To all members of the Angry Left:
Today is Independence Day. Let me just remind you what that is, since you have probably blocked it out and deny all knowledge of it. Today is when we celebrate our forefathers' victory over King George III's imperialist Britain in 1776. You see, Independence Day — or to put it in more common parlance, the 4th of July — comes but only once a year. Like Christmas. It's only 24 hours. Surely you can deal with that.
On this day, when the flags fly high and the fireworks burst forth in the colors red, white and blue, and symphony orchestras all across the land perform stirring renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner," I ask only one thing of you. Take a break from your seething indignity and anger toward the country that educated you, fed you, and allowed you unsurpassed freedoms to be and think as you like. Ask yourself what you love about America — if anything — and maybe, even if for only one day, you will feel grateful.
I'm not asking you to carry that feeling of gratitude into tomorrow or any other day of the year. I know that's asking too much of you. At midnight, you can go back to wishing you were Canadian - dreaming of six-month long waiting lists for vital heart surgery and your taxes contributing to the seal fur trade. Surely for a 24-hour span of time, you can relax and do the following:
Think about how American intervention liberated Europe from the horrors of totalitarianism, in the forms of fascism and then communism.
Ponder how America has served as a beacon of opportunity worldwide, about Cubans who risk their lives in rickety boats to cross 90 miles of treacherous water for the chance of having a life worth living. Consider how America leads the world in technological advances, making it possible for you to spread your anti-American frustrations on blogs all across the World Wide Web.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - lori
Nice to see that what passes for political commentary on BC still falls under hyperbolic bullshit.
Happy 4th, indeed.
2 - Clavos
Uuummm, Mark:
I believe it was King George III,, no?
3 - JP
Patriotism or nationalism?
4 - MCH
Well, although I'm not much of a flag-waver, I am thankful for our independence and grateful for those who sacrificed to achieve and maintain it.
Oh...and I'm still opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
5 - Clavos
Thanks, Christopher...my goof actually made everything following it print in italics, right?
Sorry--I didn't preview first.
6 - Dave Nalle
I'm afraid you made an error in your very first paragraph. The angry left no longer acknowledges the existence of 'founding fathers' and prefers to refer to them as 'founding persons'. Please be sensitive and keep that in mind. Betsy Ross thanks you.
Dave
7 - Dave Nalle
Nice to see that what passes for political commentary on BC still falls under hyperbolic bullshit.
I don't think this can actually be classed as political commentary. It's more on the nature of a topical rant since it's not actually commenting on specific political issues.
Dave
8 - gonzo marx
and again we see someone from the angry , ad hominem spewing, stereotyping, AM radio host following, GOP type confusing and conflating the difference between love of Country and dissent with an Adminstration
how about for once, we set aside the bullshit partisan Agenda and celebrate the fact that ALL of us residing in this country are part of the same Nation?
how about we all Recognize the great things this Nation has done, the Ideals it stands for and represents?
how abotu we also take a moment to remember and Recognize all the things this Nation has done wrong as well, and take Responsibility for that to the point where we, as a People, devote ourselves to correcting these Mistakes as best as is possible?
how about we also take a Moment to remember that those in our Government are supposed to Represent We the People and the Ideals laid out in our Declaration and Constitution...and to hold those Representatives responsible to those Laws and Ideals
how about we set aside, just for the day, the partisan bullshit which artificially divides U.S. and look at the larger things which unite U.S. ?
silly of me, i know..
but i can Dream, can't i?
Excelsior?
9 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Mark, it's a shame you didn't try to tackle Dr. P's topic "America: Evil Empire or Benevolent Ruler".
Given that you live overseas, but not necessarily in the line of fire of American foreign policy (like me), your thoughts would have had an interesting perspective.
10 - Susette Horspool
How about if we also feel gratitude to the generous Natives of this land that fed us, fought with us, and showed us how it worked? They gave us tips on how to govern and have served in our military for years, even when we were parcing up their land and the agreements we made to boot. (They fought back when we took too much.) We left them with the worst environments, then looted what we kept, so now all the environments are equal. But being Americans, all of us, we have the freedom to make our land healthy again (as long as we don't depend on this current administration to help). Let's celebrate the team that we have the freedom to be.
11 - Bliffle
"I'm afraid you made an error in your very first paragraph. The angry left no longer acknowledges the existence of 'founding fathers' and prefers to refer to them as 'founding persons'. Please be sensitive and keep that in mind. Betsy Ross thanks you."
Actually, I think modern usage is simply "The Founders". This renders the appelation free of good/bad implications about ones father, which are spurious.
12 - RogerMDillon
Dear member of the Angry Right,
This notion that the left doesn't love anything about America is a pathetic cliche. On a day that is a celebration of America, couldn't you have taken a break from continuing to divide? How about you go 24 hours without spreading your partisan ignorance and take off your red, white and blue-colored glasses?
"the 4th of July " comes but only once a year"
Thanks for that amazing insight.
Since you are in London maybe you didn't get the news, but it's going to tough selling your rah-rah of the troops considering discharged soldier Steven Green is all over the news due to his being charged with raping and murdering a teenage Iraqi girl. Other soldiers were involved in the murder and cover-up of her family and are sure to be charged shortly.
