Happy July 4, Overthinkers! We’re enjoying a patriotism-filled day off, but in the meantime, why don’t you partake in a few OTI holiday traditions?

The first, of course, is a re-reading of Fenzel’s classic, The 10 Best Things About America I Learned from Independence Day. I return to this article (originally written in 2008, and revised and re-published a year later) annually, and each time I find something new to enjoy. For these politically fractious times, consider:

In Independence Day, the characters treat diversity the way I think and hope most Americans do — every once in a while, a little sideways look or a laugh, but overall, a discovery of one another that doesn’t seek too hard to change us, and a sublimation of the stereotypical to the iconic.

That is, the first thing we laugh at about a person becomes the first thing we remember, relate to and care about, and that remembering, relating and caring turns out to be more important than the eventual resolution of our disputes and differences.

The second tradition is to buy the newest episode of The Overview: Independence Day. (OK, it’s a new tradition.) We weren’t even planning to do this one, but our enthusiasm for ID4 knows no bounds, and when last weekend a few of us decided to whup E.T.’s ass, we knew we had a classic on our hands. (And there’s also a patriotism themed deal for those of you who haven’t bought any of the Overviews yet.)

And if you’re still looking for something to do between the fireworks and the BBQs and the liberal application of sunblock, here’s a little bit more reading to tide you over.

• The Musical Talmud, Think/Counter-Think Edition: “Party in the USA”
• America’s Sacrifice: How the USA Saved Popular Culture by Avoiding the Metric System
• The American Tragic Hero #1 — John Rambo
• The American Tragic Hero #2: Robocop