fourthofjuly

Warning:  Before you get your panties in a knot over this - read it and think about it first.  I posted this on Facebook today and within minutes I was unfriended by yet another bleeding heart liberal.  This isn't about whether or not this country deserves a celebration.  This is an opinion about why most people celebrate it even knowing what they do.  Constantly complaining about how bad America has become -  until it's time for a party.  The list of bitch examples is not necessarily all my own but a good sampling of what I see on social media every day.  If all this is true then what are we really celebrating?  Lost potential?  Now go git yer daddy a beer!

"Seriously? You spend 364 days a year bitching about how F'd up this country is with a history of conquest, slavery, oppression, and discrimination - and institutionalized indoctrination disguised as education, a failed healthcare system, abortion, chemtrails, fluoride, false flags, guns, terrorists, global warming, corporate greed, inequality, immigration, political agendas, fighting and dying in wars that have nothing to do with our freedom, and control by the elite in government slowly eroding our civil liberties...and suddenly your misplaced patriotism surfaces for one day and you get all warm and fuzzy. Do you really love your country or is the 4th of July really just a day off from a job you hate but have to do in order to pay the interest on all the debt you owe for stuff you really didn't need but had to have yet couldn't afford? Is it just another excuse to get drunk enough to blur the perception of your reality - and little else? So let's party like it's 1776 and go back to being pissed off tomorrow about how far we have fallen since the Declaration of Independence. Happy 4th!"

Message from my new unfriend:  "You really have become quite a negative Facebook presence- constant ranting. Sorry you are so angry but I'm gonna have to bid you adios because while I am happy to discuss differences of opinion in a civil manner seeing incredibly angry rants is just not something I enjoy or appreciate. May you find peace and an escape from your own anger."

Sorry to rain on your parade...but this is the kind of world we live in.  As far as countries go - the US is a pretty good place to be but nowhere near what our forefathers invisioned and falling further away from their original intentions.  And for anyone who suggests, "If it's so bad here, why don't you go somewhere else?"  You obviously don't realize that unless you are an illegal immigrant coming into the US, moving to a foreign country permanantly is very difficult to do.  93,102,76,0,C

independence day

77,94,74, .05",B

the 4th

It is still the same good ol' USA we all remember as children...it's just that the illusion is wearing off.  96,100,71,0,B

fourthofjuly

Day off due to holiday...can't afford the triple overtime. Started off by sleeping in till 9AM. Spent the morning sorting through some piles of paper that have no place. Benita came in with a fly eating friend today. The little lizard managed to avoid getting squashed as he helped himself to the fly buffet around Benita's ankles.

Had the holiday special at the GrubShack...hot dogs with chili and a cupcake complete with a tiny American flag. Lounged for over an hour with some regulars then headed home to assess the day. Decided on a plan of action that included no work and a trip out to the swimming hole with Ryan and Mike. Checked the weather and saw some thunderstorms in the area to be aware of. The creek was just low enough to make it out there. Stayed a couple of hours then decided to head back as it started to sprinkle. I wasn't home more than 10 minutes and the Field Lab got slammed with a rainstorm. Got almost a half inch in a half hour. Apparently I got home just in time as the water started flowing and the dam filled up once again.

Had just enough time to try out the gifted gas powered pump from the Desert Rat of Lajitas. In just over 20 minutes I pumped 700 gallons into another tank. Nice to have almost 7000 gallons of water ready for the "yet to be completed" greenhouse...

The Fourth of July always reminds me of my days in the early 80's of living in Manhattan. Around the 4th, all over Little Italy and Chinatown there where kids on corners shouting, "Fireworks!" They would lead you through and old tenement building into a basement that was stacked to the gills with explosives for sale. These were also the days when I would frequently see John Gotti and his body guards and "associates" in the hood. They tended to have their "meetings" while walking around the block. I think that ultimately, it was FBI wire taps of his social club (just 2 blocks from where I lived on the lower east side) that brought him down. Those were the good ol' days...