Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Marks America's 250th Birthday With Message Targeting Democrats

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) used the Fourth of July holiday to direct a pointed message at political opponents, posting "Back it up, Terry" alongside fireworks content aimed at what she called "LIBS." The message came as the United States marked the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Luna's Message and the "Terry" Reference

Luna's post drew on a recurring image shared among conservative commentators: a man named Terry lighting fireworks from a wheelchair, cited in reader correspondence as a symbol of unrestrained Fourth of July celebration. Kevin, a reader writing to the Screencaps column, specifically called for "more Terrys lighting off fireworks from their wheel chairs celebrating this great nation." Luna's social media post amplified that sentiment in a direct challenge to Democratic critics.

250 Years: What July 4, 1776 Actually Looked Like

Contemporary records cited in the Screencaps column place the temperature in Philadelphia at 76 degrees on July 4, 1776, the day the Continental Congress convened at 9 a.m. to adopt the Declaration. Benjamin Franklin was 70 years old. Delegates wore heavy wool coats and silk stockings in the summer heat, with horseflies noted as a significant irritant. Thomas Jefferson, according to his diary entries, spent that day purchasing a thermometer at a Philadelphia bookstore and buying gloves for Martha Jefferson.

Reader Voices on the Semisesquicentennial

Correspondence published in the Screencaps column reflected a wide geographic range of celebrations. Marty H. reported attending the opening night of the Days of the Old West Rodeo in Hailey, where American Legion members were invited to ride a horse-drawn wagon tribute to veterans in a parade. Adam in Sidney, Nebraska, shared images of a Stars and Stripes yard display at a house built in 1943. Chris W., writing from Los Angeles County, California, described the country as "the single greatest country in the history of the world" while acknowledging frustration with state and federal policy, and argued that the ability to contest those policies through legal means was itself evidence of the nation's durability.

The Screencaps Column's Central Argument

The Screencaps column, published in the early morning hours of the holiday, framed the 250th anniversary around continuity rather than rupture. Its author noted that Americans now have access to sweat-wicking athletic wear, satellite radio, and real-time global communication — technologies Jefferson and Franklin could not have imagined — while still observing that foreign-owned beer brands and Chinese-manufactured fireworks now define much of the celebration. The column's closing argument: the founding generation's work created conditions for lake weekends, backyard pools, and Fourth of July road races, and the obligation of the current generation is to preserve those conditions for the next 250 years.

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