Happy Independence Day!

So today is the 4th July! American Independence Day! The 4th July is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This is an interesting day amongst my circle of family and friends since I am married to a British royalist and I am the child of American republicans who adopted Britain as their home about 20 years ago. Personally I don't believe in empires, so hey, I will celebrate the independence of a nation escaping from the clutches of another one, situated across a giant ocean. Plus it means we get to eat hot-dogs and watch fireworks on the internet. On the other hand I have not in recent years been particularly impressed with America's foreign policy or military decisions so I am not sure I want to applaud the US' day of self-congratulating. And the American idea of 'freedom' does not sit all that well with me either, since essentially, I am really a socialist and believe in such schemes as higher taxation, state-funded healthcare and state-subsidised higher education and state-run transport. So perhaps I should shun the idea of celebrating American values. I supposed I have to wonder what the Founding Fathers would think of today's America. If the country turned out how they would have liked it to?

My facebook feed this morning is dominated by friends one either side of the great pond. British people jokingly put up photos of the British Queen dismissing the US and Americans post memes of the American Bald Eagle smugly declaring his freedom. All of it is very good natured. Even the Welsh tourist board has wished Americans everywhere a happy independence day mentioning:

Did you know one of the memorial stones on the Washington Monument is inscribed with the Welsh words:

“Fy iaith, fy ngwlad, fy neghenedl, Cymru – Cymru am byth”
“My language, my land, my nation, Wales – Wales forever.”

It is said that 20 per cent of the Pilgrim Fathers of America were Welsh and that almost 50 per cent of the signatories to the American Declaration of Independence were also Welsh or of Welsh heritage. And right there is the reason why I should celebrate Independence Day. Because no matter what state the US is in today, it is still one of the largest countries in the world to embrace other cultures and rejoice in the diversity of its own population. Many national monuments or works of art in the US were built to showcase the mixed heritage of the nation. Just think of the Statue of Liberty welcoming immigrants entering the US from Ellis Island in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The statue, built and designed by the French, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States. In 1984, the statue was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The UNESCO "Statement of Significance" describes the statue as a "masterpiece of the human spirit" that "endures as a highly potent symbol—inspiring contemplation, debate and protest—of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity." The Declaration of Independence itself contains one of the most fantastic sentences ever written in human history: 

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.

And if you ask me, aside from just an excuse to eat a large hot-dog and blue, white and red food colouring in a cupcake, an ideal such as all men (and women!) being created equal  is a great reason to celebrate Independence Day. Because the founding principles of the United States of America are still important and relevant today. If only the US government could adopt free healthcare for all and pass stricter gun control laws....sigh...

Anyway, let's lighten up the tone of this post with a photo of a patriotic hamster:

Enjoy your day Folks!