"To arms, boys!"

 Anyone who knows me well, knows what a history nerd I am.  I earned my undergraduate degree in it years ago, but that only springboarded me to a lifetime of keen interest and study.

And though that interest has propelled me to study and read about history worldwide and from time periods from ancient Rome to today, the study of the founding of our country - particularly the Revolutionary War and the birthing of our Republic - is of particular and acute interest.

So it's no surprise that today, the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord - often stated as the "first shots fired" in that tumultuous and epic period of American  history - is quite the reflective day.

If this day had occurred in years past - and I'm thinking of the bicentennial of 1976, for example - the country collectively would be celebrating, and preparing for the big event, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, next July 4th, 2026. Instead, we live in a country now that, collectively, is having a hard time abiding in our democratic republic as spelled out in terms of the separation of powers and governance by the generation who first spilled blood on Lexington Green and Concord then hammered out 15 years later; they created a blueprint for our government, including, crucially, a Bill of Rights, knowing how difficult, messy, and evolving democratic governing would be. I feel they are likely throwing up in their graves at the sight of the current situation spewing forth from the District of Columbia.

In any event, today is still a marker in time, and important one in this history of our country. Be a "rebel" in your own right today and pick up a book - most Americans sadly do not - reading upon the subject, and in particular what the founders thought about too much power coalescing in the hands of one particular person or branch of government. We, the People. I hope that rings again someday soon.

Cheers. 🇺🇸