We Americans celebrate our independence from the British under King George III on this day. July 4th commemorates the approval of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It wasn’t actually signed on this day - only approved. The actual signing didn’t take place until a month later. Most of the delegates signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776, the first signature being that of John Hancock. Several signatures were obtained later ... George Wythe (Virginia) on August 27; Richard Henry Lee (Virginia), Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts), Oliver Wolcott (Connecticut) signed in September; Matthew Thornton (New Hampshire) in November. Thomas McKean, representing Delaware, was serving in the army and was unavailable to add his ‘John Hancock’ until 1781. Thomas Jefferson was the major author of the Declaration of Independence, but he had help from John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman. Following the natural rights theory of John Locke, the document proclaimed the equality of ‘all men’ and their ‘unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. The authors wrote that governments were established to secure these rights; when they failed to do so, the people could abolish them. This one statement alone was considered as treason to the British crown. And so, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock said, “Now we must all hang together.” Always the sharp wit, Benjamin Franklin smilingly stated, “Or most assuredly we will all hang separately.” It's been 232 years, a civil war, two world wars and numerous other wars and the nation has survived and remained intact, one can only wonder for how much longer with the current attacks on our Constitution by our enemies from within and the threat of Islam. Happy Birthday America. Think of the missing and POW's today and what they too sacrificed for our freedom. So that's it. God bless what's left of America. Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off. PS - You might want to start learning Farsi.