Twitter Town Hall, Independen​ce Day, and More

President Barack Obama tweets a question during the Twitter Town Hall in the East Room of the White House, July 6, 2011. Twitter co-founder and Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey, who served as the town hall moderator, is pictured at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Welcome to the Council on Women and Girls Weekly Highlights! In celebration of Independence Day, the First Family joined more than 1,200 military heroes and their families for a barbeque, a special USO show featuring Train and Amos Lee, and a viewing of the fireworks over the National Mall.

This week, President Obama answered a series of questions on jobs and the economy at the first-ever Twitter Town Hall at the White House. The President stated that progress has been made, and though we still need to work through some real differences, that even greater progress is within reach.

If you have friends or family who would like to join our Council on Women and Girls efforts, please have them click here.

Celebrating America's 235th Birthday by Welcoming More Than 24,000 New Citizens

This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated America’s 235th birthday by welcoming more than 24,000 new citizens  in nearly 350 naturalization ceremonies around the globe.

Watch a special video from USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas commemorating this important week for America and its newest citizens:

At a ceremony in Cincinnati last week, Director Mayorkas spoke about the spirit of independence: “This spirit, along with our founding ideals of freedom and democracy, has allowed us to achieve great success as a nation of immigrants. Immigrants come to America in search of opportunity, and by taking the Oath of Allegiance, they embrace the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship.”

Aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, 200 members of the U.S. armed forces took the Oath of Allegiance in front of a crowd of 2,000 people in a ceremony honoring Gulf War veterans.

Keeping with USCIS’s commitment to bring immigration services to the troops wherever they serve, members of the U.S. armed forces took the Oath of Allegiance to become citizens at military-only ceremonies in Baghdad, Kabul, and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

USCIS also held special ceremonies at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted; the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta; the National World War II Museum in New Orleans; the USS Constitution in Charlestown, Mass.; George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Mount Vernon, Va.; and SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla.

Our newest Americans hail from all corners of the globe; some came to the United States to join family members, others sought professional or educational opportunities, and some in search of refuge from conflicts or hardships in their homelands. Each chose to make the United States their adopted home, and together, this week they all took the meaningful step of becoming U.S. citizens.

Video: Fourth of July Celebration at the White House

By Tom Miller

A young girl salutes President Barack Obama as he shakes hands along a ropeline with members of the military and their families at the White House, July 4, 2011.

Watch a video from the Independence Day celebration at the White House. The President and First Lady joined more than 1,200 military heroes and their families for a barbeque, a special USO show featuring Train and Amos Lee, and a viewing of the fireworks over the National Mall.

LP Monday Message: Independen​ce Day

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you're having a nice holiday, and I hope you'll have a moment today to stop and remember the significance of Independence Day.

Living in Washington, DC gives me the opportunity to see some of our nation's historical landmarks quite often. This weekend I visited the Arlington National Cemetery which includes the Tomb of the Unknowns. This evening I'm planning to watch the fireworks display at the Washington Monument.

Independence Day is a time to celebrate the tremendous accomplishment of the American Revolution. Many people throughout the nation will celebrate today while watching fireworks, and many Libertarians will be handing out copies of the Declaration of Independence as a public service to help commemorate the holiday.

Libertarian candidate and activist Travis Irvine visited recently and made this light humorous video while handing out copies of the Declaration of Independence at the Washington Monument.

Also, I want to thank the more than 130 people who have contributed so far to our $17.76 challenge.

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict

Executive Director

Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

Come join in the Spirit of '76

Dear Friend of Liberty:

Two hundred and thirty-five years ago, freedom-loving Americans banded together to declare their independence from the King of Great Britain, and to proclaim to the entire world that men were not meant to be slaves to their government.

Today, the Libertarian Party champions those same ideals.

In celebration of Independence Day, and the unalienable rights our Founding Fathers put their lives at risk for, we are asking for a symbolic donation of $17.76 to help continue our new American Revolution.

Simply visit LP.org to rush us your special gift of $17.76.

Government is once again at a level incompatible with the freedom our Founding Fathers believed we should have. In some ways, we are even less free today than colonial Americans were under King George III. Just think about that.

Your symbolic donation of $17.76 will help to turn back this tide of tyrannical government, and help to bring in a new era of liberty and prosperity for all Americans.

How will your $17.76 help the fight for liberty?

It will help fund our fight to change ballot access laws throughout the country to give voters more choice.

It will help fund volunteer and outreach activities to bring more patriots like you into the Libertarian Party.

