Happy 4th to you all!

[Osotogary]

Yep! Happy Independence Day to one and all.

[radio relay]

Happy Birthday, United States of America!

And to all who have served, enjoy this day that you helped to preserve.

To those on the battle line, God Bless and come home safe and sound!

[Gy7ras]

Happy 4th To all Jarheads and Members of Leatherneck.com! God's Speed to all our young men and women serving in harms way.

Gy7ras

[yellowwing]

July 4th 1776, the Founding Fathers put it in writing. They made the commitment to win their freedom.

The Marine Corps is very particular on signatures. We sign for everything. We make our marks to be accountable and responsible.

229 years later now, we enjoy the fruits of their commitment. And we are grateful to serve in the forces that guard these freedoms.

Semper Fidelis and happy Independence Day!

[ALLENR]

Happy 4th to all Marines and service members. Enjoy the day that
you help protect and make happen.

Semper Fi

[CHOPPER7199]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL. AND A SPECIAL ONE FOR MR.HOBERT COBB WHO TURNS 80 ON THE BIG 4TH, MANY MORE BROTHER.

[thedrifter]

"Ragged Old Flag"

By Johnny Cash

www.countrywhispers.com/raggedoldflag/

Ellie

[yellowwing]

Perfect! Thanks Ellie.

[Ed Palmer]

Subject: Trivia about signers of Dec. of Indep.
>
>
>
>
> THE 4TH OF JULY
>
> Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
> who signed the Declaration of Independence?
>
> Five signers were captured by the British as
> traitors,
> and tortured before they died.
>
> Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
>
> Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary
> Army;
> another had two sons captured.
>
> Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
> hardships of the Revolutionary War.
>
> They signed and they pledged their lives, their
> fortunes,
> and their sacred honor.
>
> What kind of men were they?
>
> Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
>
> Eleven were merchants,
>
> nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
>
> men of means, well educated,
> but they signed the Declaration of Independence
> knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
> they were captured.
>
> Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
> trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
> British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
> pay his debts, and died in rags.
>
> Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
> that he was forced to move his family almost
> constantly.
> He served in the Congress without pay, and his
> family
> was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from
> him,
> and poverty was his reward.
>
> Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of
> Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
> Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
>
>
> At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted
> that
> the British General Cornwallis had taken over the
> Nelson
> home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
> George Washington to open fire. The home was
> destroyed,
> and Nelson died bankrupt.
>
> Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
> The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few
> months.
>
>
> John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she
> was dying.
> Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields
> and his gristmill
> were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in
> forests
> and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and
> his
> children vanished.
>
> Some of us take these liberties so much for granted,
> but we shouldn't.
>
> So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of
> July holiday and
> silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask
> for the price they paid.
>
> Remember: freedom is never free!
>

[Ed Palmer]

Happy 4th to you all!

[Ed Palmer]

[thedrifter]

Posted on Mon, Jul. 04, 2005
Fourth facts, foibles and fun
By Leigh Weimers

Happy Fourth.

If you're like a lot of people, you'll have time off today for picnics, fun and fireworks (I recommend the pyrotechnics at the big America Festival downtown; take light rail to get there and avoid traffic and parking hassles). And, probably, sometime during this day someone will begin griping patriotically about the fractious condition of America today, compared with dedicated unanimity of 1776, and say something like, ``What's going on now never would have gone on back then.''

Granted, comparing today's politicians with the leaders who wrote the Declaration of Independence does make you wonder about the course of evolution. But Richard Shenkman, one of those nasty journalists who delight in puncturing cherished myths, has pointed out that things didn't always go smoothly in 1776, either.

You may already have heard from Shenkman and others that independence wasn't declared on July 4, but on July 2, instead. What may have muddied the historical water, among other things, is that Thomas Jefferson announced the declaration a couple of days after it had been issued -- on the 4th -- and that's the date that stuck. Congress didn't celebrate the declaration until July 8, indicating it was a bit behind the curve back then, too.

As for unanimity, Shenkman notes that not all the parties to the declaration signed on the first day. Most participants finally put their names on it by Aug. 2, though. One guy didn't get around to signing until 1781 (he was waiting for a poll?). And neither did all the states support independence. In the next-to-last vote in Congress, Pennsylvania and South Carolina said no, Delaware was divided and New York abstained. Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Delaware did come on board for the final vote, though. New York's delegates, saying they were waiting for instructions from back home, abstained again.

Perfect times? Hardly. Using today's microscope, it could be said that although the end result was good, the process may have been flawed (an excuse currently heard around San Jose City Hall).

But that end result back then? About as perfect a declaration and, eventually, a constitution, as humanly possible. So celebrate!

