Friday, July 4, 2014
Happy USA Independence Day
Wikipedia: "Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain (now officially known as the United Kingdom). Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States."
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37 comments:
We tend to think of the Declaration as a message to England, a "verbal act" that declared our intent to live by a new set of rights and obligations.
That's fine because that's what it was. But more than that, it was an oath of solidarity among a bunch of highly motivated traitors taking a big risk.
Somewhat more binding than a pinkie swear, I should think, and no blood to clean up afterwards, . . ., well, not at Independence Hall, anyway.
I guess one person's traitor is another person's patriot.
Happy 4th everyone.
Special thanks to those brave men and women who risked their lives to free this country from the English overlords.
Happy Birthday, America!
Proud to be an American.
Is pride acceptable these days? I seem to remember people saying that this kind of pride is not a good thing.
Come on. Admit it. Wouldn't you love to have a "mother country" to depend on?
Happy 4th!
Happy 4th to you all.
Wouldn't you love to have a "mother country" to depend on?
Not when Mom is an abusive, controlling, nag who is on a bender determined to spend every last dime in the household.
I'd wish all the Lemmings a Happy 4th, but the trolls don't celebrate it, so Happy to those who do.
AllenS said...
I guess one person's traitor is another person's patriot.
Not really, that's something William Ayers and his friends liked to propagate.
Nobody in England liked Benedict Arnold and most of the Loyalists eventually came back from Canada.
Rhythm and Balls said...
Come on. Admit it. Wouldn't you love to have a "mother country" to depend on?
The idea of our "mother country" is you're free to depend on yourself.
(Ritmo just doesn't get it, does he?)
Eric the Fruit Bat said...
We tend to think of the Declaration as a message to England, a "verbal act" that declared our intent to live by a new set of rights and obligations.
That's fine because that's what it was. But more than that, it was an oath of solidarity among a bunch of highly motivated traitors taking a big risk.
Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor.
Something to think about.
Especially this year.
(Ritmo just doesn't get it, does he?)
I seem to understand humor better than you do.
Be careful with those sparklers.
"I seem to remember people saying that this kind of pride is not a good thing."
I think part of it is that since the US is the premier country in the world, number one in most of the categories that other countries look to improve upon... when an American says "I am proud to be an American" they hear something other than what the proud American is saying.
While I cant speak for anybody other than myself, I believe most Americans don't say "I am a proud American" as a put down of other nations.
I think the world would look very different if that was the case.
Rhythm and Balls said...
(Ritmo just doesn't get it, does he?)
I seem to understand humor better than you do.
Really?
It sounded just like his usual drivel, so I figured he meant it.
Have a great 4th everyone.
I'm a little sad today because I was talking to some local 9 & 10 year old kids this week...a half dozen or so. Not one knew what the the 4th of July Celebrates. Not. A. Single. One.
What on earth do they teach in grade school today? Anything?
I live among many immigrants who mostly would be dead (refugees) if not welcomed here. Their kids speak better English than I do, but they know no history.
They all do well in school otherwise, and many will be doctors or other professionals as adults. Hopefully, by that time they will absorb some history about who WE are...and I include them.
As AllenS said...bless those who risked & gave their lives to set us free, and I must add bless those who died or were wounded to keep us free, some even going back for more after healing their wounds.
God bless us all, even those who don't acknowledge it.
We were talking last night about how much FUN and how FREE the 4th of July used to be when we were children and now how not fun, restricted, and full of danger danger danger it is.
In the weeks before we would be all excited to go and buy fireworks from the many temporary booths and vendors set up around the town. I doubt that they even had to have permits. Many were manned by various charity organizations and raised money.
It might be a family day at the lake or beach followed by a barbeque. More often we would have a whole neighborhood block party with a group pot luck and bbq either at someone's big back yard or a small local park or just close off the street and have tables in the middle of the road for a buffet. The kids got to run around and play unsupervised and the parents schmoozed and had some adult beverages.
Sunburned (no such thing as sunscreen existed) and tired we kids were still excited for the BIG EVENT... we would be anticipating the evening of the 4th when all the neighbors up and down the street would bring out the stash and start setting off the various fireworks. Starting with the small stuff like those little smokey worms, yes even the little kids were trusted enough to use sparklers with some parental supervision...... and finally ending with the big fountains of sparkles. Ooooooh Ahhhhhh.
More playing and more schmoozing until everyone went to bed. Next day break out the hoses and clean the smutz off of the driveways and sidewalks. No one got killed. Only the stupid got hurt.
It was fun. It was inexpensive. It was a great way to socialize for everyone in the family and it brought the neighborhoods closer together.
Not today. Almost everything I just described is illegal today. We are afraid of our shadows and all the fun has been regulated out of life.
Like the lyrics to a song I first heard at some president Reagan appearance.
"And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me."
The pride is more indicative of the value of personal freedom and thanksgiving to the people who made it possible then and now.
