Life, Liberty, and Whoop-de-do! P.J. O'Rourke, Forbes ASAP, 12.03.01 In which our man in mirth declares a new kind of independence Much of the world is confused and infuriated by America. And I contend that happiness is the source of the confusion and fury. Other countries are established upon pride, power, nationality, blood, and religion. Not America. Pursuit of happiness is what we're all about. It's front and center in our charter, an inalienable right; the Declaration of Independence says so. No talk of happiness appears in England's Magna Carta. The French Revolution's Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen fails to address the subject. Article 24 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights does state, "Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including... periodic holidays with pay." But this is not the same as the pursuit of happiness--as anyone who has wasted a vacation dragging whiny children on a tour of United Nations headquarters knows. http://www.forbes.com/asap/2001/1203/018.html