Independence Day

It's Independence Day in the USA. What does that mean? Fireworks and barbecues, of course. It's odd that when the Fourth of July falls on a Tuesday, people tend make a four-day weekend out of it. Actually, it's not odd at all. But what about next year, when it's on a Wednesday? Five-day weekend, anyone?

Anyway, fireworks and barbecues. Last year was the first time I ever went to the beach for the fireworks show, and it was really something. It was worth being crammed in a crowd of a million people. Seeing fireworks from a distance is something, but seeing them up close is another experience entirely. Well, there can be something good about being far away. A few years ago, two years in a row, I was at my great-aunt's condo for the Fourth of July, and we went up to the roof (just the penthouse the second year) to see whatever fireworks we could see. I think there were at least 10 fireworks shows going on in all directions (except toward the ocean).

Today it doesn't seem like it's going to be that spectacular. We're just going to have some guests at home and eat food and probably swim in the pool. But I guess it'll still be cool. We'll probably still see a lot of colors in the sky -- predominantly red, white, and blue, I'm sure. Ah yes, the colors of the flag. But I've noticed that that color scheme is hardly unique. A quick look through Wikipedia's gallery of sovereign-state flags reveals that the following countries' flags have the same color scheme (ignoring coats of arms and other insignia): Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Iceland, North Korea, Laos, Liberia, Luxembourg, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

So let's hear it for the red, white, and blue. And while we're at it, how about the pink, yellow, orange, green, brown, black, and purple as well. You don't want all this jingoistic fervor to get to your head, after all. We're all on this planet together, like it or not. You've got to think of the rest of the world, even though that can be hard for an American. If you're an American who's having this problem, start small. Think of Canada. It's kind of like America, but not. Happy belated Canada Day, by the way.

But seriously, folks. Let's take some time to remember the freedoms we have in this country, because not everybody is so lucky. If ever your freedoms are challenged, stand up to protect them, because if you don't, who will?

Now, here are some non-Fourth-of-July-related links.

In 1969, children's TV show host Fred "Mr." Rogers appeared before the Senate in response to President Nixon's request to cut funding for the then-new Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Mr. Rogers had to convince Sen. John Pastore to allow a $20,000,000 endowment to stand. Watch the effect that Mr. Rogers has on the abrasive senator in this YouTube video.

Here's a collection of historical sounds in MP3 format. It's interesting to listen to old recordings and hear that weird accent that people used to have.

One year ago: "To avoid sounding even more like a cheesy informational video, I'll just throw out some relevant links."
Two years ago: "The Fourth is a time to remember the freedoms we have as Americans."