"Heeeeey, Baby! It's the Fourth of July!...."

Dave Alvin wrote the song, but a LOT of people have done it, including, Robert Earl Keen. I like his version the best, I think.

"On the stairs I, smoke a cigarette alone. Mexican kids are shooting fireworks below. Heeey, Baby, it's the Fourth of July..."

Great song. And a great Holiday. Celebrating the founding of a nation that was created by people seeking freedom OF religion, and one that created a Constitution that guarantees freedom FROM religion! Congress shall make no law...

The separation of church and state was a BIG deal in, The Constitution. At the time of it's adoption, most of the states, Rhode Island being the exception, had named a state religion in their documents that founded the state, or, Colony as it were.

Pennsylvania was the, Quaker State (still being celebrated on oil cans nation wide). I think, Maryland was, Catholic, but it might have been, Presbyterian, I'm not sure. Any way, the adoption of, The Constitution, OUR, Constitution put an end to that. No state, Federal, government shall make a law that establishes a, Religion. And no religious test shall be applied if you want to work for, or run for office in, any state, or the Federal government.

This country was NOT founded as a Christian Nation. It was founded as an, anti-religious nation. No religious test? No state sponsored, religion?

Yet, now, some right wing, nutballs, keep telling us that we were/are a, "Christian Nation" and that, The Constitution is, "Divinely Inspired". Total, unadulterated, bullshit.

It's a great document, but no, "God" had anything to do with it. Smart, educated, MEN did! No Deity was involved. Because, deities DON'T EXIST!

Yet today, I have to hear all this BS about, The Constitution, "hanging by a thread" and some, Mormon is going to save it? And the liquor stores aren't open on the Holiday, and in this state the BIG celebration is on the 24th. The day the, Mormons came into the Salt Lake Valley.

Do the, Mormons even understand that because of, The Constitution they can practice, without fear of persecution, their religion in THIS country? Well, except the, "Polygamy" part. And truth be known, if you want to be fair, they should get that part back too. It's not any crazier than the rest of what they believe. And if you can talk some woman into being your second, or third wife? Good on ya. You have to live with more than one wife. Good luck with that.

So the big deal fireworks shows in Utah were on Saturday night this year. That's bullshit. The parades, all the patriotic stuff went on yesterday, and most folks get tomorrow, Monday off.

So tonight, in an act of subversion, my family set off our fireworks. We celebrated the Fourth of July, on the FOURTH OF JULY! Live with it.

Two weeks ago, I had my family at, Battle Green. And when we got out of the car, I was too choked up to tell my kids why we were where we were. The weight of the history in that spot, was too much for me. It took me several minutes before I could compose myself enough to tell them that this was the spot where the, Revolutionary War started. It was the first place, American blood was shed in our fight to become a country. April 19, 1775.

I think THAT day should be a Holiday, too. But since we have the Fourth of July, we should celebrate it, full blown, and all out, EVERY year, even if it's on a Sunday! YOUR church isn't as important as MY Country! Hell, your church only exists because of MY country's, Constitution.

So when you hear a right wing member of Congress talk about, "Activist Judges" who want to destroy, The Constitution, you can call, bullshit on that. They want to appoint their own activist Judges who will kick, "The Constitution" to the curb, and let religions run government.

And today is the perfect day to remember that. This, SUNDAY, the, FOURTH OF JULY. That the people who don't love the country as much as their superstition, make you celebrate a day early.