On this day, 124 years ago, France presented a colossal statue to the United States, commemorating the friendship between the two countries.
Statue of Liberty — Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Actually, July 4 has been a busy day. It’s the day Thoreau moved to Walden Point. The day Hawthorne was born. The day Vivekananda, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson died. The day Alice in Wonderland was first published. The day the Crab Nebula was noticed by the Chinese.
And the day the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed and independent country.
Really. A busy day.
In a bit of local news, Jesse Helms just died on the Fourth. His demise has depolarized him somewhat, and in the coverage he has been charitably described as a man of his time and place who insisted that you can compromise your preferences, but not your principles.
A guy who apparently agreed with him about that was just forcibly retired as head of the state weights and standards lab for refusing to fly their flag at half mast for that bad man Helms.
@Carl Didn’t really know of Helms œuvre, but his death does seem to have generated some interesting discussion.
As you describe it, it seems that being principled is a tricky thing. It works best when you have power or when your principles are in line with those who do have power. Otherwise, having convictions can be a way to be “convicted.” 🙁