Kevin Craig for Congress: Independence Day Reading, 2011

Lots of goodies, some repeats from previous years.

Independence from Britain;
Independence from God?

Most of us don't declare our independence from God
even when we are doing things that move us away from God.

America's Founding Fathers all claimed to be Christian, but didn't always act consistently Christian. Don't read anything unless you read Gary North's essay, and consider the implications:

Tricked on the Fourth of July by Gary North

This Is News - July 4, 2011
from WORLD Magazine Podcasts
Original audio source (episode911.mp3)

The American Creed
from BreakPoint Commentaries by Chuck Colson
Today is the great American holiday: The Fourth of July. But do we Americans truly understand what we are celebrating, and why it so important?
Download

Character Counts
from Character Counts
Independence Day and Courage
Original audio source (Y4DA_3.MP3)

America's Birthday, Part 1
David Barton / Wallbuilders
Listen

America's Birthday, part 2
from WallBuilders - LIVE!
"With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." This final statement in the Declaration of Independence marked the beginning of a new nation. Observe God's sovereignty as you hear exciting stories surrounding the birth of the United States.
Original audio source (WBLive2011-07-05.mp3)

America's Birthday, part 3
from WallBuilders - LIVE!
"With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." This final statement in the Declaration of Independence marked the beginning of a new nation. Observe God's sovereignty as you hear exciting stories surrounding the birth of the United States.
Original audio source (WBLive2011-07-06.mp3)

Episode 193 – Philosophy of Freedom: The Declaration of Independence
Posted by Corbett
Podcast: Play
In June of 1776, Thomas Jefferson drafted one of the most important political documents in the history of the world. The Declaration of Independence was a breathtakingly revolutionary document for its time, but what does it tell us about our situation today? If we are faced by a train of abuses and usurpations, will we respond in kind? Would we sign the declaration ourselves?

Podcast: We Need A New Declaration of Independence
July 6, 2010 |
Yep, this one’ll get the lib’s panties all in a twist. “He’s calling for Revolution,” they’ll whine.
I even added some nice fife and drum Yankee Doodle music to this.
Enjoy!

The United States Declaration of Independence of 1776 read by John F Kennedy.
Authored by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. The primary author is Thomas Jefferson, however, all the members of the 5 man drafting committee had a hand in editing the document.
Download

Previous blogs:

From Independence to Dependence - July 7, 2008
Independence Day Reading - July 4, 2009
To Save America, We Must Abolish the United States - July 3, 2009
Land of the Slaves, Home of the Fearful - July 15, 2009
The 4th of July - June 6, 2006 [I never have updated that website. Groan.]
4th of July - June 8, 2006
A Libertarian Manifesto: July 4th, 1776 - Jun 17, 2006
30 Days to Independence Day - June 4, 2008
Risking One's Sacred Honor - June 24, 2008
John Quincy Adams on Independence - July 2008
Independence Day 2008

26 Percent Of Americans Don’t Know U.S. Declared Independence From Great Britain | ThinkProgress

Independence Day 2011 | End the War on Freedom

Your Independence Day Musical Extravaganza - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Independence Day: Celebrating America’s Enduring Principles

Anniversaries in China and the United States | Britannica Blog

Down with the Fourth of July by Stephan Kinsella

For reasons why, see my post Happy We-Should-Restore-The-Monarchy-And-Rejoin-Britain Day!.

See also:

Hurrah for King George!, by John Attarian;
Lew Rockwell, The Enemy Is Always the State
Sheldon Richman, The Articles of Confederation Versus the Constitution
John Hasnas, The Myth of the Rule of Law
Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, The Constitution as Counter-Revolution (mp3; pdf)

» Beware Today’s Fourth of July Parade: It Will Make You a Republican! - Big Government

In 1882, Laura Ingalls recalled that on Independence Day in her small Dakota town, there was a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. And while the 15-year-old girl had the Declaration memorized (so too did her little sister, according to Laura), she came to a new realization when she heard it read aloud:

“Our father’s God, author of liberty—‘The laws of Nature and of Nature’s God’ endow you with a right to life and liberty. Then you have to keep the laws of God, for God’s law is the only thing that gives you a right to be free.”

FoxNews

It Was a States Thing First: Independence was not something that was confined to Congress. It started out as a state and local thing. In fact, the very first Declaration of Independence came on Oct. 4, 1774 (21 months before the Continental Congress declared independence) from the town of Worcester, Mass. During the next 21 months a total of 90 state and local declarations of independence would be made. When Virginia declared its independence in May 1776, they sent Rep. Richard Henry Lee to the Continental Congress with specific instructions to put forth a resolution of independence for Congress to vote on, thus allying all the colonies -- soon to become states -- against the British Empire in the War for Independence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_Resolves

"Massachusetts had unmistakably emerged as the leader of the resistance against British policies. In particular, its decisions to establish a separate government, to collect and retain taxes, and to raise and arm military forces were clearly revolutionary steps and exceeded the actions taken previously by the other colonies."

h/t