Happy Fourth

Freedom!

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

~George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
"Maxims: Liberty and Equality," 1905

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.

~Louis D. Brandeis

Freedom Festival Fireworks 2009

Happy Fourth!

Liberty is to the collective body, what health is to every individual body. Without health no pleasure can be tasted by man; without liberty, no happiness can be enjoyed by society.

~Thomas Jefferson

Celebrate Freedom

This year, I'm offering two YouTube fireworks videos. I prefer the first one with the fireworks over the water because it reminds me of the many times we went by boat and anchored in the river, as close as we could get to the barges, to see the fireworks shows during the International Freedom Festival.

Finale 1, Thunder on the River '08 [1:01]:



The second video is a longer version, and is from a little more upriver and across from the display.

Finale 2, Thunder Fest [3:00]:



On the Fourth of July we celebrate our freedom from British rule, the birth of our country, and the adoption of our Constitution which guarantees the natural law of our rights and freedoms.

Remember in November those who would seek to limit your rights. Keep pressure on Congress to uphold and defend our Constitution. Fight for your rights.

And have a safe and happy Holiday.

Celebrating Freedom and Friendship

The Detroit-Windsor "International Freedom Festival" began in 1959 (themed "Partners in Freedom"), publicizing the longstanding friendship on both sides of the Detroit River between the American and Canadian people and celebrates Canada's July 1st Canada Day (originally called Dominion Day, the name was officially changed to Canada Day on October 27, 1982) and America's July 4th Independence Day.

On June 27, 2007, Zambelli Fireworks Internationale (the oldest fireworks company in the country) put on another great show for the 49th annual International Freedom Festival.

It takes 5 days to load the 3 barges with 100 miles of wire, 500 tons of sand, 250,000 lbs. of fiberglass mortars, and more than 10,000 fireworks shells for the annual fireworks display, which lasts about 30 minutes.

Here is the finale, taken from the Windsor side:



A happy and safe Fourth to all.