The Daily Dose/July 2, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

USA 250: We blab about this every July 2, and this may well explain why we don’t get invited to (m)any parties: the United Colonies declared their independence from the tiresome British on July 2, 1776, and today is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Get Out Your History Books: The American Revolution was brewing for years. The 1st Continental Congress had met in 1774, and the 2nd Continental Congress had been sitting in Philadelphia since May 1775. The Revolution actually started in April 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, heralding the fact that white men – some of whom owned slaves – wanted to be free. 

Dry, Technical Matter – Original Source Material Edition: Congress’ journal from that day is rather matter-of-fact about the momentous event. After sorting through “sundry letters”, they: 

…resumed the consideration of the resolution agreed to by and reported from the committee of the whole; and the same being read, was agreed to as follows:

Resolved, 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 connexion between them, and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

More Dry, Technical Matter: The resolution agreed to was the Lee Resolution, named for Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, who had introduced it on June 7. 

Running The Numbers: Though the journal doesn’t record the vote, it was later divulged that the vote for independence was 12-0, with the New York delegation abstaining due to a lack of guidance from the home office. 

All Men Are Created Equal: Later in the day, Congress would consider the Declaration of Independence it had received on June 28th from noted slave owner Thomas Jefferson, but put off voting on it for a couple of days.  

USA! USA! The significance of the day was not lost on the delegates, with no less a Founding Father than John Adams certain July 2 would be remembered forever, writing in a letter to another great American, his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. 

The Bottom Line: It didn’t work out that way, of course, and, frankly, July 2 never got any footing as our national holiday, mostly because July 4 was plastered on the Declaration. So be it. There are those among us, however, who will always hoist a mug on July 2. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow catches up from the past few days.

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

 In 1776 – The United States of America is formed when the 2nd Continental Congress of 13 North American colonies declares their independence from Great Britain. The first colony was founded was Virginia in 1607, and the seeds of the Revolution were planted in 1763, when British debt following the French and Indian War led to new taxes on the colonies. The American Revolution effectively ended in 1781 and officially ended in 1783. 

In 1941 – Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees establishes a new major league record for most consecutive games with a base hit in an 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. DiMaggio’s 5th-inning home run gave him a hit in 45 consecutive games, breaking the record of 44 consecutive games established by Willie Keeler of the National League’s Baltimore Orioles in 1897. DiMaggio would hit in 56 consecutive games and the record still stands. 

In 1976 – Wings is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the fifth and final non-consecutive weeks with Silly Love Songs. The song also went to #1 in Ireland and Canada, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s #1 song of the year. It was the seventh of twelve Top 10 hits for the group, and their fourth of six #1s. The song was McCartney’s 27th #1 as a songwriter, establishing a Hot 100 record he still holds with 32. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Lost in the cacophony of Oprah and O.J. are those classical values that once made a Saturday afternoon track meet so appealing. Of running for the love of competition, of throwing a javelin for applause and an olive wreath. Of sweating for hours on a lonesome track at dusk for the chance of maybe one day hearing the anthem. Of honor and glory and the spirit of victory, not the spoils.
Mark Zeigler
The San Diego Union-Tribune
6.20.95

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Billboard’s #1 song of 1969 was Sugar, Sugar by the Archies, which spent for weeks at #1. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What happened to the National League’s Baltimore Orioles? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 28, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things. 

1. Reflecting Pool– Hardly America’s most pressing problem right now, but it is a nice microcosm of the Trump Administration…A witless plan goes awry, followed by lies, and the blaming of others, to include seven arrests of evil arch-criminals accused of vandalism…We deserve better than this ignorance and nonsense, but we didn’t elect better…We elected a man of zero moral or intellectual substance and we are being governed accordingly.

2. World Cup– Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters were “pretty sure” that a 48-team tournament would result in some boring games – even for soccer – but of the 16 lowest-ranked teams, five (5) have advanced to bracket play, a figure Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters “strongly suspect” is pretty good, meaning they will have to find something new to whine about during bracket play.

3. Gaylon For Congress…Vote Early, Vote Often – The 3-hole staple…New stickmen video the hottest think in politics, getting more Facebook action than other crap Gaylon’s posted over previous campaigns…Comments still the exclusive province of angry MAGA folks, with sensible sorts keeping it low key, preferring to give a thumbs-up like…Campaign staff reaching out to other candidates to check status of concession speeches.

