If you don’t do it regularly, set aside today, at least, to thank a soldier. If you know one, call or email ‘em your gratitude. If you see one at a restaurant, offer to pick up his or her tab. If you see one in passing, take a moment to personally thank ‘em for his or her service.

As we celebrate America’s independence today, let’s look back and remember those who started it all.

There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence; these men, from the original 13 colonies, participated in the Second Continental Congress, which helped draft and approve the document.

Pennsylvania sent nine delegates to the congress, followed by Virginia with seven and Massachusetts and New Jersey with five. Connecticut, Maryland, New York and South Carolina each sent four delegates; Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire and North Carolina each sent three; and Rhode Island, the smallest colony, sent only two delegates.

Of the 56 signers, 18 were merchants or businessmen, 14 were farmers, four were doctors, 22 were attorneys and one was an active clergyman. Forty two of the signers served in their colonial legislatures and one, Stephen Hopkins, had served as Governor of Rhode Island. Almost all of the signers were Protestant Christians; Charles Carroll of Maryland was the only Roman Catholic signer.

Maybe if the ACLU had been around back then, they could’ve prevented these closed-minded, Christian-fundamentalists from holding “these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator…”

Damn bible-thumping rightwingers….

God bless ‘em!