Author: David

A chiiling set of Fourth of July images from Heidi at Euphoric Reality

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Last year, I experienced a Fourth of July that I never want to repeat. I wrote about it, but at the time, I don’t think my experience registered on anyone’s radar. Here’s part of the description as I posted it last year:

…all day, I was looking forward to the famous Freedom Over Texas Celebration in Houston – one of the top 10 patriotic shows and fireworks displays in the country. I was determined to brave the crowds (which my husband and I typically loathe) with kiddos in tow, in order to enjoy the culminating holiday of our nation’s heritage. We drove an hour to downtown Houston, spent 20 minutes looking for parking, and finally stepped into the crowds to move toward the center of the Celebration.

Here is what I saw as I crossed Allen Parkway near Buffalo Bayou:

There were NO 4th of July decorations – NONE. No red, white, and blue – anywhere.
There were no American flags.
No one was dressed in red, white, and blue except me and my kids.
There were no patriotic songs.
There was no indication of patriotic pride or nationalism in any way…

No one – not one person around us – spoke English.
The music that was blasting through the loudspeakers was Mexican mariachi or some such.
Home made pig skins were sold in baggies – and screeching kids in dirty clothes were hawking water bottles out of grubby coolers.
I saw more green Mexican flags and paraphernalia than anything American-themed.

What is this – Houston, Mexico?! Had I mistakenly ended up in some grungy street carnival in Little Mexico, instead of one of the “Top 10 Patriotic Celebrations in the Country”?! I knew that there was supposed to be military equipment displays somewhere in the center (which I was making a bee-line for), along with stages for Clint Black and LeAnn Rimes. I’m not a country-western aficionado, but I knew that I could most likely expect a moving patriotic song or two. As the crowds surged toward the Freedom Celebration, my family and I lagged more and more behind. Hot, sweaty, and rudely jostled in the rowdy crowd – I grew more and more angry. Looking around, I realized that no one seemed to be there to celebrate the 4th of July. It seemed like any generic public fiesta – just one more reason to party. I stopped walking and finally acknowledged the fact that whatever ‘celebracion’ was going on around us had nothing to do with America. I was far beyond disappointed…I was furious.

We left.

I took a lot of heat in the comments from people who objected to the fact that I objected to a Mexican-themed Fourth of July. But others wrote in comments and via email that they had seen and experienced a similar hi-jacking of our national holiday; they seemed more bewildered than furious. “How did this happen? When did this happen?!” There was no real public indignation.

Fast forward to 2006. This year, the in-your-face waving of the Mexican flag will have much more significance considering the politically-charged events of the past year. In a year that has seen illegal aliens gleefully desecrate Old Glory, and raise the Mexican flag over our own, such an offensive display is guaranteed to raise the ire of red-blooded Americans. After a year’s worth of heavy-handed demands for the rights and privileges of full citizenship, illegal aliens and AINOs (Americans In Name Only) may feel emboldened to wave the Mexican flag during our Independence Day celebrations – just as they did last year with no public outcry.

I, for one, won’t leave a 4th of July celebration like I did last year – furious but silent. I will say something to anyone who flaunts a foreign flag during our Independence Day. I want them to know it’s inappropriate, deliberately incendiary, and offensive to people who deeply love this country and our valiant flag. This year, I have a feeling I won’t be standing alone.

DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN IN YOUR TOWN!

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the War on Terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our Blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

A request of you, gentle readers: as we approach another anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence, please read the thing and ponder it carefully.

There will be a test nearly every day hereafter, and an easily-recognized one come November…

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Continue reading “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…”

No, not what you think.

Lovely Daughter decided to take Yolanda yaris on a short road trip, since she had a long weekend and doesn’t need to be back at work until Thursday. Took off to visit her grandparents on her grandfather’s birthday weekend, a few hundred miles from her home.

Got a call just now. Some “early celebrant” who apprently ought not to have been on the road blew through a red light into her driver’s side door. Fortunately, Yolanda Yaris, LD’s new car, protected her pretty well, hence her call a few mins ago. Even more fortunately, the wife in a couple who witnessed the “accident” is a nurse and provided onsite care until the medics arri ved, then she and her husband provided transportation (since LD needed to stick around for a bit, didn’t want the whole ambulance experience, etc.).

She has full coverage ins, and the witnesses (and the idiot who plowed into her) all concurred the doof had run the light, so although from her description of the car, Yolanda is dust, now, LD will still be back on the road with a replacement.

Still.

Glad I wasn’t a witness. I’d probably be heading for a lockup while the doof was on his way to the hospital.

“Hit L.D., would you? Not something you should survive, idiot…”

Ah, well, one hopes at least the guy offs himself before reproducing.

I now return twc to its regular blogfare.

