By Chuck Marshall
The signing of the Declaration of Independence - July 1776
Happy Independence Day, everybody ! I always like to consider the fact that every man in this picture was committing treason against the Crown and risked hanging for signing that document. It was not a casual, "glad to be here" thing. We owe it to our children to teach them well the sacrifice and courage as well as a thorough understanding of what was done. They risked it all to pull power from the King and deliver it to the people. We owe it to these men that we speak up and fight when we feel what's going on in the public domain is wrong. We owe it to them that we protect basic freedom and liberty from the "flavor of the day" as is common in our world. We owe it to them that we're proud of our country-- not for its wealth or its military might but for this great precedence that our founders established for us; Power to the people and our posterity that no person shall infringe on another person's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness whatever that might entail. We must be vigilant, passionate, and compassionate in our endeavor to protect what these brave men gifted to us 249 years ago today.
