Children, when you celebrate the Fourth of July...

[lostnfound]

I am glad that my son's school is celebrating the Fourth of July, teaching the youngsters the songs of America, and love of country. But amidst the flag-waving, I hope to teach him a deeper truth, a deeper reason why we celebrate the Fourth of July.

Before 1776, the United States was ruled by a King, or actually a few Kings, whose long arms reached across the Atlantic via aristocratic collaborators and those who could be deluded or bought off into protecting the King's interest in a foreign land. Before 1776, we were colonies owned by an empire.

In the magic moments when the words "of the people, by the people, and for the people" were being penned, when the colonial subjects became courageous fighters for freedom and builders of a new government, and the British empire lost its power over its American subjects, an idea washed its way back through the streets and over the fields, sparking the imaginations of the people: the people would rise up and take the government into their own hands. In those moments, the people wrenched the crown from the head of the King -- at no small risk to themselves -- and took the power of government in their own hands. What should be celebrated most on Independence Day is not the fighting and dying, not even the banner we fly, but the right to vote, the right to run for office, the right of self-governance.

Teach your children what it means to be a Republic and what it means to be a democracy, have them be ruled for a bit by an arbitrarily-appointed king, and then chase him away, then have them run for office or run an election, have them count their votes, and have them seek to establish their own government. Teach them how hard it was to fight for independence from an autocrat, and how easy it is to start to lose it when you aren't paying attention. They will learn that self-governance is messy, rewarding, open to abuse and theft, and well-deserving of one's vigilance -- and worth protecting. Along the way they will learn what it means to be..a citizen of the United States.

[Chiyo-chichi]

1. K&R

Worthy of Oliver Wendall Douglas fifes playing in the background. I mean that in a good way.

[CrispyQ]

2. Excellent!

Your third paragraph gives me goosebumps.

May I also suggest Thom Hartmann's book "We the People: A Call to Take Back America." It is written in a comic book style but is good reading for ALL ages! It is an excellent primer on our government & the issues the founding fathers contemplated while writing our Constitution. Thom tells the history of other times when our republic faced threats from internal sources wanting to usurp our way of governance. We've been here before, folks! It won't be easy getting out of this mess, but we can do it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1882109384/sr=8-1/qid=1151587946/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4550177-3714357?ie=UTF8

Kicked.

[hootinholler]

3. I agree withthe sentiment, but one nit to pick...

"of the people, by the people, and for the people" are Lincoln's words some four score and seven years after the declaration of independance.

But the declaration does establish the people over any government and the responsibility to dismantle an oppressive and unjust government.

-Hoot