Regarding my blog about the Declaration and the opprobrium some lovers of liberty heap on it, Daniel Pitrone writes me, "It doesn't say it's our duty to join the military or vote. According to this document the only duty that free Americans have is to remove their shackles whenever necessary!"

Indeed! But Mr. Pitrone wasn't done: "If it was what some readers possibly think- a Trojan horse for despotism (more like the constitution) - one might expect B O  himself to read it to us! We're more likely to hear Richard Dawkins read the Sermon on the Mount!"

I'd say that pretty much clinches the case for the Declaration's being a thrilling canticle to liberty -- in fact, such an inspiring and deft one that I fully expect Our Rulers to prohibit our owning copies sooner or later. Mr. Pitrone mentioned that he's memorized a few of its lines, and I urged him not to stop there but to go whole hog against its inevitable banning.

Speaking of which, imagine being a Continental soldier battling for freedom in July 1776. So far, your military service hasn't differed much from what you did back home on the farm: you're endlessly digging in the sun, throwing up ditches and fortifications against the government's attack. But then, as the sweat streams off your hot, tired body and the flies nigh drive you mad, your colonel orders you and the rest of the company to assemble in a hollow square. At its center, a general sits his horse, reading aloud a new statement from the Congress about liberty and the timeless principles inspiring your revolt... Live this scene with the Continental Army as its soldiers hear the Declaration for the first time in my novel, Halestorm. Grab your copy at Amazon, but hurry: the half-price sale ends tomorrow.