Here’s one to anger every red-blooded, blue-state, flag-waving American: America’s premise is all wrong. She proudly boasts life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but why the pursuit? Why not simply happiness? You get the right to life and liberty but you only get to chase happiness.

One could argue that liberty and life are rights and happiness is a state of mind. But who says? In a lot of countries liberty is not a right. Neither is life. Nor does everyone have a right to life and liberty in this country. In Texas, your right to life is forfeited with the regularity of a stripper dropping her knickers (a metaphorical image which makes at least the author happy). No wonder the inhabitants of Nigeria, Mexico, Venezuela and many others believe themselves to be happier than residents of the United States. They consider themselves happy while Americans are in hot pursuit of it.

The phrase, borrowed from Dr. Johnson, implies the pursuit is perpetual and that means never reaching it. We should realize that sometimes the journey is the destination.