It's not competitive, unless it's called upon to be competitive as in an Olympic match or some such.
And even then, the historically low ratings of the Olympics in this country, despite the success, speaks of a country of people not eager to showcase it's prowess.
We don't do military parades like other countries.
DBQ said ...
Almost everything I just described is illegal today.
Not where I live. It has gone nuts...today some 12 year old can set off "quarter sticks" (huge M-80's) which can crack a drive way or blow a two foot wide hole in your grass. Other semi-adults set off full blown sky rockets without the mortar casings normally used, just propped up in the middle of the street....neat, unless it tips over and bounces off your house several doors down the street. I spent my morning cleaning up the crap that fell in my yard, bounced off my house, etc...WTF.
I remember the same days you do, but today is just not the same, there is no organization, just setting off explosions for the sake of it. I think it mirrors our national attitudes of no accountability.
But I am old.
Enjoy your freedom America
@ Ari I agree though, that the purpose of the celebration has been forgotten by many. History isn't even taught in the schools anymore or the children are taught twisted versions of history.
We forget why we have Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, St Patrick's Day or even why Cinco de Mayo exists. I'm certainly not against a nice party, some great food, some drinking and a little candy at Easter, but these holidays now exist in a vacuum.
Happy 4th, all.
DBQ 10:10 - indeed.
The new lego movie is what our children are being taught.
The song "everything is awesome" is neo-communist manifesto.
Everything is awesome Everything is cool when you're part of a team Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream
Everything is better when we stick together Side by side, you and I gonna win forever, let's party forever We're the same, I'm like you, you're like me, we're all working in harmony
Everything is awesome Everything is cool when you're part of a team Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream
(Wooo) 3, 2, 1. GO
Have you heard the news, everyone's talking Life is good 'cause everything's awesome Lost my job, it's a new opportunity More free time for my awesome community
Climbed my 4th 14er. I mounted a Democrat! (serious Bagoh bait right there)
Mt Democrat to be exact-- A mountain that used to be named Buckskin Peak.
"The mountain was originally called Buckskin Peak, after the rip-roaring Buckskin Joe mining camp just northwest of Fairplay. However, it was renamed Democrat by a group of rebellious southern miners during the Civil War, as a statement of political protest against Republican Abraham Lincoln. The name Democrat first appears on the map of the Land Office Survey of 1883."
Wanted to climb Mt Cameron and Mt. Lincoln nearby, but our legs felt like gummy worms and water was mostly gone. Will. Return. To. Conquer.
Fairplay is a funky old western town not typically on the tourist radar. I like that. An excellent surprise Italian Restaurant sits quietly in the middle of town awaiting hungry hikers with 4-6PM happy hour 2 for 1 drinks and mouth-watering food. Hooray!
I prefer CO mountain towns like this. The resort towns are OK because they offer restaurants and civilization, but they also draw heavy crowds, parking headaches and hot rotund sticky tourists.
Heading home beyond Hoosier Pass, the line of traffic snaking into Breckenridge was obscene, and I-70was a parking lot heading up the mountain. I'm certain it is still a parking lot this morning. Grateful for an easy drive home against the grain. Happy 4th. Stay cool.
(1) They were patriots in the sense that their treasonous conduct was consistent with former custom, well-established, by which the crown had pretty much left them alone to govern themselves. We think of the word "revolution" as meaning the establishment of something new but it used to mean something more like a-return-to-the-way-things-used-to-be, akin to the planet revolving on its axis.
The more legally-minded of the revolutionaries knew there was scant legal justification for the Declaration and that's where the natural law, inalienable right and God stuff did a yeoman's job.
(2) I was working out in the basement this morning and I had NPR on the radio. There was a story about the 4th of July and how it is all about outdoor cooking to adults but to kids it's all about ice cream.
The next two or three minutes of radio broadcast were of two women in a kitchen making mint chocolate chip ice cream in real time. That's when I snapped it off cursing profusely and loudly.
I know, I know. NPR. I got what I deserved.
So why did I bother to tell you all about my new miserable experience? Why did I put that NPR idiocy in your heads?
Misery loves company, I guess.
April Apple ...congratulations on another 14'r. Have you be up Mt Princeton, Harvard, Yale, or Massive yet? (all in the Sawatch Range...aka the Collegiate Range) Hot Springs resort at about 9,000 feet up Mt Princeton is a great place to base out of...if you like being treated like royalty.
My first 14'r was Mt Princeton long long ago and recent photos of the approaches (there are two, ridge line or drainage line)clearly shows the meadow at 11,500+ or so feet where I hobbled my horse, is still there and lovely. Yeah...I rode horses up as far as I could...what the heck, they have four legs, I have two...advantage horse!!! :-))
Hey Ari- Mt. Princeton was my first 14er too! Long ago....for me as well.
