Happy Independence Day, Wallingford.
Today’s the day we get to play host to the rest of the city and beyond. Traffic will be snarled, dogs will be whimpering, the streets will be littered with spent bottle rockets and salutes.
Invite a neighbor over for a hot dog. Hand out popsicles. Give your driveway parking spot to a frazzled minivan full of kids from somewhere up north. Pull your sofa out into the middle of the street and share it with someone you don’t know.
Ask people who their favorite founding father is and why. Tell your kids the story of signing of the Declaration of Independence. Look it up if you’ve forgotten. Read two different sources.
Discuss recent events in Syria, Egypt and Libya and how they relate to our Independence Day. Take a moment to honor Nelson Mandela, now on his deathbed, and think about what he means to his country, and what stories will be told of him 237 years in the future.
Ponder the fact that it’s Jimi Hendrix’s version of the Star Spangled Banner we’ll probably hear with our fireworks, and how improbable that would seem to someone 40 years ago.
Read the Declaration of Independence and imagine how carefully each line was crafted, and which ones must have been argued over fiercely: is the right to govern derived from Laws of Nature or Laws of God? What are the axioms, the self-evident truths that one can build a philosophy on?
Imagine that each of the founding fathers were alive today. What would they be doing?
Ask what would, in your opinion, justify throwing “off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security” in modern times? Would you have supported the revolution if you had lived at the time? Why or why not?
What would the founding fathers have thought of Edward Snowden? Of the PATRIOT Act? Wikileaks? The War on Terror? 9/11? The Internet? Facebook? The Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage, the Voter’s Right Act, and Citizens United?
Crack a beer. Smoke a joint on your private property but in full view of the public. Kiss someone you love. Enjoy!
Ask yourself, if Thomas Jefferson were alive today and living in Wallingford, would he be standing out on his front porch telling people to get off his yard?
Just asking.
Please keep you ranimals inside. A strayed cat showed up in our area. It hung around.. I called th enumber on the tag.. the owner responded “oh well, she is doing well, so far..”.
Big fire down by OmCulture. Can’t tell exact location. Visible flames; huge plume of smoke. Hope everyone is ok.
Jackasses abound. Still wish there was no show this year. Grumpy old man shaking his fist at the clouds here.
Fire is at the dry dock. Sounds like no injuries. Lots of unhappy boat owners.