America and Andy Griffith

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Independence Day -- and that we all take some time to remember what this holiday is about, and how much we should appreciate the courage, sacrifice, and forethought of our founding fathers.

It's perhaps ironic that just a day before the Fourth, the world lost an iconic symbol of Americana with the death of actor/comedian/singer Andy Griffith, who passed away at age 86. Many of us remember Andy from his leading roles on the TV shows Matlock and, of course, The Andy Griffith Show, but he had many more talents, including gospel singer. He was also a standup comedian, or more like a humorous storyteller in the Mark Twain/Bill Cosby mold. Here's the audio (with fun illustrations) of his famous story "What it was, was football", from way back in 1953:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxLxTZHKM8

You say you want a revolution?

Adapted from my 2006 Independence Day column, here's a look at what might have happened in 1776 if attitudes had been just a little bit different:

http://www.markrhunter.com/2012/07/04/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-any-volunteers/