It will help us create videos to spread the message of our principles to a new generation of potential Libertarians.

Most of all, it will help the Libertarian Party be more effective in fighting assaults on freedom from all levels of government!

Will you donate today?

If we raise $1,776 in online donations before midnight on the Fourth of July, one of our stalwart Libertarian supporters will immediately donate another $1,776 to our party!

That represents $17.76 from just 100 of you! Don't miss the chance to be one of those proud 100. Click here to donate today.

If you feel the spirit of the American Revolution welling up inside of you, and want to donate more than $17.76, feel free to do so.

Every dollar will be used to further the cause of liberty and freedom for all Americans.

Thank you for your donations, your dedication, your support and your commitment to liberty in America.

Sincerely,

Mark Hinkle

Chair, Libertarian National Committee

LP Monday Message: Order Declaratio​ns today

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Please order high-quality glossy color copies of the Declaration of Independence for just 5 cents each today. (Minimum $10 donation required.)

We need your order ASAP so we can get them to you by Saturday at the latest. Independence Day is next Monday!

These Declarations are perfect to hand out at neighborhood picnics, parades, and especially at Fourth of July fireworks celebrations where people are sitting around for an hour waiting for it to get dark.

Our Declarations are real easy to hand out. One person can hand out 500 in big crowds in about two hours. As I'm offering one, I just say, "Hi, would you like a free copy of the Declaration of Independence?"

You'll be amazed how many people actually thank you for doing this. People will run after you and ask for extra copies.

The back of the flyer says, "This copy of the Declaration of Independence has been provided as a public service by the Libertarian Party." Then it has our website (LP.org) and our phone number.

Recently we mailed a letter with a sample of the Declaration flyer to most of our current dues-paying members. It's getting a little late to send that order form by mail, so please order online or call us at 202-333-0008 to order by phone right now. Allow 3 days for delivery.

We've posted a downloadable version of the Declaration of Independence you can print on your own. However, you can save time and money, and have much higher quality, and far more durable copies, if you order them from us. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that the high-quality glossy copies we'll mail to you are ten times more durable than home-printed versions, which is especially important for handing out on a hot humid day!

Again, you can get up to 20 copies per dollar you donate, but you don't have to ask for that many. I hope many of you will order less (or donate extra), so we can use the extra money to help cover the cost of packing and shipping all these Declarations of Independence around the country. So, if you donate $50, you can get up to 1,000 Declarations of Independence -- but you may actually want fewer, such as only 200 copies (or even just 10).

To order, please type "Declarations" and specify the quantity you want in the Comment box at the bottom of our membership or contribution page. If you don't clearly specify a quantity, I'll only ship one Declaration per dollar. If you don't type "Declarations" or clearly indicate that you want the flyers, then I won't ship any.

Also put your shipping address in the Comment box if it's different from the address you entered above.

Example 1:

Comment (optional):

Declarations 100

Example 2:

Comment (optional):

Declarations 500

ship to:

100 Main St

Los Angeles, CA 90101

Thanks for helping to advertise the Libertarian Party by donating and getting up to 20 Declarations per dollar. (Minimum $10 donation required.)

The Fourth of July is just a few days away! Donate and order your Declarations today!

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict

Executive Director

Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

Is the Liberty Bell rung on the Fourth of July?

The Liberty Bell rang when the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, and has become a symbol of freedom in the United States. Cast in London, England, in 1752, for the Pennsylvania State House, the Bell cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753, using metal from the English bell. Their names appear on the front of the bell, along with the city, date, and an inscription.

By 1846, a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell. In order to repair the bell, craftsmen carved a slot along the length of the crack that prevented the two sides of the bell from vibrating against each other, and inserted two rivets in the slot to control the vibration of the two sides and restore the bell's tonal quality. After the repair, the bell rang for a George Washington birthday celebration, but it cracked again and has not rung since.

Today, the Liberty Bell hangs in Philadelphia at the Liberty Bell Center on Market Street, and someone symbolically taps it each July 4.

For information on planning a visit to the Liberty Bell Center, please visit the National Park Service's (NPS) website.

Please note: Tickets are required for tours of Independence Hall from March 1 to December 31 (except for July 4 and Thanksgiving). Walk-up tickets are available for free on the morning of your visit at the Independence Visitor Center. One person may request up to 10 tickets for a family or small group. Up to 80 tickets may be given to one teacher or guide for organized tours or school groups. Everyone in the group needs a ticket, even infants.