HAPPY 4TH!

What ghost haunted King George III?
The spirit of '76!

Pretty sad that I have to resort to bad jokes on the big day, but then, why not? It is a day to be sober, respectful and reminded that the holiday should be one the whole world should celebrate.

Just think about it, what would have been this world if there were NO USA? Would Hitler’s plan still be in effect, would Tojo’s descendants be running the California Freeways? Would we have a place to worship freely? Would God even be in the equation, and would you be free to read this?

When I was a kid, fireworks were all over the neighborhood, and I enjoyed watching them and waiting for them to explode with fear-filled anticipation that sent shudders through me.

When I got older I got a hold of some fireworks and had a grand time setting them off then when I reached the age of maturity, I resented the noise.

But the holiday signifies the burst for freedom men wanted living in subjugated colonies, it wrote two great flawless documents: the Constitution of the United States and the piece of paper that declared our freedom, the Declaration of Independence. Both documents still hold up today almost 250 years later. It is preserved in Washington DC as a sacred relic, comparable to anything you might find in Vatican City in Rome in reverence.

Enjoy the holiday, think of the parades to celebrate and the food to cook and friends to enjoy it with, then if you are not too happy about the noisy fireworks, go to bed, close your windows and drown out the noise with your air-conditioner.

As the visitor said as he left the Statue of Liberty:
"Keep in torch!"