Participate
We have one job at this or any newspaper and that's to figure out what's happening that's important and tell you about it. Occasionally the mere fact of us knowing something manages to fix it a problem all by itself. A quick case in point, not long ago we caught wind of a well-intentioned but truly awful county law being proposed; our objections were quietly relayed, the law was withdrawn. But that's the exception rather than the rule. Generally, like most people, we have to speak up publicly for what we think needs to happen. We do that of course on this editorial page, as most of you know we typically do it straighter and sometimes more forcefully than other newspapers. That I suppose, is the lone prerogative of truly independent media; most of you I'm sure realize that in our increasingly sanitized culture there's precious little of that anymore.
But the truth is whatever we say, little usually comes of it. We frame big issues, we try and provide some direction where it's lacking or where some practical or ethical or constitutional question hasn't adequately entered the pubic dialogue. And then we just hope for the best. Like everyone else, we're sometimes disappointed with how things work out but we keep trying anyway. That in a nutshell is what made this country, small groups of dedicated people working under deadlines and pressures and all kinds of difficult circumstances to try and make things work as well as they can.
On July 4th we commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, probably the most important document written in the past five hundred years. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, it was finalized and presented to the Continental Congress by the Committee of Five: Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert Livingston from just up the Hudson at Clermont. In appreciation perhaps, the British burned Livingston's house in 1777 after doing the same to Kingston. Twelve years later, he administered the presidential oath to George Washington.
Our history here in this region is the history of America and as we celebrate our nation's founding this year we should remember that. We are this country, this country is us and people very much like us, as different as some might seem. We are our past, our present, and our future; what we do collectively is important whether that's locally, regionally, or out in the world beyond. Our obligation to our children is to honor and protect our past and not just because our history matters. We need to do it because our future matters and it's still ours, and theirs, to create.
So we ask you this Fourth of July to take this to heart. Think about what being an American means to you. And for any skeptics amongst you that's not some piece of nationalistic jingoism, it's a simple reminder that who we are together is a reflection of who we are individually. And after you've thought about it, we ask you to think about how you, personally, can help take responsibility for that future, and how you can best...participate. Because people stepping up to take personal responsibility is how our communities and our country are going to get through whatever lies ahead, just as it was in the days of our Founding Fathers.
On July 1st, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigale about the importance of the document they'd just finished editing. Its adoption he told her "ought to be commended as a day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."
It was a fascinatingly prescient observation, as the thirteen colonies didn't extend more than maybe 300 miles inland from the Atlantic. But everything about the Declaration of Independence prefigured the future with a clarity that even to this day is startling. Jefferson's document articulated for the first time a sweeping declaration to the world of natural human rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All men are created equal, said Jefferson, governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. And even as we take such ideas for granted today, the world into which they were received was very different indeed.
Lincoln believed Jefferson's words to be the statement of principles through which our constitution should be interpreted and we agree. More than just their author and more than the soul of our nation, Thomas Jefferson was the man who proved that great ideas and the power of the words we wrap them in can change reality. It's time to make his birthday, April 13th, into a national holiday. But between now and the time that happens, we ask you to honor the man with a simple gesture; raise a glass to him this and every Fourth of July. Sure it's a new tradition but if it's going to catch on, it's got to start someplace.
In the meantime, we hope you all, visitors included, have a great holiday weekend. The creeks are perfect for whatever one cares to do in them, our forests are beautiful and inviting, and the High Peaks with their trails and vistas magical as always. Our cultural climate is rich and widening, our communities are strong and there's energy and creativity even as we struggle through tough economic times. So let's keep watching out for each other, let's support the local businesses that help support all of us, and let's make it a great summer for everyone.
BP