"Stop thinking about Guatanamo Bay and how you would love to set every poor terrorist currently locked up there free to walk the streets and kill Americans."
We'll skip the part about your contradiction in "judging them guilty before proven innocent" and go straight to suggetsing that maybe you should start thinking why so many "terrorists" are being released from there. If you know something our government doesn't, please pass on the pertinent information.
Being a patriot doesn't mean passively sitting around pondering. It's about actively engaging the powers that be.
13 - Clavos
Founding Fathers works fine for me-they were all guys (except for Mrs. Betsy, of course).
14 - Dave Nalle
Susette, I think you've confused the 4th of July with Thanksgiving. That one's in November.
Since you are in London maybe you didn't get the news, but it's going to tough selling your rah-rah of the troops considering discharged soldier Steven Green is all over the news due to his being charged with raping and murdering a teenage Iraqi girl. Other soldiers were involved in the murder and cover-up of her family and are sure to be charged shortly.
Do you really not get it, Roger. You're writing here about Green being prosecuted along with his accomplices - likely with the death penalty at the end of it all. If America were the nightmare which the angry left makes it out to be Green would have gotten away with it and everything would have been hushed up, but that's not the way we do things in the very rare case that one of our soldiers commits a crime. That principle of responsiiblity is the essence of the America we celebrate on July 4th.
Dave
15 - Erik
good straw man.
16 - Bliffle
Soldier Green will be dealt with by US Justice, and one expects that the penalty will be severe. Will the muslim terrorists who cut the throats of westerners for the amusement of their video viewers be treated severely by the famous muslim shariah law? If the Israeli soldier is murdered by the palestinian hamas killers will they be brought to court in 'palestine'? I doubt it. Each person must decide which system he prefers.
17 - katrina
9/11 was an inside job
18 - Victor Plenty
Clearly the Angry Right cannot take a one-day break from blaming America. The screed Mr. Manning has penned above is a case in point.
The "Angry Left" he hates is also part of America, but he cannot take even one day off from proclaiming his hatred and disgust at the way they choose to exercise their freedoms as Americans.
It takes a special kind of cleverness to fail your own challenge in the same breath where you lay it down.
19 - Mark Edward Manning
Bliffle, thank you for comment no. 16. More truth people need to hear.
20 - Ray Ellis
Thank you, Mr. Manning-- you can't buy this material. You've given me more fodder than I could possibly have dreamed for an upcoming article.
But since this is Independence Day, and since I swore I wouldn't be political today (unlike you), and since I'm not an Anglophile expatriate taking cheap shots from abroad, and since I'm enjoying classic Willie Nelson right now, I'll just wish you a happy Fourth. Shame you'll miss the fireworks.
21 - dsm
Ask the so called president to read the constitution. Or someone read it to him.
And stop the Straussian PNAC neocons from their world dominance plans.
FAA had 51 pre-warnings for 9/11. The president got a lot of warnings from people like Richard Clarke and even Clinton. The pentagon has had trainings where both the Pentagon and the WTC were hit by aircraft. Atleast 11 countries warned about the attacks, Israel even named 4 of the alleged hijackers. Yet we are to believe that that 9/11 was a failure of imagination and that no one could have foreseen the attacks. One of the biggest scams in recent history.
The really interesting question is why the planes were not shot down. And why people who still continue to support PNAC even though these people benefitted more than anyone else from the attacks.
Remember the needed "new Pearl Harbor"?
Want wars that continue for decades? Keep voting for the neocons who are not in anyway conservatives. Government secrecy is record high, the population is spied on, Halliburton builds concentration camps, superhigh deficits, recordhigh oilprices (with oilmen in power. Go figure), possible election fraud, nonsense patriot act, civil liberties in danger, president who bypasses laws, torture, gitmo (with most of them captured for money by warlord)...
Real patriots, conservatives, liberals, greens EVERYONE should unite against the neocons. The country is in a constitutional crises for christ sake! Forget all itty bitty differences, it's time to go back to the roots. Don't let irrational fear control your decisions. They are using fear as a tool to get whatever they want.
cooperativeresearch.org is your friend.
22 - Lumpy
Nice to see that katrina and dsm are keeping irrational paranoia alive on the 4th. More and more it seems to characterize America or at least a rat-brained sectionof the population.
Get a clue. The power of the neocons is fading as they turn on each other like mad dogs. Al Qaeda really did destroy the WTC. And there is no Santa Claus. But by all means keep flogging the craziness. It's your god-given right as Americsns.
23 - Mark Edward Manning
Clavos, you are right, it was King George III. I accept my mistake and regret the error.
24 - Mark Edward Manning
The neocons do have their faults, this is true. I am not, and have never pretended to be, a neocon. The neocons may advocate a tough national defense and an aggressive foreign policy - I agree with that, but I do think we should consider being a bit more isolationist. Iraq should be the last of our guns-and-butter type interventionism. But the neocons are domestically liberal. I agree with the paleocons more on domestic issues.
25 - Guppusmaximus
"Consider how America leads the world in technological advances"
Hey Mark, I totally agree with your article and I applaud your patriotism but I do believe Japan leads the way[in technological advances]especially in computers.