Blog Heap of Links for the day 4 July 2011

The whole mission doesn't stand up to the sniff test; it has no place within the confines of sound American foreign policy. I'll reiterate that personally. There are three things that should be involved in a good policy: a belief in American exceptionalism, a belief in American hegemony, and assurance that American interests are the priority. This mission has struck out on all of them, and the public sees that. To begin quite simply, we have no national interest in what we're pursuing in Libya.

In a response filed yesterday to a federal judge's order May 11, an FBI official offered no denials about the existence of video images captured by more than 20 surveillance cameras operating prior to 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, in the vicinity of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. Instead, he explained that officials at the bureau merely cannot find the tapes and raised the possibility that they "might have been misfiled and thus could be located somewhere other than in the OKBOMB file (though it would be impossible to know where)."

Eastland Shopping Center in Bartlesville celebrated the 4th on Friday evening with a fireworks display that was interrupted by a small grass fire. Officials from the fireworks company in charge of the show say a multi-shot cake malfunctioned and the shot came out the side of the tube instead of being launched into the sky.

Former U.S. Marine Lance Corporal William Ely is spending his 4th of July weekend braving the heat - and overcoming injury - to support service men and women back on the front lines. Ely injured his back and legs during training and was unable to follow his unit as they were deployed to Afghanistan. Ely started the morning collecting care packages with the Blue Star Mothers. The care packages will go to support members of his unit. Then if was off and running under the hot July sun. "He had to learn to walk again, so to be able to run and do this is pretty amazing," said Angel Barrows, President of the Bartlesville Blue Star Mothers. Ely then ran through Ochelata along U.S. Highway 75. The Marine was escorted by many veterans and Patriot Guard Riders, finishing up his run in the Ochelata 4th of July parade.

Not only did July 4, 1776 mark American independence from England, it marked a radically different kind of government from the governments that prevailed around the world at the time -- and the kinds of governments that had prevailed for thousands of years before. The American Revolution was not simply a rebellion against the King of England, it was a rebellion against being ruled by kings in general. That is why the opening salvo of the American Revolution was called "the shot heard round the world." Autocratic rulers and their subjects heard that shot -- and things that had not been questioned for millennia were now open to challenge. As the generations went by, more and more autocratic governments around the world proved unable to meet that challenge. Some clever people today ask whether the United States has really been "exceptional." You couldn't be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create your fundamental document -- the Constitution of the United States -- by opening with the momentous words, "We the people..."

The Declaration of Independence
8 The most eloquent 'Fu¢k You' note ever written in the history of the world.
26 Remember at some point today to face West, bend over and moon England.
40 Don't forget that today it's every American's sacred duty to call up Buckingham Palace and ask if they've got Prince Albert in the can.