Well said

Thanks Craig!

Wonderful article Dino. Have lots of memories watching parades on the forth. Big day in our Bucks Cnty community. (Southampton) After the parade the participents along with the public would go to the park for an all-day picnic.....and watch fireworks in the evening.

Thanks Willet. Yes...those were the days...

OK, so, while I get where you are coming from, isn't this what we do Memorial Day and Veteran's Day as well?

The most meaningful July 4th observance in the Lehigh Valley may well be Wednesday's public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the George Taylor House in Catasauqua at 10 a.m. Taylor, an English immigrant, was recruited to join Congress and sign the declaration in place of a British loyalist. Taylor's home will be open for tours from 9 a.m. till noon.

Kinda funny in an article ranting about the lost meaning of this holiday doesn't even once refer to the actual name of the holiday. It's Independence Day. It's not the "fourth" and more than Christmas is the "twenty fifth". The day is also not a pro America day as much as it is a day to celebrate breaking free from a tyrannical government. We are (or were) the nation that rebelled against the tyranny coming from what was OUR Government in England, that tyranny now pales in comparison to what we have now under our Government in DC. Yeah but we can't say that as it's too radical, just like you couldn't say it them (the majority of America was against Independence at first). So how many more "fourths" can we celebrate until I'm locked up for just posting this message? So Dino, it's about a lot more than t-shirts, a lot more.

David,
"still have representative democracy" <<< REALLY ??? the idiots walked out!! didn't even cast a vote. In my opinion -- they QUIT -- and should keep right on walking - without pay, benefits and any other amenities that WE the TAX payers pay for. Unfortunately - I don't believe there is a democracy anymore -- it's political gridlock and just BAD POLITICS. Those people DO NOT have our interest in mind. The "OBAMACARE" is a spending spree that will take this nation down the toilet!! We're already in the swirl vortex of going down in flush mode. WE are NOT represented.

It sad, but American and the Supreme court have place a value on freedom and it isn't much. It seems that to most Americans getting someone else to pay for their health care is worth giving up their freedom. Soon everything will be the governments business, your medical records, what you eat, what you drink, your sex life, your genetics, what you tell your therapist, what sports you play and of course if you are worth medical care and if you are worth life or should just die for the public good.. I find it interesting that with all the supporters of this unread legislation, not one has the nerve to come to my home and tell my daughter with Down Syndrome that she doesn't deserve a life. I guess all you liberals will do what you usually do, hire someone else handle the dirty work or set up a nameless faceless bureaucracy to do what they don't have the balls to do. .
Waving a flag, stuffing your face with hot dogs, buying tee-shirts, watching a parade and voting for a free ride isn't patriotism. The country and values you are celebrating no longer exist, you gave them up for a welfare check, medical care, and "change"

Well just remember that Romney now says IT IS NOT A TAX!!! so vote for him!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/romney-obama-agree-health-care-individual-mandate-not-154845339.html

Romney is an ass. What do you want to bet he picks a Hispanic for VP. This thread started out about Freedom and the 4th of July. I still say it's the Best country in the world to live in despite all it's flaws. In the 60's there was a saying, " Love it or Leave it." That still holds true today. Appreciate where you live and if you don't like it, you're free to leave. Enough about the Health Care Bill. It's passed for now, deal with it.

I have typed it a hundred times...its a shame we cannot offer anything (including a brief article about Independence Day in the Patch), where we can't turn its meaning into a political debate. I have NEVER seen this country so divided, where you can't wish your neighbor a good day without becoming involved in political discussion. I blamde the leadership on both sides, as we take a great nation and rip it apart, so they can accomplish nothing! Sad!

