July 4th Celebrations
Hope everyone has something fun planned for the weekend. I’m using my day off today to catch up on all the errands I should have been doing last month. Going to see if my jetski can actually be fixed this weekend. That bit of joy might lead to some new lake pictures with yours truly actually in the photos for a change. Of course, the jetski only needs a complete engine rebuild.
Here’s a bit of patriotism I lifted from the guys over at Spitcircle who copied it from an e-mail:
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An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.
An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.
An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.
An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person the pursuit of happiness.
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!
As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.
Americans welcome the best, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes. But they also welcome the least. The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed.
These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. The World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.
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Have a safe & happy weekend all!
July 4th is going to be doubly interesting for me – I’m quite curious how you foreign lot celebrate your most patriotic of days. I’ll be on the lookout for fireworks aplenty!
Saying that everyone who supports freedom is an American (wherever they are actually from) is like saying everyone who likes watching fireworks is Chinese or everyone who wears a watch is British. It doesn’t make any sense, and is kind of obnoxious. I support freedom and all that, but maybe I don’t want to be American. I’m proud to be British, and there are plenty of other freedom-loving countries in the world. It’s not like America invented freedom.
Please note that this comment should in no way be taken as anti-American. Some of my best friends are American, and America is a cool place (I’ve been on holiday there a number of times), it’s just that sometimes you go guys go a bit over the top when talking about freedom and suchlike.
roland…we may not have invented freedom but we are the ones that defend it.
hey aj…i saw your comment on my blog. yeah i got your email and i tried to respond but my mail got returned by “spamcop”. let me know how i can resend, ok?
True sometimes, but more often it seems like you’re more interested in defending your sources of oil than anyone’s freedom (except maybe the freedom to drive very fuel-inefficient vehicles). Also, you’re not the only people who defend freedom.