happy july 4th - independance day for america
 

God Bless America.

thanx, michael coren. it's good to know there are some out there who appreciate the good pieces of our country, despite the many faults highlighted ad nauseum. we try. it's the best we can do.

and today, we celebrate our call to freedom - and the birth of a nation we call home as a result.

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Sat, July 31, 2004

God bless America

Enough U.S. bashing, says Michael Coren -- for all of its faults, our great southern neighbour still deserves our heartfelt gratitude and support

By MICHAEL COREN -- For the Toronto Sun


Shortly after the mass murder of September 11, 2001, I wrote a column about the United States. I said then that I'd never been a particular fan of many of the foreign and domestic policies of the U.S., and I have no reason to change my mind now.

But I have now written an updated version of that column because, frankly, I am sick of the smugness, the hypocrisy and the sheer hatred evinced by so many people towards the United States.

I've had enough of certain risible Canadians inflating themselves by claiming superiority over their southern neighbours.


I'm tired of the America-bashing from mediocrities the world over, and the blaming of every conceivable problem on Washington.

The last straw was, in itself, not particularly significant. It was when cyclist Lance Armstrong was spat at during the Tour de France. Spat at because he is an American.

Politics didn't matter

We do not know his politics, but his girlfriend, Sheryl Crow, is an opponent of George Bush. That didn't matter. The man was American and thus worthy of disdain.

So, almost three years later, I say it again: God bless America.

For leaving half a million men on the battlefields of Africa, Asia and Europe during the Second World War, a conflict the United States could easily have sat out. For effectively forcing Japan to declare war and thus joining the alliance of light against the gang of darkness. God bless America.

For that farm boy from Nebraska who had never even heard of Normandy or Sicily, who wanted so much to walk back from the hill but continued on, the bullets flying over and around him. For his not turning back. For his determination to do his duty and for his dedication to freedom. God bless America.

For being prepared to rip the country apart in a bloody spasm of civil war because, however delayed and reluctant in some quarters, the leaders and people knew that slavery was wrong. For seeing the future dawn when others could only see the enveloping night. God Bless America.

For Lincoln and Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Truman, Kennedy and Franklin, Jefferson and Adams. For Mark Twain and John Steinbeck, Henry James and Scott Fitzgerald, Melville and Whitman. God bless America.

For the legion of Nobel Prizes won with grace, for the medical breakthroughs celebrated with decorum, for the sporting records, the intellectual triumphs, the moral victories, the glory. For embracing "yes" rather than hiding behind "no." God bless America.

For the vibrant pastures and forests, for the mountains and valleys that startle, for the cities and the towns, the highways and back roads. God bless America.

For jazz and pluralism, baseball and religious tolerance, burgers and equality. For inventing and pursuing an ideal that, though not always achieved, is still glorious in the making and pristine in the chasing. God bless America.

For the billions in foreign aid, greater per capita than any other country in the world. For the food, clean water, medicine, machinery given to every continent on Earth. For the Marshall Plan and Marshall Dillon, for Tom Sawyer and Tom Hanks, for New York and for the New Deal. God bless America.

Melting pot

For inviting Irish, Jew, Italian, Pole, German, Hispanic, black, Asian, man and woman, all and every into the highest levels of government. For being the first nation in the world to treat the outsider as a guest rather than a problem. For being a melting pot rather than a melting society. God bless America.

For allowing God and prayer and faith to enter public life and for not running scared of gratitude to the Almighty for all that He has given us. For not lauding the religion of secularism whilst lambasting the religions of the church and synagogue. God bless America.

For being right more often than being wrong. For being the nation that still leads the way in so many ways, still lights the path on so many days. For being you. For being. God bless America.

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http://www.geocities.com/edible_eye/flag.jpg

Happy 4th, and God Bless you too, E_E, you are a great American (as Hannity would say). ^_^

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/3221/firework0fr.gifhttp://img114.imageshack.us/img114/4...irework1lu.gifhttp://museumoftolerance.info/GIFs/HulkFireworks.gif

Oh happy day to all of you!

Now go get drunk and blow shit up. That's what you Americans like to do, isn't it? :wink:

Jah bless.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY !!!! I'm not american, but I know what an independence day is :D

eheheh Portugal just celebrated last month its 862nd independance day, but cheers to the youngins :D


maybe if we get invaded and lose our sovereignty, you'll might catch up in a few centuries... :P

Now go blow shit up (is it true that they're outlawing some of your firecrackers in some states? No wonder kids join the army)

:wink:

Yeah, they try, but we can get 'em anyway......


And thanks, old-timer!

:wink:


Happy 4th everyone and be safe!



Why don't we have a flag-waving smiley?

I have four mortar tubes, 24 mortars, four packs of roman candles, and a shitload of saturn batteries. All illegal here.

It's okay...as long as we don't revert back to taxation without representation! ^_^

Hahaha! Yeah, I don't want any tax(cks?) in my tea either!

:P


Sounds like you're gonna have a BIGBANG, Al!


8)

I personally look at July 4th the way every other nation looks at it: As just another day. Fuck patriotism.

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/163/funny28vi.jpg

To this day, a lot of people confuse nationalism with patriotism, Al, so never mind the bollocks. :D


And be sure to be proud of your country if you've done anything to make it better, otherwise, you're being proud of being randomly born in the USA. :shock:

Er....proud to be albanian, anyone? :D

I have big problems with the current administration, but that's because I care about this country.

Happy Birthday to the Ol USA, my home sweet home!

Happy somewhat belated birthday to the land I love. No matter who her current leader is, or what he's doing to her, America is still a much better place to live than quite a few places. And the government could always be much, much worse.

I had two mishaps.

One involved a motar...the ammo is supposed to be placed on the top of the tube's hole, lit, and when the incredibly fast burning fuse burns it reduces the width of it and it drops inside where it launches a half-second later. I noticed when I lit one it wasn't dropping and at an angle (meaning it was going to head straight for the crowd that was watching, mostly children) so at the last second instead of backing away I took the lighter which was a long one and pushed it in the tube, but just at that moment it went off, about a foot from my face.

THEN I lit a fountian that is illegal here because it shoots flaming balls in the air. Halfway into it, for no reason, it started to shoot sideways, again into the crowd. Most of them ran out of the way except for my sister's best friend and her son, so I leapt over there and grabbed them in a bear hug so that my back was to it, which was good because a couple DID hit me in the back. When it was said and done, I looked up and there was her husband behind her! He said he understood and didn't mind, the only problem is I've flirted with her in the past, and when I've gone out with them (minus the husband) her and I have danced pretty close. So people were busting my balls about that the rest of the night, but that was okay, as long as no one other than me got any to the face.

:P

We got a hero in our midst bois an' girls! ^

8)

I also wanted to say a special thanks to all the men and women (past and present) that have given their lives to make this country the land of opportunity it is today! Thank you to all of the soldiers out there fighting to keep this country safe. This 4th we celebrated our freedom because of you.

Gods keep you all.

ABSOLUTELY!!! :)

Amen.

And, seconds on that, Wolfy. Bless you for posting it.