Editor’s Note: Gaylon is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for the US House from Colorado’s 2nd District. Click here to contribute to the campaign. 

4. Texas – Noted state to start requiring Bible readings in its public schools, as religious adherents/zealots continue to force their beliefs on others despite fact not everybody in Texas public schools are Christian…Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters “pretty sure” this is wrong, as forcing students to read any religious text is not the purpose of public education.

5. Donald Trump Fact Check – Click here for lies concerning the Reflecting Pool imbroglio. Courtesy of CNN. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow deals with a malcontent. Today’s Diary.

…he’s the sort who’s accustomed to overpowering his way to what he wants, triumphantly notes we don’t know “dick” about hospitality, and insists we let him take the charger back to his room.

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Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

 In 1902 – Congress passes the Spooner Act, authorizing the US to purchase from Colombia the assets of the French syndicate that tried to build a canal in what is now Panama. Colombia rejected the ensuing treaty in August 1903, Panama declared its independence in November 1903, with the US and Panama concluding a treaty – the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty – two weeks later. Construction began the following year, and the Panama Canal opened in 1914. Panama took control of the canal in 1999. 

In 1987 – Don Baylor of the Boston Red Sox establishes a new modern major league record for most times hit by a pitch in a 6-2 win over the New York Yankees. Baylor’s HBP in the sixth inning by Rick Rhoden was the 244th of his career, breaking the record of 243 established by Ron Hunt from 1963-74. The record is now held by Craig Biggio with 285 and the all-time major league record is 287 by Hughie Jennings, whose career began in the 19th-century. 

In 1969 – Henry Mancini is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet. It was the eleventh of 15 chart singles for Mancini, his sixth of seven Top 40 songs, and remains his only Top 10 hit. The song also peaked at #10 in Australia, spent eight weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening Chart – now the Adult Contemporary chart – and was Billboard’s 15th-biggest song of the year. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Men are a thousand times more intent on becoming rich than on acquiring culture, though it is quite certain that what a man is contributes more to his happiness than what he has.
Arthur Schopenhauer

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

The Hay/Bunau–Varilla Treaty was signed by US Secretary of State John Hay and by Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, a Frenchman instrumental in Panama’s succession from Colombia. No Panamanian was involved.

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What was Billboard’s #1 song of 1969? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/June 27, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.

Leading Off

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow helps a guest whose original hotel didn’t have a desk clerk on duty. Today’s Diary.

When he said the name of the hotel, we made a face as if he said he had made a reservation at a litter box, and we welcomed expansively and made to feel like a Guest of the Year candidate…

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Would you like 4Ever & Ever access to Gaylon’s crap?
Of course you would.
Click here. It’s only $24.99.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the Earth is completed when mariner Joshua Slocum arrives at Newport, Rhode Island. Slocum had departed Briar Island, Nova Scotia in July 1895 and had initially sailed to Gibraltar, before turning around and heading toward South America in order to avoid Mediterranean pirates. Slocum rarely touched the helm and navigated mainly using dead reckoning and noon sun sightings.  

In 1977 – Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants becomes the first major leaguer to hit two home runs in an inning twice in a career in a 14-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. McCovey hit two home runs and had five RBIs in a 10-run sixth inning, matching the feat he had done in 1973. The mark has since been accomplished by Andre Dawson, Jeff King, Alex Rodriguez, and Edwin Encarnacion 

In 1981 – Rick James is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart for the third of five consecutive weeks with Give It To Me Baby. It was the ninth of 23 Top 40 soul hits for James, his fourth of 13 Top 10 soul songs, and his second of four #1s. The song also peaked at #47 in Great Britain, went to #1 on Billboard’s dance chart, and peaked at #40 on the Hot 100. James was born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr in Buffalo in 1948 and died in Los Angeles in 2004. In the 1960s, he served a year in prison for desertion from the US Navy.  

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Success demands singleness of purpose…Once you have agreed on the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to forget that price.
Vince Lombardi

Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.

Linda Ronstadt’s biggest hit in Great Britain was Don’t Know Much with Aaron Neville, which peaked at #2 in 1989.

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Who signed the  Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty on behalf of the US and Panama? – Answer next time!

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