h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today is Uncle Sam's 235th birthday. He's still a youngster by world standards and still sometimes exhibits alarming bouts of insensitivity and immaturity. But hey, he's no worse than many and a lot better than most.

I was born after WWII. The US was already pre-eminent. All I've ever known is life in a powerful nation and the automatic jealousy and petty sniping that attaches to all powerful nations. I've experienced a lot of that here.

I've lived through enough social change, actively participated in much of it in my salad days, to be extremely proud of the progress we've made. I've lived through the civil rights movement, fighting for voting rights, school desegration, and the recognition that men and women of any color, ethinic origin or creed deserve the same opportunities and protections under the law. I've watched as we made strides protecting the rights of women, senior citizens and the disabled. We are doing a better job taking care of our veterans than we did when I was born. We are trying to improve education - have a long way to go in this area. And we keep trying to find ways to ensure that all Americans have the basic necessities of life. We still have work to do in this arena as well.

I've watched us venture into space, walk on the moon and send probes and telescopes to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond. I've lived through periods of great hope that ended in assassination and sorrow.

I remember marches, riots, and the funerals of over 58,000 Americans killed in Viet Nam. It was my generation, my cousins and classmates who served and died for a dubious cause. I remember the chants outside the White House -- Hey, Hey, LBJ, How many boys will you kill today. I remember Kent State. I see the aftermath of that war every time I look at Syn who was a squadron commander in the 101st Airborne. He parachuted into jungles sprayed with agent orange and has health problems as a result. And nightmares. He still has nightmares.

Years later, during the hostage crisis in Iran, my older stepson was sitting in the Arabian Gulf on an aircraft carrier. I bet most of you guys didn't know I'm a Navy Mom. It was during this time that President Carter became my hero. So many people wanted an aggressive military response and reviled Carter for not going down that road. Those people didn't have a 20 year-old son directly in harms way. To my dying day I'll thank Carter for the approach he took, to his own political detriment.

Some people are criers and some aren't. I'm in the second group. But I do remember one news event that made me cry and cheer and cry some more. After growing up during the cold war and arms race, after the duck and cover drills of my childhood and the surreal family discussions and plans made during the Cuban Missle Crisis, an event that left a lasting mark on my psyche, I had accepted that one day we would be at war with the Soviet Union and that it would be so horrible that no one could possibly win. Symbols are powerful things. The great symbol of that face off, of the intractability of both sides, was the Berlin Wall. When the wall came down I was overwhelmed with emotion, much more than I expected. I finally believed that perhaps, just perhaps, the worst possible scenario wasn't going to happen after all.

Enough with the reminiscing. We aren't perfect. We make mistakes. There are times when I am embarrassed and saddened by the decisions of my governments, local, state and federal. But most of the time we're moving in the right direction. Whether or not those of you in other countries will acknowledge the attempt, the desire to use our power for the good of mankind rather than pure self-aggrandizement as is the history of empires of the past is up to you.

One thing I have witnessed over and over throughout my life is the compassion and generosity of the American people. I'm not talking about the government here, although they do their share when it comes to responding to need around the world. I'm talking about the people, Mom and Pop and Bearded Cousins who take from their families to help people in need around the globe and at home in times of crisis, like the May 22 tornado that wiped out a third of Joplin and left 18,000 people homeless in a matter of minutes. You don't realize or appreciate how truly generous Americans are until a tragedy like this happens.

So today I'll fly the flag, another powerful symbol for Amricans, have a cookout with the remnants of my once large family, shoot off enough fireworks to feel truly festive and be proud to be an American. Those of you in this community who cannot separate the people from the government and who absolutely refuse to give us a kind word let alone a fair hearing on the issues can bite me.

For all its faults, sometimes I envy the pride U.S. citizens are able to show in their country. Soon as you try it here you're branded a nationalist.

Oh, and enjoy the cookout!

At least two channels here in the UK will be having their annual celebration of NOT showing the Independance Day movie this week (as it's on ever other week of the year, it seems)

Mr. D, I've never really understood how national pride became so politically incorrect in Europe. One can have a global or continental perspective and still be proud of their heritage.

Ahhh Oh to be in a young country again! to the 4th of july

Thanks Jack. You should come back over some day.

Been trying this year to come over but somethings got "lost" at an embassy and i can't till they find them i have been before to the " land of the free" (quite like dekotas both of them and also wyoming too) I like to see the flags on houses and stuff! in the UK the fact you might want to fly your flag is only see during the world cup and thats just for a few days till the compition starts and were bumped out in the first match

Has shooting squibs at the vicar caught up with you? Maybe you're on a dissident list someplace.

I think there's a kind of collective embarrassment about the old empires and whatnot. Instead of looking at them as fascinating periods of history that were instrumental in building the world we have today like what I do, people regard them as Bad Old Days.

The British Empire was so far reaching that I think it should rightly be a source of pride. It was one hell of an empire. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to govern something that unweildy. That isn't to say that certain policies can't be criticized after the fact, like policies in the Middle East.

As an observer, it seems okay for the Scots to be proud of being Scots, but not for the English to be proud of being English.

Can we have our canonballs back?

Our arsenal is rather empty these days

ahhh squibs and vicars just so tempting

Scottish pride can be really bizarre... some of my re-enactor friends have reported back from Bannockburn in the past about shouty loons in car blanket kilts and blue body paint telling them they're doing it wrong!

lil, my part of the country wasn't involved in the conflict so have no canonballs with British provenance. We belonged to both Spain and France during the colonial period. We never actually belonged to Britain here in the Ozarks. It was those danged East Coasterners.

I love it, lil. If you ever go to the town of Lewes in Delaware - I know, it's named after another place called Lewes - you can see an old house on the waterfront with something stuck in it.

British cannonball from 1812. They're proud of that piece of history.

I'll have my own say elsewhere, Hypatia, about what the Fourth means to me, but here's wishing you happy picnicking...

And thanks to all those who a) are nice enough to remember the difference between individuals and governments, without which tolerance we do not survive, and b) do not yearn to watch 'Independence Day' again.

Flip! They're worth a small fortune... Show me the way to the White House, didn't I see some lying about on the lawn?


*mutters* Spanish and French get everywhere!

You guys have a lot to be proud of, imho. But wearing blue body paint is just too for me.

Have a wonderful picnic and enjoy the holiday all you on the other side of the ocean.

*giggles*

Have a great day, everyone

Thanks everyone. It will be fun. It always is. And I'll see if I can come up with someone to write about returning the cannon balls.