Celebrating Independence In 2008

We used to celebrate Independence Day in the United States. It was held on July 4, and it commemorated the day on which the Declaration of Independence was approved in Philadelphia in 1776. It was a day to consider the blessings of liberty, to recall the struggle for independence that is our heritage even today, and to celebrate the values, until then unpracticed in the world, that fundamentally shaped the American political identity — the notion that the State existed to serve its citizens, not vice versa; the ideal of government of, by and for the people; the (literally) revolutionary idea that, when government failed to serve its people, it was their right, indeed, their sacred duty, to throw off that government.

Now, it seems, we celebrate the 4th of July — a midsummer day’s dream of mattress sales, keg parties on the lake and fireworks shows. And it’s all great fun, fellowship, and mercantile profit, as it should be. But does anyone besides me worry that we’ve lost touch with the reason for the holiday?

This week, TEXAS POLITICS TODAY looks at Independence Day 2008. Over the 4th of July weekend, we went out and talked to ordinary Texans about how they were celebrating the 4th and what independence means to them. Tune in for a entertaining, informative perspective on Independence, 2008 style. The radio show airs from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. CDT on KOOP radio, located at 91.7 on the FM dial. KOOP also streams live at www.koop.org

Also, next week we’re thrilled to have Markos Moulitsas Zúniga with us. Markos is the proprietor of DailyKos.com and co-author, with Jerome Armstrong, of Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics (Chelsea Green). He is a contributing columnist to Newsweek Magazine. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the world by People en Español, clocked in at third in Forbes’ Web Celeb 25 rankings, and was listed 26th in PC World’s list of the “Most Important People on the Web“.