[freeholdnj]

caution; flag-waving, nationalistic, patriotysmatic, sleep-walking content. enter at your own risk...

Have a great weekend y'all.

[53 Esquire]

Great article!! Too bad so many people will be sleep walking to their protests to aprreciate how great it is to live in the US.

[NorthSideJimmy]

Great article!! Too bad so many people will be sleep walking to their protests to aprreciate how great it is to live in the US.

Happy 4th of July to you all.
It can be just as great to live in other places too though .
Have a wonderful celebration you lot!
Peace.
Jimmy

[partner sonny]

Great article!! Too bad so many people will be sleep walking to their protests to aprreciate how great it is to live in the US.

LOL! I especially love the one where he went back to ancient rome and greece for proof that the laborer and merchant were one despised!

Hopefully no american military men or women will be shot to death tomorrow - it's the least the iraqis could do for us...

sleep walking to a protest? funny. not quite as fun as walking like sheep, huh? Wave it wide and high!

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[partner sonny]

btw, was this today or yesterday??? RIP

Killed in Iraq
The Department of Defense has confirmed the death of the following American in Iraq:


COFFIN, Christopher D., 51, sergeant, Army; Bethlehem, Pa.; 352nd Civil Affairs Battalion.

[Power13]

FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!!

The reponse to this one should be fun!! Our own little fireworks show!!

happy 4th all. Remember what it is about.

[Prowsey]

Have fun over there everyone.
Go on,get a bit pissed,upset the family.

[deadmanstown]

Git in a fight with yer brother and wind up on Cops with no shirt on.

[JoeZap]

If I learned anything from my history books, what we are celebrating on July 4th is our country's independence, which we won in a war. It took a long time to win it. Not everyone who lived here supported it. Many people died. It would have been interesting to read this board (had it existed) in 1776.

[BillCheatham]

One of the biggest misconceptions around is that protesting some of America's policies or aspects of our culture means that you hate America. Sometimes the opposite is true. We were raised in an America of idealism, and when our beloved homeland falls short of those ideals, some of us speak out in an attempt to change it. That is a sign of love. Some people seem to think that shutting up is what you are supposed to do if you love America. This seems more like a symptom of fear. People are afraid of airing out dirty laundry so they'd rather sweep it under the rug. Those of us who know about health know that is not a long-term solution.

[bbb]

Wow, this is unbelievable. I had actually started to write a post yesterday that was going to be titled unapologetically "Happy Birthday to the Greatest Country in the World." I was going to acknowledge that a lot of people hate to hear that, but that I believed it to true. I was pre-empted by this great article because it brought up each point I was going to make (and made several others) except these:

1.) Actually this one he did point out quite well in the fact that the U.S. basically saved the world both from Nazism and Stalinism. If not the first, then certainly the second. If there was going to be only one superpower at the end of the 20th century, it really was going to come down to one of these three. I think the whole world is lucky that it was the U.S. that prevailed.
NorthSideJimmy rightly says in wishing us a Happy Fourth that "It can be just as great to live in other places too though." I could not agree more. But, I was just going to point out that if not for the security that the U.S. has provided, most of these other countries would not be so free, and, therefore not such great places to live.

2.) I would have added America's ingenuity, innovation and invention to this author's list. I am hard pressed to think of any major inventions that have seriously positively impacted all the people of the world in the last 130 or so years that was not invented in the U.S. - the countless inventions of Edison, the telephone of Bell, the plane of the Wright Bros., the innovations of Henry Ford, this right here Internet by Al Gore!

3.) Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band!

[bbb]

And, thanks to all of you who have wished us a Happy Independence Day!

[BillCheatham]

America has its vitures, no question. Sometimes protesters are given the mistaken impression that all we do is criticize and do not see the good in America. There is good here.

However, there is also bad, and we shouldn't turn a blind eye to it. Maybe we're the best compared to Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany, but we're not that far behind them in some areas. And besides, how great are we if we have to go all the way down the list to the USSR and Nazi Germany in order to find a country we can look good beside?

We have a pretty horrible track record when it comes to human rights abuses. Problem is that most Americans don't know or don't care, or justify it all somehow. Hundreds of thousands killed or tortured in Latin America, same is true for Iraq and numerous other countries. The list goes on and on.

We may have a good standard of life in America. But at what cost?

[nicevillescott]

I understand we have a bad track record in some instances, but I think our overall good far, far outweighs the times we slip up. Fourth of July should be a day when we forget about the bad, for one day, and just be proud to live in the finest, most privileged country on earth. Most people should be so lucky.

