Happy Independence Day from Team Speed Kills

by cocknfire on Jul 4, 2009 12:00 AM EDT in General

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Happy Independence Day!

Take a moment to remember what we're celebrating today. Around 233 years ago -- the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2 and approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, most of them signing it later -- a group of men literally put their lives on the line to endorse this country's existence. It was not an easy journey from there, either; there were grave doubts for many years that America would endure.

One of my favorite Independence Day stories comes from July 4, 1826. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had finally repaired their friendship, which had been left in tatters by political battles in the late 1790s and early 1800s. Both lie on their deathbeds on that day in 1826. Adams' final words were reportedly "Thomas Jefferson survives."

If that's what he said, he was wrong, because Jefferson was already dead.

Others say the only intelligible final words were "Thomas Jefferson." That one works for me just as well. Maybe better.

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If Only...

I think it’s fair to say that the founding father’s collective genius remain unmatched, even centuries after the fact, and I happen to agree. The original cabinet easily eclipses any since then and Washington’s vision of his offices and the role of America is yet to be surpassed. Happy birthday America!

"A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer. We are going to conquer. Using the word 'I' when you're in a group makes things complicated." ~ Wanderley Luxemburgo, 1999

by ejruiz on Jul 4, 2009 2:24 AM EDT reply actions