Happy Birthday America!

 It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. 

 John Adams

The Egyptians are having another revolution. This one seems easier than the last one. The installed Muslim Brotherhood president was asked/required by the military to step down so that another president could be elected.  The Egyptians, while religious require a secular state. They do not want to be subject to Muslim theocrats and it will be interesting to see what happens as they change their government.  

I pointed you to an interview with David McCullough on Tuesday.  He spoke about the lack of the schools teaching history and I agreed with him 100%.  I love history. History is the stories which make our character.  I watched a History Channel program Wednesday about George Washington. I doubt that most of the students graduating today could tell you much about him. And yet he is in a great measure responsible for our country. He grew into the leadership and set the tone for our country. He won the war that got us our freedom and he stopped the revolution of his officers and every time I hear the story of him saying "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country." I choke up. It is that moving to me.

Being able to read and know the history that goes back thousands of years is a gift for which I am grateful beyond the measure to tell.  I love the stories and knowing about the people who came before us is incalculably valuable and I would venture to say that anyone who ever amounted to anything in politics, business or religion was grounded in history. 

I also took a test from the Christian Science Monitor today about the Civil War and got a 92%. (I missed one) - The average score was 70%.  

I watched Ben Aaron try to get people to sing the Star Spangled Banner and they couldn't!  And I will bet they couldn't tell the story of who wrote the song and the circumstances around its writing.  You can read it here. Did you know it was the 200th Anniversary of that event.

 Just sayin'