“We hold these truths to be self-evident: ....

[Glassman]

... That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

It's been well over 200 years since our forefathers delivered that message to King George III of England and we are getting closer and closer to the day that these words ring true for every U.S. citizen. We are, as they say, a work in progress.

Many have died to preserve and uphold those words. And for good reason.

So, this weekend while you are busy celebrating with family and friends or stuck at work, wherever you find yourself....take a moment, look around, and whisper a silent "Thank You" to all those who made this possible.

It matters not to me what anyone says or thinks about my country or my fellow Americans, because I know we are so very fortunate to live in THE BEST DAMN COUNTRY ON THIS PLANET!

Call it what you will, Fate, Destiny, Divine Providence.....I say thanks every day that I was born here and I know I'm not alone...

 

[waterboy]

Hard to follow that message. Well said!!!

 

[Glassman]

OK, now that I got all the sentimental stuff out of my system I'm priming the pump for a good 'ol nap, er I mean one helluva Fourth of JUUUULY PARTY!!

And no better way to ease into the celebration by sitting here drumming my fingers on the desk checking my watch for quttin' time!

So I thought I'd relax and absorb some good old American culture...you know, learn a bit about our great country who's birth we are about to celebrate.

In the process of doing so I will share a good, no, Great Read:



It's a break down, by State, in the order they were admitted into the Union. I think most of you will enjoy it.
For those of you who don't, there is a link to instructions on how to surrender your US citizenship at the end of the article

I'll jump to an excerpt of what you might expect...I picked Texas because, well because it's the biggest damn state I've ever been chased through and I'm grateful to them for taking Josh Hamilton the hell out of southern California!

Here ya go:

"Hey look, it’s Texas, the state that was voted “least preferable to mess with” in America’s high school yearbook! They also tend to view every state that isn’t the Lone Star state the same way we tend to view countries that don’t end in “Merica.” Texas is the largest state in the continental United States, while also being the second most populous. It is home to three of the ten most populous cities in the nation, a slew of professional sports teams, Nolan Ryan, and, almost as importantly, Nolan Ryan’s wife.


And while Texas is a prideful nation with a rich history and a lot of gun owners who might not appreciate our attempts to distill the essence of Texas into one arbitrary category, we’re going to do it anyway. We’ll just have to avoid Six Flags locations for a while.


But screw it, we’re going to go with Tex-Mex cuisine.


Texas knows how to cook the hell out of a meal, we’ll grant them that. It’s enough to put them among the top 10 most obese states on a pretty consistent basis, but it’s the way they approach food that impresses us. Texas basically looked just south of their border and, while shaking their fists and mapping out rudimentary blueprints for large fences, said, “Hey, some of that food looks like it could be tasty. You know, if we added a fuck-ton of meat and cheese and, I don’t know, made it spicy as all hell.” And then they stole the hell out of Mexico’s food and made it infinitely better. The existence of Tex-Mex is the main reason why most spring break students that try to go to an authentic Mexican place while in Cabo find themselves riddled with disappointment (also dysentery). Because if you want chili con carde, chili con queso, or fajitas, you’re better off looking in the good old state of Texas."

So, if you liked a taste, go get a mouthful:

http://affotd.com/2013/01/23/the-american-states-of-america-part-one/

Just be sure to scroll up to "Next" on each page to keep going...but you'd have figured that out eventually

 

[MikeyL]

OK, now that I got all the sentimental stuff out of my system I'm priming the pump for a good 'ol nap, er I mean one helluva Fourth of JUUUULY PARTY!! And no better way to ease into the celebration ........

Barbie & I would like our steaks done on the rare side of medium RARE< please !

 

[Glassman]

Barbie & I would like our steaks done on the rare side of medium RARE< please !

You got it Buddy!

We are working on the menu as I type.... Had to cover the kids as well and we'll have a huge Ice Cream extravaganza to boot! I'm breaking out the chocolate fountain and serving up some home grown strawberries.
I'm even going to serve my world famous crab stuffed giant shrimp! Oh baby, .....shit, drooling on the keyboard again

 

[MikeyL]

LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Britboater]

Good find @Glassman especially for a foreigner like me, now I know what to think of individuals when I look at their location . Like the authors humor too .