Happy 240th Birthday America

Happy Fourth of July, my friends. On this date, the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America and no longer part of the British Empire.

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.

After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4.

A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. 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 shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Historians have long disputed whether members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day.

Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.

Coincidentally, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe, another Founding Father who was elected as President, also died on July 4, 1831. He was the third President in a row who died on the anniversary of independence. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872; so far he is the only U.S. President to have been born on Independence Day.

The News As I See It: The Fourth of July is when we celebrate our breaking away from England. And after Brexit, it’s starting to seem like England just can’t keep a relationship going.

Obama recently met with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. Obama said he was trying to figure out where to live when Trump wins.

This Date In History: 1776; The U.S. declared independence from Great Britain. 1826; Former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. 1831; Former president James Monroe died. 1845; Henry David Thoreau moved into his shack on Walden Pond.

1862; Lewis Carroll first told the story of Alice's Adventures Underground to the Liddell sisters. 1884; The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in Paris. 1895; Katharine Lee Bates published America the Beautiful. 1939; Lou Gehrig, stricken with ALS, made his farewell at Yankee Stadium.

1976; The United States celebrated its bicentennial. 1997; The U.S. Pathfinder probe landed on Mars. 2012; The European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN, announced the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson.

Picture Of The Day: "That's a lovely blue dress, Loretta. I hope it doesn't stain easily." 

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Last weekend, during a routine cleanup, park crews discovered a cannon from the Revolutionary War that was still loaded. Old, loaded and ready to go — just like me before the karaoke show. 2) Hurray for Obama wanting more extensive background checks! Let's begin with him first! 3) My friend's mother-in-law is staying with him this 4th of July weekend. He spent the day Thursday clearing out half of his closet so she would have a place to hang upside down and sleep. 4) It's always awkward ending phone calls with loved ones. I always say, "I love you" and they're like, "Thank you for choosing Domino's." 5) The local news says we can tell there's been a power failure with their new app. Call me old fashioned but the lack of lights tips me off.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 4th: Loving care is something that people write on shampoo bottles. What you need is a good hard drink. A beautiful woman will turn your head today and make you wonder whether you're as committed as you ought to be.

Birthdays: Nathaniel Hawthorne, author 1804, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot 1807, Stephen Foster, composer 1826, Rube Goldberg, cartoonist and sculptor 1883, Louis B. Mayer, movie executive 1885, Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the Unites States 1872, Meyer Lansky, mobster 1902, Abigail Van Buren, advice columnist 1918, Ann Landers, advice columnist 1918, Eva Marie Saint, actress 1924, Gina Lollobrigida, model, actress 1927, Neil Simon, playwright, producer 1927, George Steinbrenner, owner of NY Yankees 1930.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Obama, not feeling well and concerned about his mortality, goes to consult a well-known psychic about the date of his demise.

Closing her eyes and silently reaching into the realm of the future she finds the answer: "You will die on a Jewish holiday." Obama asks nervously, "Which one?"

The psychic replied, "It doesn't matter. Whenever you die, it will become a Jewish holiday."

While out walking along the edge of a bayou, a Louisiana a woman walking with her soon to be ex-husband were discussing property settlement and other divorce issues.

Suddenly they were surprised by a huge 14 foot alligator suddenly emerging from the murky water charging at them with its large jaws wide open. She must have been protecting her nest because she was extremely aggressive.

The woman told reporters, "If I had not had my little Beretta Jetfire .25 caliber pistol with me, I would not be here today! Just one shot to my estranged husband's knee cap was all it took."

She continued, "The gator got him easily and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace. It's one of the best pistols in my collection! Plus, the amount I saved in lawyer's fees was more than worth the purchase price of the gun."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: In May of this year, police in Chicago announced the discovery of an arms cache of 200 semi-automatic rifles with 25,000 rounds of ammunition, 200 pounds of heroin, 5 million in forged US banknotes and 25 trafficked prostitutes, all in a semi-detached house behind the Public Library on Third Ave.

Local residents were stunned. A community spokesman said, "We're all shocked! We never knew we had a library."

During a lull between the speeches at the recent White House Correspondents' dinner, Michelle Obama leaned over to chat with Joe Biden. She told Biden,"You know, I bought Barack a parrot for his birthday. The bird is so smart, Barack has already taught him to pronounce over two hundred words!"

Biden said, "Wow, that's pretty impressive but, you do realize that he just speaks the words -- he doesn't really understand what they mean." Michelle replied, "Oh, I know, neither does the parrot."

That's it for today, my little firecrackers. Remember, honesty is the best policy unless you want people to like you.

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Happy Independence Day and more on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !