I'm damn tired of "fourth of july" this and "july 4th" that from basically all forms of media.  Over the past week of watching TV, listening to radio, and reading newspapers, I have not once seen July 4th referenced to as [b]Independence day[/b].  Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are supposed to celebrate independence, our revolution from oppression, and all that good stuff.  Instead most people are concerned only with going to joe's bar and drinking half priced "fourth of july" special beers just because friday is the start of a three day weekend.

It's the "dumbing down of the masses"

dumbing down alright...the MTV generation..I think 40% of the country is ashamed of America.

I belong to the "MTV" generation (b.1971)
Folks born in 1980 and up are the ones(I believe) who don't
know anything.

I hear you on that one Stubbs! Independence & freedom, overlooked in the USA as just another excuse for getting drunk & firing up the grill (not that there is anything wrong w/ that [/jerry sienfeld]).

I have a great story that goes hand in hand w/ the spirit of your topic. I am typing it out right now to post tomorrow. Diversity v. Freedom as the reason this nation/world/insert organization here.

Glad to say I will be attending the FREEDOM FESTIVAL on the campus of BYU in PROVO, UTAH on INDEPENDENCE DAY. God bless America!

I was born in 78. The dumbing down started before both of us were born and spread like a disease. Im hopeful America is on the verge of a big change.

I'm friggin sick & tired of the fireworks safety warnings every newscast.

EVERY generation has it's share of dummies.

Firecrackers are for kids too young to own weapons,or people that don't live out in the wild or can't get to a range!

Guns thats what freedom is all about,nobody ever won thier independance with firecrackers!

Unless they are really big with fins and guided tech!

 Bob  [:D]

What I hate about how the 4th of July has changed is that now in the paper, they'll always show immigrant groups with their national flags on display in parades, or at other celebrations showing how "diverse" we are.

This holiday is not about celebrating immigrant groups or the shithole countries they fled from to come to ours.  This is about the US, and celebrating its birth.  Yeah, immigration is PART of the American story and character, but it has fuck-all to do with this one day to celebrate the US and its flag.

That's why this article in the Wall Street Journal's opinion page pissed me off so much.  All of what follows is complete horseshit.

[b]Let Their People Come
The Founders understood the importance of free immigration.[/b]

BY BRENDAN MINITER
Thursday, July 3, 2003 12:01 a.m. EDT


[King George III] has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

--Declaration of Independence    
Tomorrow we celebrate the 227th anniversary of a document that founded our nation by defining what it stands for: the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But how many of us remember that among the colonists' grievances was the king's hindrance of immigration?

This is more than an interesting historical footnote. Every military conflict and economic downturn seems to give renewed strength to arguments against immigration: New arrivals take jobs from citizens, put an added strain on social services and threaten the culture. And, as Sept. 11 made clear, some of the people want in so they can do harm to America. So we have Michelle Malkin's book "Invasion Nation: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores."

Of course, these arguments have some merit; America needs to be vigilant about keeping terrorists out. But there's a fundamental right that when honored helps build peaceful and prosperous societies and when denied leads to authoritarian, tyrannical regimes. That is the right of free people to live where they wish.




The arguments for immigration are often couched in other terms: We are a nation of immigrants; new arrivals bring economic benefits. But the moral argument wasn't lost on the Founders. From the first line--"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another"--Thomas Jefferson and his compatriots gave us a document that argues for political independence, but not isolation.
Liberty depends on a society that allows people the freedom to migrate and live where they can best build a life for themselves. A society that has to compete to attract new and productive citizens will be compelled by necessity to fight for the freedom of its members--even for those who were afforded fewer legal rights because of the circumstances of their birth. A society cut off from such migrations loses the vitality new people bring to the culture as well as the prosperity they create through their industry and eventually turns inward and tyrannical.

Clearly, the society the Founders passed onto succeeding generations didn't always live up to their ideals. It wasn't until the 1860s, with the Civil War and the end of slavery, that the nation extended the promise of free movement to all Americans. Much of that promise wasn't realized for another century. Yet these efforts were not refutation of the Founders but a continuation of the work they left unfinished.

America has just waged two wars to rid the world of insular, tyrannical regimes so that free people may live in peace. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, liberation has sparked a new wave of immigration--mostly expats returning home. The right and the necessity to allow people to live and move freely is self-evident indeed.

Mr. Miniter is assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com. [url]http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/bminiter/?id=110003701[/url]

Shit, all I'm doing is having a bbq, a little beer, and loading every mag I own and holding my BM this 4th of July. No damn cammel jockeys better try anything in Defiance Ohio. Have a great forth, and thank those that are serving and who have served. Thank you! Jason

The latest Generation, I was born in 82, seems to have a hell of alot more then before, this barrage of shit on MTV and everywhere else is cancer for the mind.

I'm labeled as an "extremist" because I belive in My Country and it's Founding documents (Constitution for one).

Most Americans are pussies and morons, duped by the most corrupt government in existence (IMO).

The government is so deeply entrenched at every level, they have literally brainwashed millions over a period of time to belive that they know what's best for you.  HOW DARE ANYONE question the government! [puke]

Our little Republic has gotten way out of control, conventional means are and have failed to follow it's own rules.

Time is closely at hand to Defend our Constitution on our own.  The govn' is slowly writing it out of existence to suit it's own needs.

I'm no mastermind, so I can't say how it needs to be done, but I want to be part of the solution, NOT part of the problem.



Q: How many elected, commissioned or enlisted people are there that have VIOLATED their oath?

("..defend the Constitution of the United States..")

Q: How many of these violators have been held acountable?

I wouldn't blame a generation per say - every generation has its sh##bags.

 For me, I can thank good parenting and quality education (fortunate to have been homeschooled for 8 years and private school 2 years). Not to say that everyone who attends a public school is going to be a problem child or screwup - but I've seen a big difference between people who went to a private school or were homeschooled. The average public school is going to drum all the percieved virtues of socialism into a child -if you don't want your kid to end up a mindless zombie - you must do something to counteract that. I went to a public high school for three years - pretty easy - learned a little bit but not nearly as much as I did from homeschooling. If or when I have kids, it'll be up to me to instill the right values into them.

I was born in 1979 - it seems like each generation is getting worse - but who is really raising kids? The parents or the socialist puppets at the local public school who are forcing THEIR morals on the kids.

I was lucky to have a couple good teachers in high school - one secretly admitted that he agreed with my essay on the RKBA and that there should be no limitations on the 2nd Amendment - my American history teacher no less. The other teacher was heavy into hunting and trapping and taught Wildlife Biology ( backwoods high school mind you). To anyone in high school now, do everything you can to stand true to what you believe in. Going against the crowd isn't easy but you'll have peace of mind knowing you took a stand for what you feel is right. You just might start a spark in someone's mind and make them THINK for once in their life.

As a father of three, I think I am accomplishing my part in properly raising my kids.  They like both shooting and John Wayne movies!

Seriously, it is s struggle to override the crappy school systems to teach the kids real history.  We spend a lot of time at home sharing books (history books, historical novels, etc.) and discussing American history.

... Come on now, It's been "Fourth of July" for 40 years at least. Mom says I used pronounce it [i]"Fort of the jeye"[/i] when I was three.

The percentage of dummies increases with each generation. Factor in the population increase as well, and you've got a hell of alot of dummies breathing the same air as we do.

I am a child of the 80s and came of age in the 90s. The changes (for the worse) accelerated quite a bit during this time.

Of course, when I talk to guys older than me, they say the 70s were a veritable drug-infested cesspool.