Happy Independence Day!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

I hope you have a wonderful fourth of July. You can read the text of the Declaration of Independence here; it is always worth reading one more time. Constitution.org has over a hundred links to important documents essential to a free society, worth a few minutes as we prepare to celebrate a very special day.

Over at Wilmette, we kicked-off the holiday early with an evening at Ravinia. James Conlon and the CSO were in fine form, starting the concert with the Star Spangled Banner and ending with an encore of the Stars and Stripes forever.