Today is July 4th. It is the day regarded as the birth of our nation. On this day, countless people will celebrate with fireworks, hot dogs, and songs that say things like,
“From Detroit down to Houston, and New York to L.A. / Well there’s pride in every American heart, and its time we stand and say / That I’m proud to be an American, / where at least I know I’m free / And I wont forget the men who died / who gave that right to me / And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today / ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land / God bless the USA.”
This is preposterous. The only men who have died for anything really related to the cause of freedom on the continent are the soldiers of the Revolution. Beyond that, every world war, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc… has been about political manipulation and the control of resources.
The only reason we have LA to sing about is because we stole the west coast from Mexico in the mid 1800’s.
That’s pretty awesome, huh. God Bless the USA.
If there is a God… I just pray that God will forgive the USA.
Why not be a citizen of the world? For those of you who are religious, what ever happened to being a child of God, part of the great human family?
“Territories” by RUSH
I see the Middle Kingdom between Heaven and Earth
Like the Chinese call the country of their birth
We all figure that our homes are set above
Other people than the ones we know and love
In every place with a name
They play the same territorial game
Hiding behind the lines
Sending up warning signs
The whole wide world
An endless universe
Yet we keep looking through
The eyeglass in reverse
Don’t feed the people
But we feed the machines
Can’t really feel
What international means
In different circles, we keep holding our ground
In different circles, we keep spinning round and round
We see so many tribes overrun and undermined
While their invaders dream of lands they’ve left behind
Better people…better food…and better beer…
Why move around the world when Eden was so near?
The bosses get talking so tough
And if that wasn’t evil enough
We get the drunken and passionate pride
Of the citizens along for the ride
They shoot without shame
In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent
Or the color of your shirt
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colorful rag is unfurled
….and speaking of colorful flags – check out Sheralyn Pratt’s excellent article on the little known fact that the USA has two official flags: http://sheralynpratt.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-conspiracy-theorists-taught-me.html
