Thanks for the birthday wishes, and back at y'all.

I know you're being a bit facetious about 1982, Ramona. Agreed, that's an important date in Canada's evolving and now-virtually-total independence from Britain. (We agreed on a constitutional amending formula that didn't involve the British Parliament, and codified a Bill of Rights enforceable by the courts.)

But the July 1 we are celebrating is the date in 1867 when the provinces joined in a federal union. Some of the rationale was a fear that the United States, feeling feisty after the Civil War, might turn its expansionist designs northward. Thanks again for not attacking us.

Happy Fourth to you Ramona and to everyone!

First, I found it interesting that that carnival artist Coulter decided to diss a deceased princess!

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/122554/ann_coulter_hates_princess_diana

It reminded me of something in Carlin's routine that dissed the victims of 9/11. I mean the riff does not work.

I knew nothing and know nothing of Diana. But if i had a national audience i would skip the subject.

Carlin just points out that most of the folks who died in 9/11 were not heroes; they just went to work and if they had known the massacre that would soon take place, most would not have gone to work on that date!

Just a thought on English aristocracy.

We are an old nation relatively now, with the oldest constitution around--except the Brits really do rely on a series of docs going back a thousand years but who cares?

You do bring up Quincy. Quincy was 9 when the Declaration was signed; Quincy by age 8 had already translated Homer from the 'original'. hahahah

Quincy however did not one goddamn thing as far as stemming the tide of slavery during his one term presidency.

Later on he did begin to speak out.

Franklin did not become an abolitionist until his last few years--a result of Quakerism which really became the abolitionist movement.

Jefferson introduced over 20 bills in the Virginia Legislature to abolish slavery. That is a fact and I read the record.

But he wanted some time to accomplish this result--which would have been fine considering the fact that this took place some time before the Declaration.

He certainly wished to have all slaves relocated to the African Continent. He hid his slaves behind strange devices so that the Negroes would serve his guests but with the use of contraptions to keep them out of view.

Washington was kind to his horse and his main slave who accompanied him everywhere through peace and war. But he never regarded that Negro as anything more than a horse! It was just that unlike Mr. Ed, He could converse with his slave with a deeper comprehension.

We must step back from the picture in order to get a better comprehension of the scene.

Every single nation on this planet has sins or shortcomings that would astound the unlearned.

Did our Forefathers (Dolly Madison as well as Abigail Adams were not really fond of this term!) make mistakes? Yes.

And this country has continually made 'mistakes'. We continued slavery de jure for over four score years since our inception; we decimated hundreds of indiginous cultures, we sent Americans into prison camps during both world wars, we....

But damn, Germany does not have a nice history either. Either does Britain or any other European nation.

I laugh at superpatriotism, but damn...we did not initiate the World Wars! But we ended them!

So I attempt to stand back from the picture in order to take in the wonder of this Great Nation. Our sins are not worse than others and over the last century we have made great strides in recognizing the worker, in recognizing the teacher as well as the student, in recognizing the duties of a government.

Beck and Limbaugh and Coulter and Savage and Cantor and Bachmann and....lead me to despair at times!

Every single nation on this planet is plagued with those who would side with the powerfull over the powerless, who would side with the rich over the poor, who would side with the healthy over the sick and disabled, who would use all rhetorical arguments to keep what they have whether or not they have 'earned' it.

Pick a side and argue it out!

So this is really the choice I am stuck with. I mean do I cling to this:

Or am I stuck with this:

I will continue to dance to both these anthems!