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Originally posted by srussell0018 I don't understand why the 4th of July is considered "Independence Day" or the birth of a nation.

"He said, right before he answered his own question with..."

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Basically all it was is just a day where a bunch of guys signed a letter to Britain saying they wanted to be their own country.

Not really. I could draft up a letter saying I'd like to be my own country and not governed by the US and sign it and present it to the government, but that doesn't mean I have my own independent country now. Basically the US didn't get its independence as a result of the declaration, but as a result of fighting a war. They should be celebrating Sep 3, 1783 if anything.

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Originally posted by OrangestO This isn't about physics, this is about waves.

It's a celebration of the day (regardless of whether or not that was the real date) that they declared independence. It really is that simple.

Then they shouldn't call it the birth of a nation or celebrate it as the "birthday" of the US. I was at a baseball game last night and some dumbass completely decked out in stars and stripes got up and started the Happy Birthday song for the USA. Literally thousands of people joined in. It was so embarrassing.

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Originally posted by OrangestO This isn't about physics, this is about waves.

Around here a lot of younger people actually treat it as kind of a big lampoon of people who are actually ultra patriotic about everything. Wearing cut off jean shorts, American flag T shirts, drinking Budweiser in the American flag cans, and yelling 'MURRCA all the time.

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Originally posted by OrangestO This isn't about physics, this is about waves.

Why shouldn't they? The day is a symbol, celebrated as the day that "we" said, "Fuck you guys, we're doing our own thing, even if we have to fight for it". It has nothing to do with whether or not we were "officially" a nation, but that we "officially" said we were going to be independent and start our own. Hence "independence day". Do many people have a misconception as to what actually occurred that day? Sure, but the same can be said about citizens in every country that has a day celebrating their nation.

Bitching about the Fourth of July being the wrong date or the wrong reason is like bitching about how Christmas should really be celebrated in the spring, since that's when Jesus was most likely born.

I guess, except for the fact that it's just called Christmas, not "The 25th of December." If the date doesn't matter than they shouldn't use the date as the name of the holiday. Regardless, that document's signing wasn't even where they officially said they were going to be independent. The legal separation was drafted and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 2. The Declaration of Independence was just an explanation of that decision.

I just think it's kind of funny how so many Americans are so hyper-patriotic but possess a pretty limited knowledge about the actual history of their country.

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Originally posted by OrangestO This isn't about physics, this is about waves.

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Originally posted by srussell0018 I guess, except for the fact that it's just called Christmas, not "The 25th of December." If the date doesn't matter than they shouldn't use the date as the name of the holiday.

The official name of the holiday is "Independence Day". "The Fourth of July" is merely a misnomer.

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Regardless, that wasn't the date they officially said they were going to be officially independent. The legal separation was drafted and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 2. The Declaration of Independence was just an explanation of that decision.

And that's what is celebrated - the day we officially declared our intent to become independent.

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Originally posted by srussell0018 I just think it's kind of funny how so many Americans are so hyper-patriotic but possess a pretty limited knowledge about the actual history of their country.

This statement is akin to the videos that are passed around where people being interviewed apparently don't know the name of the vice president, where the UK is located, or that they think that "dihydrogen monoxide" is a dangerous chemical. A lot of people may be that stupid, but they're not in the majority, and, again, every country has their fair share of hyper-patriotic individuals that don't understand the real meaning of their equivalent holiday.

Meh. It's a silly holiday.

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Originally posted by OrangestO This isn't about physics, this is about waves.

I'm sitting at a Starbucks doing some writing. I noticed an older guy sitting at a table by himself for a while, then a younger man came in and sat next to him. They started talking. My first impression was that it was a gay couple that was meeting for the first time. I took off my headphones and started to eaves drop of their conversation. Turns out it's an army recruiter trying to persuade a fresh out-of-college graduate to enlist to be an officer. This guy literally sounds like a used car salesman. The kid looks like he's eating it up.

dont drink and splice wires.... noticed once i sobered up that my right blinker now makes both go... was wiring a trailer harness into my jeep last night. ill fix it when i get back from the lake