Independence Day

Happy Fourth to all!

It's a great day here in Baton Rouge. The sky is filled with clouds, bulging with precipitation. If that seems like sarcasm, it isn't. Since the hurricanes of last year, we've only seen rain a handful of days. That's not good, since it's been nearly a year.

The parishes on this side of the state have been fighting wildfires for the past few months, so todays downpours are more than welcome, even if they interfere with a few cook-outs.

It's great having a holiday off for once, and I would like to thank those men who help cast off the shackles of England 230 years ago. This has been the greatest country in the world, and it can continue to be so, but it won't just happen. The citizens of this nation need to be involved in the running of their government. Don't just sit there and complain about nothing being done, take action. Ordinary men did just that nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago.

Tomorrow the rockets' red glare will have faded, and the bursting bombs will have echoed their last for another year. I ask that, as citizens, you take the intiative to make a change in your community. Those government officials that actually do something can't do everything themselves. They need everyday people to do their part as well.