Happy 2nd...I mean 4th of July!

A few things we should know about the 4th of July,but most of us slept through this lesson in High School History,man that classroom was so warm...

Representatives of the 13 colonies, called the Second Continental Congress, actually voted on July 2, 1776, in Philadelphia to declare independence.But it wasn't until two days later that a congressional committee approved the final draft. And it wasn't until Aug. 2 that delegates signed the document.But when it went to the printer, July 4 was affixed in big letters at the top of broadsheets.

The Liberty Bell or Statehouse Bell, rang to proclaim independence is a myth. The bell cracked twice during testing, was hidden among hay and dung under the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church so that the British couldn’t capture and melt it into cannons. A myth was created a hundred years later that the bell was rung to summon people at the reading of the proclamation of independence on June 8th 1776. Every year, descendants of the Independence Declaration signers symbolically tap the Liberty Bell 13 times while bells across the nation ring 13 times to honor the 13 original states.

The first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence were on hemp paper (made from Cannabis Sativa, still mostly illegal in USA,but that is changing it seems,puff,puff,pass) and the final one on parchment (animal hide).

The first signature on the Declaration of Independence was a beautiful signature, which later became a synonym for signature (putting your John Hancock on it), was large because “King George is able to read it without spectacles”, is a myth.

The principal architect of the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson believed that people living without governments like the American Indian tribes were much happier than people living under European style governments.Thomas Jefferson, a Virginian delegate who became the nation's third president, wrote the declaration as a formal explanation of why the colonies should secede in June 1776. Adams, later the second U.S. president, and Benjamin Franklin edited.

Its first sentence is a something that should be on the lips of all Luciferians and Pagans these days:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

The second sentence is the one we happen to remember instead: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

A song often sung on the Fourth is “Yankee Doodle” — but did you know it was made up by the British officers to make fun of those “backwoods” defenders of the colonies. When you think of the lyrics, satirical use of the song makes sense.

Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni

To truly appreciate the sarcasm of the lyrics, it’s important to note that “doodle” is most likely a derivative of the German slang word “dudel,” meaning a fool or dunce, and “macaroni” refers to a clownish, oversized wig worn as a part of a foppish masquerade costume.

The last crazy thoughts before I go, instead of having the bald eagle represent the new country, Benjamin Franklin suggested the mighty turkey. He said the eagle just sits around on a tree, watching other birds catch their prey — then snatches it from them. Franklin concluded that the eagle was a bird of “bad moral character.” On the other hand, the turkey was a “true original native of America,” and “though a little vain and silly” it is a “bird of courage,” suggesting it would even attack the Red Coats if they invaded its territory.

And oddly, two signers of the Declaration of Independence, both of whom became president, also died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, while the country was celebrating its 50th birthday. They were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

So Hats off to you Americans ,Happy 2nd....dammit,I mean 4th of July!