Happy Birthday, America!

Happy 232nd Birthday, America!  There are so many reasons that I am grateful to live in this great country that I could never list them all.  Many people don't give a second thought to this day, and that is a shame.

If you are unsure what really happened 232 years ago, click here for a quick lesson.

Take a minute to remember how many people fought to get our independence and all the people who work to ensure our freedoms today. Take a moment to think about all the freedom we have, the basis of everything we have as Americans- freedom of speech, of religion, of press.  Freedom to date who we want, to marry who we want, to live where we want, to shop in millions of store, to buy millions of things, to have as many children as we want, to travel throughout the country and outside of the country... Freedom to make websites condeming the president, freedom to protest the war or the president or unfair labor practices... Freedom to vote, freedom to wear as many or as few clothes as we want, freedom to own a home or many, freedom to change our jobs, freedom to choose which doctors we want to see, freedom to use the internet, freedom to own affordable cellphones, freedom to pursue any career we want and freedom to make our dreams come true. 

Our government is not perfect-- no government is.  But ours is pretty damned good, because that is how our founding fathers set it up, and we are indebted to them for their foresight and their brilliance to set our country up as they did.  We may not like a particular president, we may not like certain laws, but not only are we free to speak out against the president or protest those laws, but we are free to leave the country if we don't want to be here anymore.  Many Hollywood people said they would do just that when President Bush was elected in 2000, but they are still here.  Why?  Because where else could they live the idyllic life that they have made for themselves thanks to America?  Nowhere, that's where, and that's why they are still here. 

Below is a photo that I took of a past July 4th fireworks display.  It was the only shot that came out like this and I think it is the coolest photo I have ever taken.

Happy Independence Day!