MAKING HISTORY: Continuing today's theme, historian Jack Douglas's new book, ``Historical Highlights of Santa Clara County,'' will get its public unveiling with a reception and book-signing at Histo -- a good way to learn more about Civic Auditorium and Hotel Montgomery, for starters.

Morgan Hill also has gets its day in the literary sun in a new photo-rich paperback by U.R. Sharma, simply titled ``Morgan Hill'' (Arcadia Publishing). Intriguing tidbit: Sharma notes that the Southern Pacific Railroad tried to name the nearby depot ``Huntington'' but passengers always asked to stop at Morgan Hill's ranch instead, and the name stuck.

MAKING TRACKS: And, in the spirit of independence, I'm taking off for another of my vacations. Let's all get together again here on July 13, all right? I promise I won't show slides.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Leigh Weimers at lweimers@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5547. Fax (408) 288-8060


Ellie

[hector verduzco]

Happy 4th of July to all MARINES who have served before us and who are now serving today. Independents day was not given, it was earned the hard way, through Blood, Sweat, and tears. We as MARINES know through our Blood Stripe what it means to wear the our Dress Blues. Our colors never run!. Happy 4th of July to everyone, but most of all be Safe and Sane to enjoy many more years to come.

[thedrifter]

The Declaration of Independence(Text and Audio) with pictures


http://www.historyplace.com/unitedst.../decindep2.htm

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Independence Day By The Numbers
kwtx News



Americans will celebrate Independence Day with food, fireworks and fun, and the U.S. Census Bureau is keeping track of the numbers.

Here’s some Holiday trivia from the bureau:

1776

296.5 MILLION
>Projected number of U.S. residents on this July 4th. Back in July 1776, there were about 2.5 million people living in the colonies. (2005 population from unpublished data; 1776 population from Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970.)

THE FOURTH OF JULY COOKOUT

150 MILLION
>Number of hot dogs (all varieties) expected to be consumed by Americans on the Fourth. (That’s one frankfurter for every two people.) There’s about a 1-in-4 chance that the hot dogs made of pork originated in Iowa, as the Hawkeye State had a total inventory of 16.2 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2005. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s total. (Data on hot dog consumption courtesy of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.)

7.3 MILLION POUNDS
>Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2004. Chances are that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for over one-sixth of the nation’s total production.

SIX
>Number of states in which the revenue from chicken broilers was $1 billion or greater in 2004. There is a good chance that one of these states--Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi or Texas-- is the source of your barbecued chicken.

BETTER THAN 50-50
>The odds that the beans in your side dish of baked beans came from North Dakota, Michigan or Nebraska, which produced 58 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2004. Another popular July 4th side dish is corn on the cob. California and Florida together accounted for about 45 percent of the value of sweet corn produced nationally in 2004.

ONE-HALF
>Amount of the nation’s spuds produced in Idaho or Washington in 2004. Potato salad and potato chips are also popular food items at July 4th barbecues.

NEARLY 69 MILLION
>Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day.

FIREWORKS

$164.2 MILLION
>The value of fireworks imported from China in 2004, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imports ($172.5 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $14.3 million in 2004, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($4.7 million).

$17.3 MILLION
>The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in 2002.

FLAGS

$5.2 MILLION
>The dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2004; the vast majority of this amount ($4.8 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.

$851,000
>Dollar value of U.S. flag exports in 2004. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $312,000 worth.

$349 MILLION
>Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation’s manufacturers, according to the latest published Economic Census (2002) data.

PATRIOTIC PLACES

30
>Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in their name. The most populous one is Liberty, Mo. (27,982). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

ELEVEN
>Number of places that have “independence” in their name. The most populous of
>these is Independence, Mo., with 112,079 residents.

FIVE
>The number of places that have adopted dopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.

FIVE
>And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 22,876.

ONE
>There is one place named “patriot” ? Patriot, Ind., with a population of 196.

COMING TO AMERICA

34 MILLION
>The number of foreign-born residents in the United States in 2004; they accounted for 12 percent of the nation’s total population. Another 30 million Americans were “second-generation,” meaning that at least one of their parents was born abroad.

53%
>Percentage of the nation’s foreign-born population born in Latin America, as of 2004.

706,000
>Number of immigrants granted legal permanent residence in the United States during fiscal year 2003. One in four settled in California, and 1-in-10 in the New York metro area.

463,000
>Number of people who became naturalized U.S. citizens during fiscal 2003. Mexico contributed the highest number of naturalized citizens in 2003 (56,100), followed by India (29,800), the Philippines (29,100), Vietnam (26,000) and China (24,000).

Ellie