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

Pass This One Around!

Kudos to the author.

And a tip o' the hat to KA {{Cate}}, for recommending this.

The Right to Remain Silent

By Saje Williams:

When your President declares war on a oil-rich nation that poses no threat to the United States, you have the Right to Remain Silent. If you choose to give up that right, you will be harassed, insulted, threatened, and otherwise treated as if you are no longer an American.

When you watch America's name being dragged through the mud by power hungry fools in incidents of torture and kidnapping--you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When you hear your President comment that he thinks the Constitution is just a "damned piece of paper," you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When you learn that the plans for war were already on the table before 9/11, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When a CIA operative has her cover blown because her husband is considered an enemy of the administration, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When that same Administration, and its corrupt partners in Congress pass laws that strip away the safety nets for vulnerable American citizens, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When a powerful hurricane levels a great American City and you watch people suffering on television for days, while aid is turned away by the authorities, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

While this administration continues to subsidize the oil companies during times of RECORD profits, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When viciously obnoxious pundits are welcomed onto American news programs and treated as if they're decent, hard-working folks, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

While thousands of our soldiers are sent to a dry and dusty land to kill or be killed, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When you finally begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, having elected a majority of allegedly like-minded citizens to Congress to fight against the abuses of this administration only to find that they don't have the spine to pull it off, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When you realize that the Iraqi people are NOT, in fact, better off than they were under a brutal dictator, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When you discover that there's no easy way out of the war and our troops will continue to die while Iraq staggers its way through a horrific civil war, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

When you find that this administration, after nearly breaking our military with its incompetence and corruption, is trying to come up with a way to go to war with even MORE Middle Eastern countries, despite the fact that it hasn't managed even the ghost of a victory in either front it's currently fighting, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

While a sizeable portion of the population of your fellow Americans think you should be killed or thrown in prison for daring to have a different opinion about the way all this is going, and an unfavorable view of THEIR chosen leader, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

While this administration is busy carving a canyon of debt for you and your children to carry forward into perpetuity, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

While this government's economic policies are driving more and more people into poverty and a lifetime of debt, you have the Right to Remain Silent.

If you choose not to exercise this right, rest assured, the Corporate Media will exercise it for you.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everybody Knows

FISA Senate Roll Call

[ 3:16 ]

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.