Happy Fourth of July!
Here is a look at what is happening in Attleboro and Seekonk.
1. Today is our nation's birthday. Go here if you need a refresher on what all this Fourth of July stuff is about.
2. This is a federal holiday, so almost everything that would be categorized as "government" is closed today. That includes Attleboro City Hall and Seekonk Town Hall as well as both libraries. All banks are closed too. The status for local businesses vary, but it would probably be best to call if you don't want to make a needless drive.
3. There will likely be at least some rain today. But the good news is the fireworks show in Attleboro will happen. The bad news is the morning games at Poncin-Hewitt could be postponed to Sunday. Be sure to check with Attleboro-Seekonk Patch shortly after 7 a.m. for further information.
4. You probably know at least one interesting person in Attleboro and/or Seekonk. Do you think that person should be profiled on Attleboro-Seekonk Patch? If so, send an email with the information to jonathan.friedman@patch.com.
5. Showers are "likely" before 9 a.m. and a thunderstorm could join the fun, according to the National Weather Service. More of the wetness is possible after 9 a.m. The daytime high is expected to be 87. At night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain with an expected low near 67.
Carol Bragg
8:49 am on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Take time to listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence that we celebrate today: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106168024
Or, read it here: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/04/opinion/declaration-of-independence/index.html
Rhode Island, although a signatory, declared its independence on May 4, two months earlier than the rest of the colonies.
Carol Bragg
9:26 am on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Religious freedom. As we are still embroiled in controversy about separation of church and state, it is helpful to remind ourselves that this was a land to which people came seeking religious freedom (remember the Catholics settled in Maryland?) and that although there were clearly examples of religious intolerance (Quaker Mary Dyer hanged in Boston and Quaker Anne Hutchinson and Baptist Roger Williams banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony), the clear intent and trend was toward religious tolerance. Here's a link about the religious affiliations of the Founding Fathers http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html/ and another about the influence of Judaism in the founding of the nation http://www.aish.com/jl/h/cc/48955806.html
Carol Bragg
9:47 am on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Political diversity. Two hundred thirty-six years later, we tend to lose sight of the fact that the Founding Fathers had widely divergent views. R. B. Bernstein, in The Founding Fathers Reconsidered, described a “remarkable, fractious group of statesmen, politicians, journalists, farmers and soldiers." The Constitution, he points out, was "the result of compromise among heroic, but human characters." Where are our heroic, but human characters of today who are willing to compromise for the sake of our nation? Can we see that diversity of political opinion is the strength of democracy and that, if eliminated, we will drift toward totalitarianism, left or right? Can we have rigorous debate over issues and policies without tearing each other apart? Can we look for the elements of truth, the valid expressions of concerns and fears, in other people's positions and find common ground?
Jonathan Friedman
10:22 am on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Thanks for your comments Carol! Good stuff to make one think on this day.
William Rice
1:17 pm on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Spent the morning in Freetown marching in 4th parade with Joe Kennedy.