HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY FROM A DIARY OF A BOOK ADDICT AND FAMILY!



Honor real meaning of Fourth of July

Posted: 07/04/2012 01:48:21 AM MDT

Reporter-Herald Editorial

Much attention this Fourth of July centers around which communities have canceled their fireworks shows, such as Fort Collins and Longmont, and which, like Loveland, will still shoot off fireworks despite the dry conditions that have fueled so many disastrous wildfires this spring and summer.

It comes as no surprise that the fireworks issue has touched off debates.

But regardless of where people stand on the question, two things are clear.

First, the use of fireworks is best left to professionals, who get special training in how to safely ignite them. This year in particular, amateurs can do much damage to both themselves and their communities.

Second, the Fourth of July has a meaning that goes far beyond fireworks.

The day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Thirteen-gun salutes, speeches, parades and prayers marked the holiday in the nation's early years, and continue along with festivals, music and fireworks today.

In the rush of celebrations, take time to consider the weighty decision that the members of the Second Continental Congress made 236 years ago, as they explained their motivation:

"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. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

They laid out the injustices forced upon them by the king of England and declared at the end that as free and independent states, they would have the power to wage war and seek peace, make alliance and establish commerce.

"With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor," those brave men concluded.

July 4 should not be a day dedicated to the right to enjoy explosives, but instead as a day when citizens remember the greatness that is possible by pledging to each other to work together to continue to create this great nation.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ARE SERVING AND ALL WHO HAVE SERVED! THANK YOU FOR THE FREEDOM I HAVE!