 56 men got together and created a chance for us to be under our own control, and not some fucked up Monarch and his overpowering central government. It's a shame to see ours being converted as it is since the 1930's into a huge centrally powered monopoly that feels it must control us from cradle to grave. Shameful and saddening. I'm more than proud to be an American, not only that it's in my blood to be an American. I have my sense of Independence and it comes with a high price. My life at the moment. My own behavior may have helped the cancer along, but mostly it was  my own body. I chose to do what I did when I was a younger and less judicious man. Not the Federal Government, nor a tobacco company, or a distillery. All that was my own choice. People, in my opinion, who think that they were pushed into a particular behavior by a corporation or drug dealer can suck it. Don't want to be addicted to something? Use the noggin and don't use it. Too simple I suppose.

  Anyway, this is one of my favorite holidays, always has been. This year my family went to celebrate with friends. I was too tired and sick to go along. Yes I missed them. Yes I missed my friends. On the other hand, isn't it nice that they got to have to choice to go have a good time?