Seriously sik and tired of hearing morons like sick and tired rambling about how the Affordable care act affects our freedom..So incredibly ignorant..The idea of the act is the same as Social Security and Medicare..We all pay into the system and if we need it , it's there..All these people now that dont pay for health care end up getting subsidixed by everyone else..At least the ACA will stop the freeloaders..At least, that's what Romney said when he passed the exact same law..If you really are concerned about your freedoms , then you should be screaming in the streets about the "citizens United" ruling that pretty much rips the heart out of our representative Democracy..We now will become a corporate state ruled by a few billionairres..If you have no problem with that Mr. Sick and stupid, then you need to stop whining about the health care law..Geez

Incredible nonsense..We all pay for car insurance..In fact, in Pa. if you want to drive you have to get car insurance..I hate the fact that we are paying trillions to fight the Bush wars..I hate the fact that we are paying 650 billion dollars a year for our so called national defense , when the rest of the world's top 16 countries, all together, dont pay as much as we do for defense..Yet, I have to pay insane income taxes to support these wars and our wasteful defense spending..That's just the way it is..It might suck but you need to suck it up and pay into Social Security and pay for health care or go somewhere else..Geez, stop the Fox ignorance and watch another channel already.

What, watch MSNBC or CNN or other liberal trash stations?

Fox is the only station that ever has a differing opinion on. They have juan Williams and Alan Combs on permanent staff, and they are two liberal douches.

MSNBC, CNN, NBC... they all just have liberal twits on. Fox is by far the most balanced. Watch it and see. You just don't like the fact that they are not a network cheering section for Obuma.

Tony... this is really laughable. You are the one who post links to support your "facts", and the links actually support the opposite of your facts. I demonstrated this on you post in another thread where you had a link about Romney "debt", and the article stated the debt was not Romneys debt.

You are the product of a union household, probably had parents who were teachers or steel workers. You have crap for brains.

Hey.. why didn't Obama reverse all those loses of freedom from 2000-2008? He could have. Could have gotten rid of TSA... could have closed Gitmo.... could have stopped all the new techniques used by FBI, CIA, etc. So comeon' crap for brains, explain why Obama leaves all this in place.... ? Can ya? Doubt it. Maybe have to watch some Ed Schultz or Rachel Maddow re-runs to parrot an answer.

Happy 4th everyone!! Last 4th with Obama as president if you want to save this country from his ineptitude on the economy. More bad news today on manufacturing, but "Private sector is doing well....". Dufus has NO PLAN to fix economy. Has not figured one out... has not presented one.... has no idea how to create one. A complete idiot who only knows how to give speeches and raise money. Clueless Obama for the inept masses... like Tony....

Oh ya... Obama's plan to fix the economy is to borrow a bunch of money and send it to the states to keep from laying off teachers. HAHAHA. Teacher and other public unemployment is like 2% of the unemployment problem. But he is fixated on this... because it is the only idea he has. How well did that idea work in 2009... you know, over 3 years ago, when he borrowed a BILLION dollars and sent it to the states to keep his union lackey supporters working? DIDN"T WORK AT ALL.

But now, he says give the money to the states to hire teachers and firefighters, and that will get the economy rolling. What, Barry Obama? You mean the money we give them will "trickle down" to the rest of us non-union, non-public workers, as they spend it? What? Trickle down economics?

If you support Obama, you're just an idiot.

Liberals are loser, While I 100% agree with you about how Obama could have done those things, do you honestly think Romney will be any better? I just read a great article on why Romney will be even worse which makes sense as every President in my adult life has been worse than the one before him. I see it no differently this year. That being said, I don't play the "lessor of two evils game" nor should anyone. That's why I'm voting for Gary Johnson and NOT throwing away my vote for the lesser evil..