As we approach the Fourth of July, I thought I’d take a semi-break and blog about some topics I sometimes refer to peripherally but don’t usually give full posts of their own. I’ve blogged about this topic several times (^{1, 2}, for example) in the past, but only within the context of posts dealing with slightly broader issues. That said…

Continue reading ““Freedom of Speech” and “Freedom of Expression”: not equivalent terms”

This is an open trackbacks post, open all weekend long, through the Fourth of July. Link to this post and track back. More below the post body.

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In part 1 of “Mending Walls: Faith” I very, very briefly discussed the faith (fides) covenant meme so lacking in today’s society. In part 2, I even more briefly outlined how this lack has affected the three realms of legitimate governance in society, civil government, marriage & family and, for Christians at least, the church.

In this last installment, I’ll once again very briefly mention some examples that illustrate how the current culture of faithlessness affects everyday life and how the moribund state of the faith covenant in civil government, marriage & family and in churches affects everyday life.

Keep in mind: I will NOT explore this topic in depth, although this will still be a tad long as compared to most blogposts. It’d take a full length book for each of these three parts to cover the topic seriously. That being said, and knowing it’ll be a tad longer than the majority of blogposts you may read today, either page on off or CLICk to read more at the link.

Continue reading “Mending Walls: Faith, Part 3”

This week’s Stop the ACLU featured post from John Stephenson.

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If it is a tool we use in the fight against terror one can bet that the ACLU will be against it. When the NY Times revealed classified information that we are trying to track international phone calls of suspected terrorists, the ACLU took that ball and are still running with it. When the NY Times leaked classified information that we are trying to track international bank transactions in order to catch terrorists the ACLU jumped on board with that too. If the NY Times doesn’t leak it to everyone, the ACLU will do its best by filing freedom of Information Act requests. Continue reading “Stop the ACLU”

Whaddya wanna bet this guy’s flag says, “Don’t tread on me”?

CLICK for larger image

2nd Amendment advocate? Ya think? (Ya know the Framers saw the 2nd Amendment as a check on oppressiver government, of course… That means, ya know, that I want my own Abrams M1 and an MLSRS… or three. *heh*)

Now, pop quiz: how does this post fit in with my stated theme for the week?

Shootin’ off… my mouth at Diane’s Stuff

(BTW, I have no provenence for the lil vidclip. Was sent me in email and sender’s not sure of its provenence, either.)

This is a first for twc—playing in the Carnival of Vanities. Oh, it’s not that I’m not vain enough to have entered a post before (alla the mirrors cracked as I glance at them in p-assing could attest to that), it’s just that no one asked so nicely before now. :-). Mama Duck has the Carnival of Vanities up at Lil Duck Duck, along with My Open Letter to Instapundit (is that guy still around? :-)).

Just a little blip saying “Carnival of the Vanities is up” will do, I’m not asking for anything fancy…..

*heh*

Indeed.

This is an Open Trackbacks Alliance open trackback post. Link to this post and track back. but for heaven’s sake, take time to READ the thing! Your children and grandchildren will bless you. Seriously.

In today’s Fair tax blogburst, Terry Dillard knocks down some of the anti-Fair Tax boogeymen–the scary arguments some trot out without giving them much thought. Well, Terry deals these boogeymen some mortal blows with just a little thought.

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by TD of The Right Track

With any proposal, sooner or later the naysayers start their doom-and-gloom predictions. The FairTax proposal is no exception. There are those out there whining and crying about how “it won’t really work that way”, despite the fact that the current income tax system isn’t working the way it’s supposed to work. I suppose their fear is exchanging the devil they know for the devil they don’t know. In this article, I’ll highlight some of their worries and attempt to dispel them.

A national sales tax will create a huge black market.

Among all the arguments to be made against the FairTax, perhaps this one holds the least water. Arguments are made that this “black market” will spring up, with people “illegally trading DVDs, cigarettes, canned foods” yada yada yada. OK, illegally trading? What’s illegal today about trading those items? Nothing! So what’s the problem?

“They’ll be avoiding the tax!”

And that’s bad, why? My wife buys romance novels at a used book store now. She’d be avoiding the tax, too. She’s also reading books that everyone else read weeks or months ago. I say, “Come on, black market!” Only the market won’t be black. It can be right in a store front, advertising used books, consignment shops for clothes, furniture, camping equipment, you name it! A whole new type of business will emerge! That will be great for the economy, right? Right!

Continue reading “Fair Tax/Open Post”

There are a lot of wrongs in this world, ranging from acts of assinine stupidity to unspeakable evil perpetrated by the lowest scum of the earth. You judge which this is *shudder*

Now, try to get the &%^$ song outa your head…

Crying “Fowl” at Blue Star Chronicles