[BillCheatham]

It just bothers me if our happiness and good luck for living in America comes at a big price. One of the reasons our country is so wealthy is because there are people all over the world we exploit to make our products so cheaply. There are plenty of people around the world fighting for independence that our government puts down because we have the current dictator wrapped around our finger. How could the USA put down anyone fighting for freedom? I don't know, but we do. I'm not talking about an occassional screw up, I'm talking about a long track record of oppression and a lot of killing.

Is that something we can live with? As long as we're happy, then its ok?

[nicevillescott]

Absolutely it's not ok to condone what our government does. I love the whole subject of government, and I realize our's lacks a lot, but the fact is, it's still the best system ever invented, flaws and all. I think we can take one day a year and celebrate the good. As long as we stay vigilant the other 364.

[nicevillescott]

Uh oh, now I'm a full-fleged member.

[BillCheatham]

Ours is the best system so far for such a large empire, just as long as you live within our borders. If you live elsewhere in the world, its a crap shoot whether you're screwed or not. Like Howard Zinn wrote, we preach democracy, but only practice it inside our borders. The way we treat other countries has nothing to do with democracy, free speece or fairness.

I'll wave the flag, too. I'm not letting the republicans take that away from me. But I mean, would you praise Nazi Germany on their national holidays because even though they do "some bad things" they also did good for Germany? An evil empire is an evil empire.

[Cozmic Kid]

Excellent posts BillyCheatham.

Many Americans love to say they won the second world war and saved the world from Nazism.
The same people who forget that without the help of those ----> you wuldn't even be able to celebrate the day today

Happy 4th of July to all

Brian

[Bossfan]

Happy 4th of July to all!

[Magnus]

First of all, happy 4th of July all!

I don't have the energy or desire to tear this jingoistic narrow minded article to pieces right now, and I don't think today is the right day for me to remind myself of everything I hate about the US. There is so much I love about the country I'd rather think about instead.

But I think today is also not the day for Americans to be self righteously jingoistic. The whole notion that "our country is the best" is one that is not typical of other places I have lived and I am altogether quite uncomfortable with it. You know, patriotism doesn't have to be about waving flags and telling yourself what a great, generous unapprecaited country you live in. How about thinking, just for a minute what about what you can do to make the country a better place, and perhaps more appreciated around the world. Right now, America has many critics, despite only recently having suffered the worst terrorist atrocity in history. No matter who you feel about your country's recent foreign policy, surely that must worry you?

Of course, think about what makes you proud to be American too. Living in Europe, I'm constantly, telling people here about the great things about the US they forget, or may not be aware of. Having American citizenship, and having lived there for a while, I guess I feel little bit American too.
So following that, I guess I should be proud of the things I like most about the US. As far as I'm concerend, they are first and foremost the general positive spirit, friendliness, generosity and hospitality in people I meet. People to whom aspiring for a better future comes easier than accepting what is second best. Oh yes, and Bruce Springsteen and the E street band!

[superstein61]

Great article!! Too bad so many people will be sleep walking to their protests to aprreciate how great it is to live in the US.

Here, Here !!!!!

Have a great 4th all.

And 53E - for you, I will tell you what an old usher at the baseball stadium always used to tell my aunt and uncle when we were their on the 4th for a game. Enjoy a nice 5th on the 4th !!! Cheers

[PrettyRedRose]

What a great country! I'm thankful every damn day of my life that I live here.


Happy Birthday to us, er, US!!!

[53 Esquire]

Maybe we're the best compared to Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany, but we're not that far behind them in some areas. And besides, how great are we if we have to go all the way down the list to the USSR and Nazi Germany in order to find a country we can look good beside?

What complete baloney. Not that far behind? How? What makes so many of us disdainful of "protestors" is they never even acknolwedge their right to protest is protected. Rather they act as if John Ashcroft is about to break down their door and arrest them for dissent. Please show me one person that has been arrested and imprisoned or otherwise punished for their dissent in this country. It simply doesn't happen.

Good gosh this country is not perfect. I would not be involved in the poltiical debate if it was becuase their would be no need. And reember the founding fathers were a bunch of anti-governement gun nuts, who did not want to be taxes.

Off to a Main Street USA parade.

[partner sonny]

if you beleive that no taxation without represenatation was the crux of our push for independence than you know zilch anout American independence - sometimes it requires more than a google search to learn something....