Happy 4th! Part 1

It’s beastly hot,  and humid, and there isn’t much of a breeze even at the lake,  but the water’s cool and the beer is cold,  and there’s plenty to eat as friends and family come and go.

My habit is to be outside until my allergies can’t stand it,  then duck inside for a while to recover while chatting  to others taking refuge, so I’ll be adding to this as I read interesting things.

Start with Tony Woodlief’s piece on life,  liberty,  and other forgotten things.   You won’t find a flag in Google’s home page,  but the New York Post isn’t afraid  to salute it.

Dip into the past  with a speech  from Pres. Calvin Coolidge,  then see  how Ronald Reagan  did it.   Hadley Arkes gives us a quote from Abe Lincoln,  but neglects to mention  that president,  like our current one,  didn’t believe his own words,  since  the existence of slavery was merely a political tool for him.   (Remember that the Emancipation Proclamation freed only the slaves in the Confederacy).   Harold Holzer writes on  Lincoln’s rhetorical fireworks.