Happy 4th of July from the Law Office of JL Carpenter
As the 4th of July weekend is upon us, what does that mean and how does it apply to us?
On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the 2nd Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. The colonies broke free from the Kingdom of Great Britain with whom the colonies had been at war with for over a year.
The Declaration was written with a tremendous and deep spiritual influence. Basically, the People of the Thirteen Colonies told Great Britain that they no longer wanted to be ruled without any say in their governing. Instead the colonies wanted to break free from the political bands and take control of their own government; mainly to protect their God-given rights.
The Declaration begins,
“WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.”
It goes on to say,
“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…”
And finally, it ends with the following,
“We, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
Reading our Founding Fathers’ words brings a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for the foundation they laid way back then for the rest of us in this great country to protect and enjoy for many years to come.
So, on this 4th of July…
…take a moment to really think about what this day means to you. What does it mean to our local community? What does it mean to our great Nation as a whole?
What can we do today to ensure we are protecting and taking care of this brilliant foundation that was given to us by our forefathers?
On another note..
…every week life in the various courthouses is returning more and more to pre-COVID ways. Some courts are going back to in-person appearances with both attorneys and clients. Some courts are still using zoom. While other courts have decided that practices adopted during COVID made the docket run more efficiently so they are keeping those practices in place. Each court in each county has different rules and we are doing our best to stay on top of them daily so we may keep our clients informed.
Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center
A colleague of mine, attorney Murray Newman, has a blog called “Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center.” He is quite humorous. Somehow, Murray always gets his hands on items that were meant to remain inside the Harris County District Attorney’s office. This week, Murray published a post containing a video Kim Ogg created for her assistant district attorneys. In his blog, Murray provides comical highlights, as well as a link to Kim Ogg’s video.
You can find it all right here for your entertainment and amusement: http://harriscountycriminaljustice.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-genius-and-miraculous-district.html
As we approach the holiday weekend, a few reminders:
- Uber is cheaper than hiring us,
- It takes two people to argue, and
- If you smoke, keep it at home – don’t travel with it.
The Law Office of JL Carpenter wishes everyone a meaningful, safe, and Happy 4th of July weekend in whatever way you choose to celebrate.
And remember, if things don’t go as planned, “If you go to jail, Call JL!”
713.201.6767
