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Independence Day USA: Great Future for the Greatest Nation on Earth?

On the 243rd Independence Day USA, Stephen Green, Bill Whittle and Scott Ott reflect on the storied past and great future for the greatest nation on Earth. Are forces that seek to divide us any match for the ideas that unite us?

11 replies on “Independence Day USA: Great Future for the Greatest Nation on Earth?”

My husband and I spent the 4th on a small lake in Minnesota with my dad and siblings and their families. We spent the day playing in the water, playing corn hole and of course, eating barbecue. Every year people decorate their docks and there’s a parade of boats with all sorts of patriotic symbols — flags, banners, etc. Then, as the sun is going down, all around the lake people set off tons of fireworks. It’s absolutely magnificent to watch. All that divides us in the country melts away and we are, first and foremost, Americans.

Oh my gosh, Scott’s memories brought mine back growing up in Wisconsin in the 60’s. Our little subdivision, carved out of a farmer’s field in what was then a rural area, had our own 4th of July celebration. First thing, we would be up early, setting off ash snakes, black cats etc in the drive. We kids had decorated our bikes with coloured crepe paper and streamers, and we rode round the block in a grand review in the morning. We then assembled in someone’s garage/drive where everyone had brought their picnic tables, and had a neighbourhood picnic, followed by lawnmower races. The hosting house had let their back yard (1/2 acre)grow, and a track had been cut. In those days it was always the dads that had spent weeks tinkering on their machines, honing them to race ability. (they had to cut the grass in the dark in the run up, to foil espionage attempts) You had to leave the cutting blades on tho, that was a rule. Late afternoon/ evening saw the keg tapped and the dads holding sheepshead tournaments until it was time for everyone to pack up, load up the car and drive to whichever small town fireworks were their favourite: Cedarburg, Brown Deer, Thiensville…. Milwaukee always had the big ones on the 3rd so as not to overshadow the little ones. It gradually died out, until they revived it briefly in the 80’s. Other people had moved in by then, and some guy had his machine worked on by a mechanic, and sat his kid on it for weight advantage. The kid drove like a maniac, cut everyone else up, took the trophy and dad went home in triumph. They never held it again. Times had changed, he didn’t understand, and he ruined the fun. I now live in a small town where we have our own parade, with the boy scouts, baseball teams, etc marching in it, our towns take turns having the high school band each year, and it is glorious. We don’t have lawn mower races……yet. Give me time. (edited for punctuation)

THIS is America. A world famous Swedish soccer player, now playing in Los Angeles reacts like anyone with a pulse to this incredible rendition of the national anthem by a 7 year old girl.

Got some great ‘fireworks’ from God today, major 6.4 earthquake just about 5 mi from my house!
All is well, minor damages around town (if you discount the store shelves ending up spilled all over the floor!), but very shaken, both physically and mentally.
Still feeling aftershocks, 4 hrs after the big one.
A 4th of July to remember!

I wrote that (above) before watching the video… afterwards I have to say I’m with Scott: people pull together in a crisis, in excitement (4th of July celebrations).
I was calling friends all over town, seeing how they were holding up, etc.

Watching it on the news right now. Thank God there was no loss of life. Happy that you are okay.

As I watched this, in the comfort of my air-conditioned house, I say a prayer for my husband (and all the members of his fife & drum corps) as they march in 92 degrees, plus high humidity, in the 4th of July parade – Bristol, RI, and the oldest 4th of July parade in the country. These guys have been doing this parade in their heavy wool uniforms for many, many decades. We will not be going to any cook outs. We might go to the beach later and try to see some distant fireworks. I’m not up to fighting crowds any more, or spending two hours in a traffic jam to get somewhere and go home again. Never-the-less, I love this holiday and what it means.

I expect that the upcoming sestercentennial will produce an increase in interest of this country, and an upsurge in patriotism. I don’t see how it can’t – that is my hope anyway.

Happy Independence Day, guys!

My celebration will be done by annoying Leftists. How, you say? By doing things that they hate – eating meat, enjoying beer, blowing s*** up, and loving my country!
Happy Independence Day, guys!

Scott, I’m sorry, all my coworkers are leftists and we get along pretty well. BUT the only reason that we do is that I keep my mouth shut. If politics come up, and it does in just banal conversation, I either demure or deflect. If they ever found out that I was sympathetic to Trump’s policies, much less that I voted for him, “hostile work” environment would be best case scenario.

I’m retired now, but I was lucky enough to have worked in a place where the boss listened to Rush Limbaugh every day. 🙂

My last boss was an Aussie but was a rabid capitalist (small company). So that made life easier.

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