Happy Birthday America (UPDATED: With Fruit and a Bonus Lecture from John Kerry, Super American!)

230 years old today, if my math is correct.

I can’t think of another nation on this Earth where I’d rather live than right here. It is an awesome thing we have built in America; a nation that has managed to combine impressive strength and unmatched security for her citizens with more individual freedom than can be found anywhere else. I can not imagine that our Founding Fathers would be terribly surprised to see how far we’ve come but they would certainly be very proud.

They’d be proud also of the courage and professionalism of our soldiers, in every branch of service. We have come a long way in terms of technology since 1776 but the bravery, dedication, and honor is the same brand that was in great supply in places like Bunker Hill, Trenton, and Yorktown. They’d be very proud indeed.

Happy Birthday, my country.

UPDATE: Google couldn’t be bothered to post a special holiday logo on Veteran’s Day. Apparently today’s not very special to them either. They got the logo up, sometime around 9 AM. They’re not a complete write-off, which is good.

So what is it this year with Google dissing the patriotic holidays here and helping China oppress a few billion people over there?

UPDATE 2: Nice to see that Eric Alterman gave the holiday a little bit of honor, huh?

I am taking an extra day because I love my country, sooo much.

Way to fly that flag, Eric. next time, could you stick an extra “o” in there, just so we know how Super Sarcastic you’re being?

UPDATE 3: On the other hand, if you plan to attend a cookout today, please beware the Giant Hypnotic Fruit.

UPDATE 4: If you weren’t quite sure how to love your country, here comes John Kerry, Super American (who apparently served in Vietnam, or do goes the rumor), to tell you! I swear, the guy reminds me of that nosy uncle that everyone has who’ll elbow his way into every conversation, just so he can harangue you with some tedious story about a past that only he cares anything about.

This Fourth of July it’s right to spend some time thinking about what it means not just to be an American, but to be a patriot — because the concept of patriotism itself is under assault in ways that remind me of a different time in our history.

*sigh* Okay, Uncle John. Tell us about why your past lets you lecture us this time. Does it have anything to do with Vietnam, perhaps?

When we protested the war in Vietnam some would weigh in against us saying: “My country right or wrong.” Our response was simple: “Yes, my country right or wrong. When right, keep it right and when wrong, make it right.”

I feel history repeating itself.

No kidding? History Repeating? You feel it, Uncle John? Are you sure it’s not just because you’re telling us about Vietnam for the millionth time and you might be catching a wicked case of deja vu? Are you sure that feeling isn’t a whiff of the history you’ve spent the last five years dragging history around by its scruffy tail. Maybe it’s possible that you were, well, really badly wrong forty years ago and as a result a few million people ended up getting murdered?

No? Oh, because it’s not about all that. It’s about the dissent. And being in Cambodia for Christmas.

*sigh*

No, Uncle John. Please, tell us that story again. I’m sure someone, somewhere hasn’t heard it.

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Category: The Good Old US of A