




| Author | Comment | ||
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MiltStar |
Happy Birthday America |
Lead | |
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aspong |
Re: Happy Birthday America | ||
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From the other side of the world - Happy holiday folks.
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vdiamond |
Re: Happy Birthday America | ||
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Oops! Wrong holiday! |
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basionok |
mindless flag-waving and blind loyalty | ||
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There are those who think of patriotism as synonymous with the unthinking jingoism and the love-it-or leave-it platitudes so often heard in right-wing talk radio circles. But of course, mindless flag-waving and blind loyalty have nothing to do with patriotism.
With another July 4 upon us, it seems important to pay tribute to the true patriots among us -- those who sacrifice time and energy to protect the rights and freedoms that, sadly, have been chipped away at for years under this lawless administration. Here are few sweet examples: *True patriots are those who went to DC last week to participate in the Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice a rally in which thousands of activists joined with organizations and lawmakers to protest the roll back of basic freedoms in recent years such as illegal wiretapping, The Patriot Act, The Military Commissions Act and the institutionalization of torture. *True Patriots are those, such as the people at Free Exchange on Campus, who are fighting everyday to protect freedom of speech on college campuses, who are intimidated and threatened by the vitriolic campaigns of Campus Watch, David Horowitz and others. *Russ Feingold is another example of a true patriot, with his courageous (sometimes lonely) defense of our rights and his work to try and end this war and occupation. It is only fitting that his Political Action Committee is called the Progressive Patriots Fund. *Camilo Mejia, the first combat veteran to denounce the war as illegal and refuse to participate in it any further, is another true patriot. In a recent article for the Progressive he writes: "Some Americans back home believe they are being patriotic, believe they are supporting the troops, when they back President Bush and his conduct of this war. But patriotism must mean something loftier than just assenting to the occupant of the Oval Office I submit that being patriotic means opposing this war." There is much at stake on this Independence Day. The core American values--the very freedoms we like to think define us--have been weakened or stolen from us in the aftermath of 9-11. Meanwhile we are mired in a brutal and costly war. But there is reason for hope. For in the face of all of this, and in the face of censure and fear, our country is filled with patriots, who are fighting everyday to make ours a more just and free society, to preserve our rights and to end this war. And it is those patriots we celebrate this Fourth of July. www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?bid=15 |
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Downpuppy |
Picnics & firecrackers | ||
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We went to Concord. Kiddie bike parade with flags & RWB streamers. Picked blackberries & blueberries.
Real subversive stuff. Then the greatest scream I ever heard, ending in a long ululation, watching Colmillo Blanco. Its a great holiday. Tomorrow, the revolution!! |
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Florida Jeff |
Re: Picnics & firecrackers | ||
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THE 4TH OF JULY
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! |
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Unregistered(d) |
yes | ||
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"With another July 4 upon us, it seems important to pay tribute to the true patriots among us -- those who sacrifice time and energy to protect the rights and freedoms that, sadly, have been chipped away at for years under this lawless administration."
You must mean the Clinton administration. |
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aspong |
Re: yes | ||
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oops
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basionok |
People Pay For Their Mistakes | ||
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Quote: "Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
If they had known then what they knew 4 years later, would they had signed it? |
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Unregistered(d) |
only the cowards | ||
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"If they had known then what they knew 4 years later, would they had signed it?"
they risked it all knowing what would happen if they were caught. Some don't understand the price of freedom as that is not within their grasp. They believe it is something the government mandates at will. Nothing that is mandated is free. Nothing governments allow is free. Someone always pays the price of freedom. Individuals are those who pay. Those who think the price wasn't or still isn't worth it don't deserve to be free. |
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basionok |
people think they won't get caught | ||
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Quote: "they risked it all knowing what would happen if they were caught."
Criminals think they won't get caught. |
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Slydder |
Re: people think they won't get caught | ||
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How old, 231?
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mcguppy |
Re: people think they won't get caught | ||
Quote: So were slaves who ran away from the plantations. So does that mean they're criminals? 1)Garland of Chaos is finally defeated ![]() 2)The Emperor of Pandaemonium is finally defeated 3)I would have tried to deafeat it but it was in Japanese |
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