Why do we celebrate Independence Day?

[candycorn]

America’s future is so bright, we should make the wearing sunglasses mandatory.

 

[Votto]

These folks don't know.

But I'm sure they're full of self esteem 'n stuff.

Sad.

What better way to waste taxpayer money, fireworks!

 

[Ravi]

I find people that don't know history less ridiculous than the sky is falling crowd.

 

[candycorn]

I find people that don't know history less ridiculous than the sky is falling crowd.

As I stated, I’ve been watching these “outrageous” man-on-the-street interviews for about 30 years. Every one is just a harbinger of doom and we’re promised it is just around the corner. I’m less concerned that people have given up on trivia than I am that people have become more complacent on what they ‘think” they know.

I’m guilty of it too. I honestly thought that Governor Palin said that she could see Russia from her house. It makes me wonder what else I “know” that is incorrect.

 

[yiostheoy]

I rode my mountain bike to one of the local fireworks shows yesterday evening with my portable folding lawn chair strapped across my back.

I got there about an hour early and found a great spot and proceeded to down the first of 3 cans of beers that I brought.

It was a great show with about 15 mins of intense Chinese-made fireworks blasting star clusters in red, white, blue, green, and fuchsia pink directly overhead.

Traffic was really jammed on the way home which allowed me to beat all the traffic back on my bike.

It was a good day -- 240 years -- happy birthday America !!

Athens' democracy did not last quite this long. They were the first to try this experiment.

We are more like a Roman republic with senators and congresspeople elected democratically rather than inheriting the jobs like the Romans.

So far I think things have gone pretty good for these past 240 years.

First thing after the miraculous tax revolt against the English King George the 3rd with France's navy's help, we then tried to conquer Canada but got beat back by the British in the War Of 1812 for that. Even so the British did not want us back they just burned The White House so that's what it was painted white afterwards.

Then we took Texas and the Southwest from Mexico. That worked a lot better than Canada had. We also took California too from them. Back then ours would have been considered a rogue terrorist nation with all the land grabbing.

Next we had a huge civil war over slavery and states' rights.

Then we exterminated most of the Native American "Indians". Talk about genocide! But it went well.

Then we got a bunch of Pacific Islands including the Philippines in a war with Spain.

Then we tipped the balance against the Kaiser and the Emperor Franz Joseph in Europe during WW1.

The next war was a doozy when FDR provoked Japan into war by moving the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Hawaii.

But thanks to Nimitz and MacArthur in the Pacific and Ike in Germany we helped the Russians and British win that one.

Fought to a draw in Korea.

Got our butts kicked in Viet nam. Then again in Somalia.

Destabilized Iraq and fought to a draw in Afghanistan.

Now ISIS is plaguing us and Syria and Iraq and Russia.

Sometimes we clean things up and other times we just make a mess.

Our luck has been about 50-50.

But unlike ancient Athens we have lasted 240 years so far.

Unlike the Romans we have not lasted 1000 years yet though.

Like the Romans and the Greeks before them we have taught our own language to the rest of the known world. They all speak English rather well now.

Things have been looking good so far.