Dear Mr. Loser,
Are you brain dead? Thanks to the Democrats, those like you with Mental Health issues can get county help..My thought is that you rush and call your local county and get help..I know the toughest thing will be having to wean you off Fox noise but we'll all pray that they are successful..Best of luck to you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7equ_xy5_kg

I must laugh everytime I hear an uninformed person blather, 'change the channel and stop watching FOX News'. I chuckle to myself as I even write this. I have never watched Fox News, but I'm pretty sure that if you received your information from other sources, such as Jim Marrs, author of The Trillion Dollar Conspiracy, and Rise of the Fourth Reich you are making plans to get out of this country quick if need be. If any of you liberals and Romney supporters had any idea as to what is really going on, you'd be pissing your pants as we speak. Most of you are living on 'normalcy bias' right now. The same mistake many Jews of WWII made, the same mistake that cost millions of them their lives. Thinking things can't get that bad, and that you can weather them? Can't happen again you say? Ha, it was only 70 years ago and ask any of you what the crimes were and none can remember. If you could, you would remember that everything occurring within the past 12 year HERE is EXACTLY what happened in Nazi Germany preceeding WWII, starting with a 'terrorist' attack on the parliment building that brough part of it down. Forget Fox News, forget CNN, research and learn you idiots, I can afford to leave the country in short order, can you? Thank Rich P. for your patience with them.

How many of you know that new recruits into any US military branch are now being asked, 'Would you have any trouble obeying a command from your commanding officer to fire upon American citizens?' Anyone answering 'yes' is dismissed. Those that indicate no troube at all move on in the process. How does that make you feel? Don't believe me, ask a new recruit. This despite the Act (with my age, the name of the Act escapes me) that prohibits US military from using force upon American citizens. But since we are moving to global law, American laws are being scratched out. Maybe you should stop watching WHATEVER channel you're watching and start paying attention, and living.

Guys, all this debate is great! I appreciate it!!

Saddie, That's just completely bonkers..If that were the case, it would be all over the news..My expectation is that it might come if Romney and his billionairre corporate friends take over cause they'll need the protection...They are trying to buy the country now, thanks to citizen's united. If they do, they'll need the solier's protection for sure..

Saddie,

You need to stop listening to Glenn beck and his pals..Elvis is dead and you are bonkers...

David Stern - You are correct that we are able to vote. However, only a few of those in Congress and the White House are not "talons of the same bird of prey" as Pat Buchanan put it. (Ron Paul is one of the few.) Let's face it, at the end of the day the differences between the Democrats and Republicans are minimal. Administrations from both camps over the years have gotten this country to where it is today. If Democrats and Republicans are both against deficits, why do we have deficits?

The fact is that our "leaders" are controlled by the big corporations through the use of more than 25000 lobbyists. Everybody knows it. Why has not a single banker or credit ratings principal even been indicted for the sub-prime mortgage fraud? Jon Corzine stole hundreds of millions of dollars from his clients, he's still on the loose. GlaxoSmithKline was just fined $3 billion dollars for fraud, but no individuals were indicted. And who will really pay the GlaxoSmithKline fine? We will - in higher prices! Will any of us get any of the $3 billion fine anyway? Hah! It will go to the defense contractors to continue making equipment for their senseless (but extremely profitable) wars.

If you think that voting is relevant, you are sorely mistaken. And, even if it was, what about that change we were promised? Dream on.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rnc-chair-individual-mandate-isn-t-tax-gop-150824741.html

RNC Chair says not a tax! awesome. This July 4th will be no tax from Obamacare...uhhhh wait...they say they will call it a tax anyway to win election....ohhhh ....i always KNEW those good ol' repubs had the best interest of the people and never ever told a lie, especially on fox news. Wait so if RNC Chair says not a tax, I knooooooowwwwww fox will be reporting on this...oh wait.....not fair and balanced. forgot.:)

Whether it's a tax or not, it's fun watching these morons on Fox noise and idiots like Bachman and other Republicans calling it the largest tax increase in the universe..Seriously, one jerk on Fox used the word universe..Of course, it's all fiction..In the last fifty years of tax increases, the increase in Obamacare is 10th out of 15..In fact, Ronald Reagan's 1982 tax increase came in in 5th place for the largest tax increase in fifty years..And very little, if any, of the taxing component in the ACA will fall on the middle class.. Yet,now they are not sure if it is a tax..Geez, they are so pathetic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYrPWwJkhdc&feature=g-vrec