Happy Independence Day! This holiday has always inspired me to reflect some about its nature. I try each year to read the Declaration of Independence (I know, I am a history nerd) and imagine what it must have been like to draft it. So much has changed in the 231 years of our nation's freedom, yet this document still exists and thrives. It resonates when you read it out loud, the way it was surely meant to be read. Through multiple wars and corrupt leaders, we can still go back to this document and be inspired to change.

I worry about the state of our government right now, after today's read-through. Life today just moves so fast and is on such a larger scale that I wonder if our leaders think the Declaration almost quaint- if they believe that they are above the standards set by the leaders of long ago. It seems that our most recent politicians are in it for personal gain, not because they believe they can improve the lives of the citizens of this nation.

I saw Sicko, directed by Michael Moore, today, as a part of my effort to be a well-informed, active citizen. It made me cry in several parts, because there were times that I could really identify with those he was interviewing. In several months, I will become one of the 45 million citizens that are uninsured. "This could be me," I thought to myself as I watched. I will write up a review with my impressions of the film tomorrow of this weekend, as it is definitely thought-provoking.

Finally, I want to leave you with a video of Keith Olbermann's Special Comment from 7/3/2007. In it, he calls for the resignation of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney. He sums up the whole sorry affair known as the Bush Presidency much more eloquently than I ever could: