Independence Weekend in Review

It being a holiday weekend — and only two days, at that — we took it somewhat easier than usual. (There's certainly an allegory for my schedule in the fact that a fireworks show of approximately 30 minutes ate up a little over two hours of my Saturday evening, but I'll leave it alone for now.)

On the fourth, Andrew posted the Muppets' "Stars & Stripes Forever," which readers should watch through to the very end so as not to miss an accurate comment on Internet culture.

It took me into Sunday afternoon to write and post a rumination on the relative ugliness of life in the past. Although technology has overcome many sources of pain and discomfort, when it comes to public office, it's appearing that such advances have a disparate effect.

In the later afternoon, Monique observed the increasingly conspicuous opposition of teachers' unions to charter schools as the federal government promotes them. It's possible that their stringent opposition to a popular innovation will affect voters' decisions in local elections that are relevant to school funding and operation.