As you probably remember, you can drive half way up the mountain to the radio tower and park. (what we did) However, on a non-busy day, you can take a 4-wheel drive and continue up (or a horse - I guess) to the end of the road where the hiking trail begins at about 11,900.
What was amazing about the top of Democrat is that you can look out and see Massive, Elbert and the Colligate Peaks stretch out for miles to the west and south. I could even see the Maroon Bells in the far far distance.
The "Mount of the Holy Cross" range was smack dab to the north west. Torrey's and Grays to the north east. You could reach out and touch Quandary Peak. Amazing views in all directions. That's why I do it.
Ari- - 15 years ago? stopped into see Mt. Princeton hot springs. No appeal whatsoever. Perhaps I'm a titch of a snob, but I remember it just seemed gross.
Per a referral from friends, stayed at Cottonwood Hot Springs (on the other side of Mt Princeton.) That experience was hilarious. What a total dump! The cabin wreaked of cigarette smoke to the point sleep was out of the question. I couldn't breath. The hot springs were amazing, however. Each dumpy cabin had an amazing private hot springs rock cobble pool with perfectly clean crystal clear hot water. The water was so hot we had to take the coffee carafe and fetch ice cold water from the river to cool it down. almost slept in the water. Good times.
Hiked Mt Princeton on NO sleep the next day.
Ari- perhaps my memory has cob-webs on it, but I thought Mt. Princeton HotSprings was on the valley floor next to Mt. Princeton? Though now that you mention it, 9000 ft sounds about right, even so. You must have started out on horse-back at that point?
Treated like royalty? hmm -- perhaps I didn't give the place a fair shake?
To answer your question - NO on all except Princeton.
Princeton, Torrey, Grays, and now Democrat. That's my little list.
Democrat was by far the most difficult. Snow fields covered the switch backs on the steepest section and it was really more like a class 3. I only do class 1 and 2. Perhaps I'll try Wetterhorn for a class 3. No way I'll do any class 4.
"Come on. Admit it. Wouldn't you love to have a "mother country" to depend on?"
Over the last few years I've developed a pride in being part of the Britain, Australia, India, Canada, any African colonies, etc. gestalt.
Happy Birthday in Heaven to the greatest owner of a sports franchise in American History!
George Steinbrenner.
We love you and miss you Boss!
George was a very patriotic American.
God save America.
Please.
May we clear the decks and return to being the city on the hill, one of a thousand lights with free citizens.
A good day for watching Apollo 13.
We are going to a friend's annual 4th gathering for burgers and all kinds of good stuff at dinner.
Friends and family gather at a shelter on a piece of family land. There are tons of kids -- the families are families -- grandparents, greats, friends, grown up kids and their little ones....
And guitars, a banjo, a mandolin, and some pickers. Really. People really do gather and sing these days. (I love The South.)
We'll have fireworks (carried over The Border from SC). Sparklers for the kids. And honest to goodness, a canon.
First saw it fired 30+ years ago first time at another 4th.
We love America because she is us. Do not take that away.
2016 can not come soon enough.
OK. For fun.
Have your dog help you celebrate.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=706768772701863
:-) Have a Happy Fourth.
Just in case Trooper drops by again.
(Sorry. I suppose I might have used the Sophia Loren version, but I think this one's snappier).
"Almost everything I just described is illegal today."
When I first went to my wife's family's house in Oregon over the 4th I was floored, with joy. I had grown up with those same things you describe and they've all disappeared (in part) from SoCal life. Makes sense because fireworks cause fires and with our drought it just takes 1 idiot to ruin the lives of thousands.
But it Oregon, it was like the 1970s again. Fireworks booths. Sitting in the street. All the great memories rushed back. I bought a rather expensive box of fireworks (much nicer than what we got growing up) and was giddy lighting them off. Her family thought me a bit strange....
Truth be told, it's not all sad times and old memories here. I just got back from 1.5 hour small town 4th of July parade. Wonderful people there and watching, everyone happy, friendly. This in eastern LA county. Everyone will go to the local high school (if you want to pay) or park (if you don't) to watch the fireworks tonight.
With a 2 year old, we'll see how she does, but I'm hopeful. She loved the parade.
America is still doing fine here in the 909.
Happy 4th!
Three out of eight occupied houses on my block are flying flags today, including me, which is about average for this little Midwestern town.
Fireworks and fire crackers are still illegal in Iowa without a license. On Jun 27,1931, some kids were messing around with them in a Spencer drug store when one of the kids lit a sparkler. Nobody knows how it happened but he managed to ignite the 40' long table of fire works, etc that caused an explosion and fire that leveled almost 100 buildings in the downtown area that led to the prohibition.
The only deaths that occurred were the result of one of the many heat waves that were killing so many people in the thirties.
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy!
Happy 4th fellow patriots.
We celebrate, with pride, our country, while this is the worst day of the year for libtards!
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