First World Problems...

That doesn't look like a problem! On the contrary, it is a delicious and wonderful thing, courtesy of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a curious blind Benedictine monk.*

But...that is the extent of our Independence Day celebrations, since we are currently 3,650 miles from the greatest country in human history. That's a first for me, and I don't like it.

Seriously. I love Independence Day, because it reminds me every year exactly how lucky we all are, being the beneficiaries of that marvelous confluence of countless events that built the United States of America, none more so than the absolutely stupendous Declaration Of Independence.

56 men, mostly in their 30s and 40s (average age of 44!) signed that document. All of them knew that they were declaring open rebellion against one of the greatest powers on earth. If they lost, they would hang. But they did it anyway!

And against all odds they knocked the snot out of Great Britain, and took the greatest place on earth away from that empire. Little did King George and parliament know what they had just lost.

Luckily for them we are a forgiving people. 141 years later we bailed them out of a catastrophe in Europe, and then we did it again 25 years after that!

We have huge issues in America, and in many ways we have lost our way. But looking at the stunning developments over the past three election cycles makes me far more sanguine about our future prospects as a great country.

Yes, even the many catastrophes have shown us who the enemies of the Republic are, and that is a tremendous advantage. The battle is joined!

We are Americans, so we will win!

* Not really. Champagne wasn't invented by anyone...it evolved over centuries, but existed before Dom Perignon.

posted by CBD at 02:00 PM

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