Today is the revered USA “Approval to Print a Declaration of Independence Day“:

The Declaration of Independence was not signed [July 4] by the 56 persons whose signatures would eventually adorn it.  Perhaps no one signed it that day. ….  What Congress actually did that day was agree to print and publish the Declaration authorized two days earlier. …  What was voted on July 2 was, however, really decided on July 1.  But on June 28, Congress considered Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration, so was the die then cast?  Or was it cast on June 10, when Congress voted that “a committee be appointed to prepare a declaration”?  The Declaration was first actually declared — read aloud to a crowd (at the State House, now Independence Hall) — on July 8.

I prefer this classic Onion:

As a true patriot, I would gladly die in battle defending my homeland. I love my country more than my own life. But I would also be more than willing to give my last breath in the name of, say, Mexico, Panama, Japan, or the Czech Republic. The most honorable thing a man can do is lay down his life for his country. Or another country. The important thing is that it’s a country.

Here in Northern Virginia there are lots of “Support Our Troops” signs and bumper stickers.  I now have this bumper sticker on my car:

This is my other sticker:

I like the way both play on three levels of meanings.  My stickers may seem on the surface to say the opposite of what some other popular stickers say, but they can be better read as saying something subtler.

The usual “Support Our Troops” seems to say to support our side in a war, while “Support Everyone’s Troops” seems to say to support all sides in every war, which is silly.  But the best way to support all troops everywhere would be to stop the wars ASAP.   

The usual “Question Authority” seems to say “fight the power” while “Question Authority, But Raise Your Hand First” seems to say “accept their power.”  But you really shouldn’t fight or accept powers until you can get past your dominance & submission reactions to calmly evaluate those powers, politely asking questions as needed to complete your evaluation.