Society

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Happy Fourth of July to everyone on our blog and other blogs. The Turleys held our annual Fourth of July celebration with fireworks last night (tonight we are going to see the Washington fireworks). We had a ball at the end of our street with our neighbors in a perfect celebration of our Independence Day . . . apple pie, burgers, and a huge box filled with fireworks.

Leslie serves as the adult supervision on these occasions. I am known to have an insatiable appetite for fireworks. This year, I pulled into a huge warehouse in Pennsylvania and purchased some really amazing fireworks (though Leslie made me put back the commercial quality mortars etc). This place looked like a Russian blackmarket arms bazaar. I am very careful, however, and I hope everyone exercises great caution for a safe holiday.

We have already seen our annual stories of terrible accidents.In one report, a man in Long Island, N.Y., had his arm blown off at the shoulder after he fired a mortar firework. Eric Smith, 36, was using a 3-foot metal tube to launch the fireworks near his home when he leaned over the explosive.

I hope that everyone has a fun time this weekend to celebrate our Republic.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

42 thoughts on “HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!”

  1. Unfortunately there are still some amongst us who don’t take safety precautions as real:

    Man blows arm off with fireworks…

    New York (CNN) — Like fireworks, it has become an Independence Day weekend tradition unto itself: fireworks-related injury.
    On Saturday, a man lighting fireworks outside his Long Island home became the latest victim when he completely severed his left arm from his shoulder, Suffolk County police said.

    http://www.thehulltruth.com/dockside-chat/292626-man-blows-arm-off-fireworks.html

  3. Canadian eh.,

    You would be surprised how many people were against England having a 4th of July. If I recall, some were upset as it was a bonus question and they felt they had been tricked. Of course, Everyone has a 4th of July on the calendar, they may not celebrate it though.

    I used to celebrate any day that ended in “y” especially June through August to give the Roman’s Rulers there due.

  4. Independence Day is acknowledged in England but is not a national holiday. Pssst…..Canada celebrate ” Canada Day ” on July 1st….so we’ve had our share of fireworks this weekend too!

  5. Buddha,

    Thought you’d like to see what FDR had to say about that:

    President Roosevelt summed up this process of the monopolization of society saying, “New kingdoms were built upon concentration of control over material things. Through new uses of corporations, banks and securities, new machinery of industry and agriculture, of labor and capital – all undreamed of by the Fathers – the whole structure of modern life was impressed into this royal service.”

  6. Canadian Eh,

    Good to see you. Here is a US History test, actually a question on an American History High School test I saw. Does England have a 4th of July?

  8. Happy Fourth everyone.

    “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson

    Let us never forget that tyranny of an unjust (and insane) sovereign is no different than corporate tyranny brought to you by institutionalized graft.

  11. mespo,

    At this time of year, it is selective enforcement of all of the applicable provisions of the noise ordinances. Believe me you I have tried them all out at one time or another….

  12. This place looked like a Russian blackmarket arms bazaar. I am very careful, however, and I hope everyone exercises great caution for a safe holiday.

    *****************

    I am sure the Professor meant to say that he fully complied with all provisions of the Fairfax County Fire Prevention Code concerning the storage, possession, ignition, and display of legally permissible fireworks as described below:

    Permissible fireworks, and the use of such fireworks, shall comply with the following:

    They shall not explode.
    They shall not move or perform as a projectile.
    They shall not emit flame or sparks to a distance greater than 5 meters (16.4 feet).
    They shall not be thrown or placed on any surface or article where it can cause an unwanted fire.
    They shall be used only on private property with the approval of the property owner.
    During the use of permissible fireworks, minors should be supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
    They shall not be used or ignited inside, under, or within 50 feet from any structure.
    They shall not be used or ignited within 100 feet of tents or membrane structures.
    They shall not be used or ignited within 300 feet of all fireworks retail sales locations including fireworks stands.
    Smoking shall be prohibited inside or within 50 feet of fireworks retail sales areas including fireworks stands.
    Smoking shall be prohibited within 25 feet of all permissible (consumer) fireworks located outside.
    Use of permissible fireworks for any purpose other than the approved and intended use shall be prohibited.
    Fireworks shall be used in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions/directions.

  13. Congress voted a unanimous resolution of independence on July 2d, with 12 affirmative votes and one abstention. That was a simple resolution. The final language of the Declaration itself, as drafted by Jefferson and amended in committee, was adopted on the 4th and sent to the printer. Washington read the Declaration to the troops. The Declaration gave meaning to the resolution and purpose to the war.

    Adams did predict that the 2nd would be celebrated for years to come, but we have come to recognize that it is the Declaration of the reasons for our independence that is the most important event.

    Besides, who wants to celebrate a Glorious Second? Second to what? Who was First?

    Have a Glorious Fourth, all Citizens, both natural born and naturalized!

  15. Poor Andrew Johnson: Poll Ranks Worst (and Best) Presidents

    Every eight years Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., asks scholars to rank the best and worst presidents in American history, and every survey since 1982 has seen Franklin D. Roosevelt in the number one spot. This year is no exception.
    ********
    As for the five lowest-ranked presidents, that list is fairly consistent as well, with one new addition. George W. Bush came in at 39th out 44 presidents. He’s ranked just ahead of Andrew Johnson (pictured), James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Pierce, all perennial bottom-dwellers.
    ********
    [need more be said. I was surprised that O’Bama ranked 15th. Wow.]

    http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/07/01/poor-andrew-johnson-poll-ranks-worst-and-best-presidents/?ncid=webmail

  18. Happy Fourth of July. Elaine I love Marblehead. I am jealous. I am in land locked Dallas and we have had bouts of hurricane rains come through for days but my yard has never looked better.

  19. From personal experience never ever load a mortar upside down. Nothing good comes of it, except, well experience.

    Happy Fourth of July. Question, why do we celebrate the 4th when it was Declared on the 2nd?

    On a side note, I read this with interest yesterday. Many people may already know this but:

    Jefferson wrote ‘subjects’ instead of ‘citizens’ in draft of Declaration of Independence, researchers say

    WASHINGTON — Preservation scientists at the Library of Congress have discovered that even in the act of declaring independence from England, Thomas Jefferson had trouble breaking free from monarchial rule.

    In an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote the word “subjects,” when he referred to the American public. He then erased that word and replaced it with “citizens,” a term he used frequently throughout the final draft.

    http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/07/02/2311227/jefferson-wrote-subjects-instead.html

  20. Here’s an acrostic poem for the Fourth of July. The first letters in the poem’s lines spell out the word/subject that the poem is about.

    **********
    Fiery flowers bloom

    In the night:

    Roses, carnations…chrysanthemums, too,

    Emerald green, red,

    White, and blue. Silvery fountains spill

    Out of the sky.

    Rockets of gold sizzle and sigh.

    Kaleidoscope colors cascading in space,

    Showering glitter all over the place.
    **********

    We’re going to spend Independence Day with close friends on their boat in Marblehead Harbor. Fireworks begin around nine.

    Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

    The countdown has begun. My daughter’s wedding in next Saturday.

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