Take freedom to heart on Fourth of July

Tuesday isn't the most convenient day for a holiday -- should you take Monday off for a four-day holiday or confine activities to the Fourth of July itself?

But it has advantages as well -- many of us have scattered our celebrations over several days, starting Friday and continuing throughout the weekend, concluding the the big fireworks show Tuesday night.

Around the country, we'll do it up right.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans will consume 150 million hotdogs -- one frankfurter for every two people. More than likely, that 'dog is made of pork that originated in Iowa, where more than 15.2 million market hogs lived as of March 1, 2006.

If a hamburger's more your style, you won't be alone. Some 4.5 billion pounds of beef originated in the Cornhusker State and another 4 billion in Kansas.

Or, if it's barbecued chicken, you've helped support a $1 billion industry, primarily in Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi or Texas.

But comparing a couple of other Census Bureau numbers can cause us to remember just what we're celebrating this Independence day.

In 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, there were an estimated 2.5 million people living in the 13 colonies -- that's only about twice the population of 2006 Nebraska.

That the system of government that document made possible today, when our population is ready to top 300 million, is truly something to celebrate.

As we set out to enjoy the day, take a moment to ponder some of the original words:

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 ...

As we mark another national birthday, especially during this 2006 election year, there's no better time to take the words of the founding fathers to heart.