Happy 4th of July!

Lorie Byrd supplies us with a late-night round-up on Independence Day thoughts and tributes.

Stop the ACLU offers a holiday greeting from who else? The ACLU.

Thomas Sowell wonders if patriotism is obsolete.

Michelle Malkin reminds us that dissent is patriotic. These protestors have the NYT in their sites.

PowerLine remembers a NYT edition from 1776. Hee hee.

Jim Geraghty ponders patriotism in "Aw, Hell, Let's Question Everyone's Patriotism."

John Hawkins has a collection of great patriotic quotes.

Please tell me Google is putting up a 4th of July graphic at some point today.

I was just at Starbucks for the instant-they-open-the-doors service, grabbing a round of coffee for the office, and I noticed the early edition NYT also had no mention of the holiday above the fold. Generally newspapers will throw a decorative banner or message on top for the day, but not the Grey Lady.

Betsy Newmark has Honest Abe's thoughts on the ideal that is America:

They meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence, and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people of all colors everywhere.

Heh. Day by Day has holiday advice for Natalie Maines.

The Declaration of Independence . Always a good read, thank to Thomas.

The Constitution . Less well-read perhaps than the former, but just as important. I'm sure copies are available for sending to your local, friendly judges.

Milblogger Neptunus Lex reflects on the Founders' vision:

After all, the document whose birthday we celebrate today famously promised us the optimistic ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You wonder how many of the Signers swallowed a bit at that: They had to be all too familiar with life in the late 18th century (nasty, brutish and short, as a rule), liberty (except in the south, for people of color, and in the north, for indentured servants regardless of color) and those pursuits of happiness (available certainly to the landed gentry, but rather down-rung on the hierarchy of needs for those looking to 1) keep their scalps, while 2) finding some land to 3) grow a little sustenance on). But that was the world they knew, and the Signers took it on the volley, and hit it back cross-court. At the famous risk of their lives, their fortune and their sacred honor, it must be remembered. They had a vision of perfection in mind, I think, but they also took pragmatic satisfaction in the achievable good.