Stormy Weather

Hey, it's Bastille Day.  Exactly 240 years ago, during the French Revolution, came the storming of the Bastille, a fortress and prison in Paris that represented royal power.  The moment was seen as a turning point, and helped lead to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Both left and right have attacked various aspects of the French Revolution and what came out of it--both for going too far and not going far enough. (And, unlike America, France has changed its republic a number of times since the Revolution.) But even if we don't always live up to the greatest ideals of 18th century thinkers, and don't always agree with their beliefs, they still helped create a path that was worth following.

America, of course, doesn't celebrate Bastille Day, but it's still a big deal in France.  And their colors are also red, white and blue (though not in that order), so if you want to wave the flag today, it would be fitting.