Happy Fourth of July!

Fireworks over Niagara Falls.

This seems a fitting time to quote a blog favorite, 1776. One of the great scenes in the musical comes when John Adams stands alone in the chamber where the Continental Congress meets for their endless, inconclusive debates. The room is dark and silent; everyone has gone home for the evening.

Adams recalls the last lines of General Washington's most recent plea for more supplies for his starving army, "Is anybody there? Does anybody care?" Adams adds his own question, "Does anybody see what I see?" Then he describes his thrilling vision:

I see fireworks,

I see the pageant and pomp and parade,

I hear the bells ringing out,

I hear the cannons roar.

I see Americans--all Americans--free

Forevermore.

I propose a cyber-toast to the brave men who committed treason by signing their names to the Declaration of Independence two hundred and thirty-one years ago to make that vision a reality.