The Mistress of Snark offers 4th of July greetings.
Not really much I can add to that, except to wonder when the holiday stopped being “Independence Day” and became “The Fourth of July”?
Why is the simple recitation of a number and a month preferable to what the day is actually about?
*sigh*
Happy Independence Day, Gentle Readers.
Enjoy the fireworks. Spend time with kith and kin, eat too much, laugh long, and love well, but I counsel you: On this day, more than any other, take a few moments to read and ponder the Declaration of Independence — the document that is the penultimate reason for this day.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.
LawDog
"The Fourth of July" has a rhythm that makes it roll off the tongue. "Independence Day," while correct, doesn't roll the same way. That's one part of it.
"Independence Day" commemorates Wil Smith's victory over those alien bastiges at Area 51!
Aaaahhh, the right to pursue happiness … you gotta love the wording there don't ya? Not the right to be happy but to pursue it.
Happy Independence Day to you Sir. I "especially" like paragraph two…
I agree about the appropriate name.
Happy Independence Day – Thank You Thomas Paine
penultimate? second to last?
I find it intriguing how much history associated with this country has occured on the 4th.
Happy Independence Day one and all.
dc
Where I grew up, in southern Indiana, calling it the "Fourth of July" was pretty common, and that was…more than a few years ago. Like 40+… And in all my travels in the military, it never seemed out of place — as I think about it, I think the term "Independence Day" was much less used.
In fact, the association of the term "Fourth of July" with the Declaration of Independence was so firmly entrenched, even when I was a kid, that there was a joke that went along with it: "Does Great Britain have a 4th of July?" Often people would answer "no" because the "4th of July" automatically meant Independence Day in their minds, not the fourth day in the month of July…
deadcenter-
I would think that, in the sequence of literary events surrounding the Revolution and subsequent effects, that if the Constitution is the ultimate, then appropriately, the Declaration of Independence is the penultimate.
Though, of course, our current government, under God, divisible, with reverse prejudice for many, is in the process of changing that.
LawMom
great post from mistress. Warn me on the 2nd next year and we will add the recitation to the post incendiary I don't have to eat leftovers for a week activities.
Yes we love our LOL ( lack of Laws) around the 4th. I live inside the city limts across the tracks from the PD in one of the 150 podunk towns in Alabammy who have a no fireworks law inside the city limits.They started gathering about 8:30 and by 9 tonight there were bout 7-8 teenagers 15-18 yrs of age in my front yard with a croaker sack full of contraband bought from the local vendor in town who opens for one week. The local uniformed occifer pulls up rolls down the window, see's me and tells the chilrins," I'm glad ya'll got adult supervision". Have fun now and quiet down before 11:00.
By 9:30 the number of projectiles going flash bang in the sky from mine and other yards in the neighborhood was quite impressive. Whenever there was a lull as we reloaded, the rescue squad right next to the PD made sure they were not outdone by the neighbor children with their own display.At 10:45 these lawless children stopped of their own accord, cleaned up the aftermath, came in the house and finished off the hamburgers and smoked chicken from the afternoon while watching the DVR'd Boston pops show while Ma gave em a brief history lesson on Boston and what they were watching. By 12:30 they were all at their respective homes. No DUI'S, drowinings, car accidents or fire calls from shooting in the wrong directions or being in the wrong places.Comments and text received by my brood were " I didn't know our cops were so cool" and "your Dad's the coolest". Damn there goes my reputation as the meanest dad in town.
And the local vendor made enough to pay for another semester of college for her chilrins.