I enjoyed the birthday. Did you?

I loved the cookout, courtesy of my early morning walking pal and his extended family. They are a good bunch.

Seventy years ago, when I was growing up, my dad loved to preside over the family July Fourth celebration. It involved a tin wash tub filled with ice water and a floating watermelon. The melon had to be cold. For if it was warm, my dad believed it would get too squishy and leak all over you when you took a bite. At least, that is what he said.

In all my years, the only time I ate watermelon and did not get watermelon guck on my shirt was when I sliced off a chunk and ate it with a fork.

After we ate fried chicken, watermelon, and homemade ice cream, dad always had us get serious for a minute and pay attention. He would pull out a yellowed copy of the Declaration of Independence and ask us to read it out loud. As you might guess, that was a chore for 10-year-olds who were not used to reading the elaborate penmanship used by the founding fathers.

By the way, when was the first time you read the Declaration all the way through? Most of us read it part way as there is a lot of stuff included that does not apply to today's world. For instance, it lists a multitude of evils foisted on us by the British king. Like: He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.”

I have not read recent news stories complaining of swarms of British army officers harassing us and eating out their substance, but I might have missed that one. The last weeks have featured very busy news cycles.

The main idea was the founding fathers were mad at the Brits and wanted to govern their own country. They were sending a very detailed message to old King George III. It was a sort of one-fingered salute. The bottom line was we wanted to run our show by our own rules. Fair enough, but it would not be easy.

First, the Brits objected. After all, they were still paying off the bill from our French and Indian war. After we objected to their government style and dared to boycott their goods, they sent an army and a few mercenaries over the ocean to occupy our cities. Somehow, our little army defeated them.

Of course, thanks to Ben Franklin’s diplomacy, we got a great deal of help from the French and the Spanish and a few others who helped tip the scales. My cousin, a happily retired USMC colonel, might mention their supply chain was a bit long for an extended over-the-ocean campaign. I believe V. Putin is learning the same lesson as he tries to subdue the Ukrainians. But that is another story.

After the war, the founders tried to set up a government under the Articles of Confederation. That didn’t work very well. So, in 1787, they wrote the Constitution. Contrary to recent accounts, the Almighty did not hand the Constitution down from above, like the time the Bible says he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses.

It was a compromise hammered out by real men driven to protect their local self-interests. It was ratified after the delegates agreed to assume the Revolutionary war debts of the various states and pay the bill with funds raised by import taxes. I know that sounds a bit nerdy, but that is what happened. Yes, Grasshopper, they cut a deal.

In any event, they gave us a national government that allowed us to struggle along for 246 years despite wars, depressions, divisions, and heaven knows what else. Despite our current divisions, and these are real, putting lots of folks on edge, there is a reason we are the envy of the rest of the world. While bitter divisions flip friendships and families upside down, I believe the rage and envy will be leavened by reason, goodwill, and the medication doctors call “Tincture of Time.”

Maybe we should all just take a deep breath, step back, and listen to the magical words of the late John Prine:

“Father forgive us.For what we must do.
You forgive us. We'll forgive you
We'll forgive each other, till we both turn blue,
Then we'll whistle and go fishing In heaven.”

Dear friends, our grand governmental experiment has survived another year. May we have many more. Happy Birthday, America.

P.S., I love fireworks.