Happy Independence Day!!!

Yes, that's why the 4th of July is honored. It's the day we recognized as the day we formally claimed our independence from Britain. It's currently my favorite period in American history (as my interests in such things change for a variety of reasons). As such, average movies, such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot", are more enjoyable for me. But several recent books I've read (or on deck to read) cover that period, so I'm getting better insights into the mindsets of our forefathers and the times in which they lived.

In this day and age, there is little that relates to that time in the life of our country. We hear references to those times mostly in lamentations. Our "leaders" nowadays bear no resemblance to those who risked so much to form a new nation. Without a doubt, our current president is about as far from our first presidents as one can possibly imagine, without being a total Ayatollah or Fuhrer. We've been sliding to this abyss for quite some time, and now, Barry is trying to push us over the edge.

That we as a nation are dangling over this precipice is without question. It is only a matter of what we do about it. Now is the time to look back to our nation's beginnings and study all that led to our revolution, what was sacrificed and put at risk, and most importantly, what words like "freedom" and "liberty" really mean. We cannot continue on the path to which our nation strayed several presidencies ago, and to which Obama gleefully and boldly now travels at such a dangerous speed.

Pay attention. Get involved. Call your representatives and hound them until they understand just how they are to represent us. With the situation in Minnesota resulting in the election of Stuart Smalley, it is more important than ever to do so. When 2010 arrives, it might be too late to correct the harm done by Smalley's victory, but corrections can and must be made.

Too many have lost sight of what our America is supposed to be and mean. Some are beginning to realized their mistake last November. Hopefully more will awaken before we begin that long fall over that precipice, and the painful and fatal splat that signals its end. Complacency and apathy can no longer be tolerated of ourselves. Action is mandatory.

In the meantime, don't blow off any fingers. Don't stand too close to the grill. Sedate your dogs. Enjoy the show.