Aug. 05, 2006 - 20:41 MDT

THINK BACK

About a month ago an editorial appeared in the Rocky Mountain News that reminded me of what it's all about, at least I think so. Herewith quoted in full:

DECLARATION DEFIED LONG ODDS

THE FOUNDERS' GRAND GAMBLE

"It is easy to forget, 230 years after the fact, the astonishing audacity of the spirit of 1776.

"By the time the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted, colonial troops had enjoyed important but modest success against the British at Bunker Hill, Fort Ticonderoga and the siege of Boston that finally drove the Redcoats into their ships. Even so, the fulll force of the world's most powerful military had not yet been brought to bear against the rebellious colonies, and every man who signed the Declaration knew it."

"They signed it anyway -- an act of treason in the eyes of the crown that could cost them their lives."

"Within weeks, the real balance of power was everywhere on display. Routed in late August in the Battle of Long Island, George Washington would remain on the run for the rest of the year, until his legendary surprise assault on the Hessians at Trenton on the day after Christmas."

"British military superiority was entirely predictable when the Continental Congress formally endorsed Thomas Jefferson's handiwork. What was not predictable was the resourcefulness of Washington and his troops, and the Americans' staying power. The signers of the Declaration placed a bet against long odds, an act of faith in themselves and the world they envisioned."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Thirteen years later, the promise of the Declaration was given fuller expression in the U.S. Constitution with a Bill of Rights laying out guarantees "to secure the Blessings of Liberty."

"The Founding Fathers were anything but the stuffy, solemn group of individuals history cometimes makes them out to be. John Adams, a signer of the Declaration, our first vice president and second president, famously urged that independence "be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other."

"So, go forth. Celebrate. Pursue happiness. On this day at least, it is the patriotic thing to do."

"Happy Fourth Of July"

++++++++++++

I for one shall bear this in mind every day for the rest of my life and shall pursue Liberty and Happiness to the max.

Once in a while it is a good thing to THINK BACK . . . . . . . . .

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