Every Independence Day I try to take a few moments to think about the original Patriots, and how they founded a nation (after all, it's a federal holiday that asks us to do just that). I'm always amazed and inspired by the fact that those who signed the Declaration of Independence could be referred to as "those young punks". The average age was around 40, some of them still teens and twenty-something's. Puts into perspective some of the rash decisions of youth - all of mine pale in comparison to building a sovereign nation.