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Photo: Happy Independents Day

By Howard B. Owens

Dave Olsen

Happy Independents Day to you. i finally found time this morning to watch the video of Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie with John Stossel. I especially enjoyed the segment with the anthropologist. Nick Gillespie and i agree on a lot! Great minds think alike

Jul 4, 2011, 4:28pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

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Jul 4, 2011, 4:34pm Permalink
JOSEPH MAROTTA

Did President Obama change the name of this holiday? Howard or Dave didnt it used to be Independence day? Are all of my calenders from the VFW and AMERICAN Legion incorrect? Isnt APRIL FOOLS in APRIL? According to this it also says Independence Day. It says July 4th is Independence Day USA.gov. Is this an expression of a Liberal twist? Veterans Day isnt Vetranarians Day now is it because if it is I will have to put my Army hat on and preform operations on animals!

Jul 4, 2011, 5:02pm Permalink
JOSEPH MAROTTA

Well no matter what twisted holidays you want it to be I hope everyone has a happy INDEPENDENCE DAY! I JUST HOPE THEY DONT START CALLING THE Declaration of Independence the declaraton of independents or the declaration of individuals.If everyone wants to be an individual why call it the UNITED STATES of AMERICA?

Jul 4, 2011, 5:13pm Permalink
Destin Danser

I personally find the headline to be distasteful. It's an uncalled for political stab, that is pretty much intentionally put there by you (Howard) to spark an argument in the comments. Today is supposed to be a day where we come together and celebrate our country, and maybe, just maybe, for a minute stop arguing about political and social issues. I honestly think that the headline is utterly disrespectful to those who have fought and died for our freedom.

But at the same time, as stated above, they died for our freedom. So if you wish, go burn a flag on main street. After all, they fought for your right to do so.

Jul 4, 2011, 5:18pm Permalink
Amy Platten

Last time I checked it was Independence Day not Independents Day. Either way, we should be thanking all the men and women who served in the past and present for our freedom. Without them we would not have the freedom to do what we do today. Thank you for all that you did and do.

Jul 4, 2011, 6:34pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

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Jul 4, 2011, 6:45pm Permalink
Dominic Condello

THANK YOU HOWARD FOR THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURE IN BATAVIA! I WOULDN'T MIND HAVING THAT BATAVIA BANNER MYSELF IT IS GREAT! AS FOR THE OTHER COMMENTS THEY ARE VERY IGNORANT!

Jul 4, 2011, 7:43pm Permalink
Lisa Falkowski

Didn't you read his posting or initial comment? Thanks, Howard! To the rest of you...you've lost sight. Get your heads out of the sand. Happy July 4th to All!

Jul 4, 2011, 7:55pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

..."rest of you"? ..."AS FOR THE OTHER COMMENTS THEY ARE VERY IGNORANT!" I saw Howard's initial post and not only understood the pun, but responded in kind. Perhaps, Lisa and Dominic, you should either adjust the choke on your shotguns or clean your lenses.

Jul 4, 2011, 8:16pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

hmmm someones always got to make drama out of nothing. Kudos Howard for having a sense of humor. As for the rest of you give it a rest will you? Its a holiday to celebrate our rebellion and declaring our independence from england. Thinkers like Howard are the ones who pushed us to declare our independance, it wasnt easy or a landslide or even popular at the time.

Look into history a little more before you reference it, there is a little more there than your high school history book summary.

Jul 4, 2011, 8:27pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

LOL Thanks Lisa.... I love researching our country's history. Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world that knows that Benedict Arnold was a hero and probably helped win the Revolutionary war for us by harassing the British Fleet on Lake Champlain making them delay reaching Saratoga long enough for us to Win that battle which was pivotal in the war.

Not just a traitor as his name has become synonymous with.

Jul 4, 2011, 9:27pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Some may find individual liberty distasteful. Fortunately, our Founders did not.

Has our country sunk so low that to celebrate individual liberty is to be called a liberal or worse?

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiCJUysIT0]

Jul 4, 2011, 10:50pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Happy 4th. Good to see you and Billie at the game tonight. It was a great game to watch. I pointed you out to the lady sitting behind me, who just arrived here from Texas. She said she is an avid reader of thebatavian.com.
For Billie, I haven't forgotten that I said I would share recipes. Just haven't had the time :(

Jul 4, 2011, 11:31pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Good seeing you, Bea. Sorry we didn't get a chance to chat. But we did make some new friends tonight where we were sitting. It's always fun at Dwyer.

Jul 4, 2011, 11:40pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

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Jul 5, 2011, 12:06am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Thanks Brandon thats one I havent see/heard in a while. As an amateur historian I sometimes am awed and shocked at what this country has been through as a nation of peoples yet is still here. Howards comment asking if we have sunk so low that an individual is labeled for beliefs in equality and individual liberty made me think. We have been in some dark times the civil war, the great depression and so on. Yet we as a people have persevered, not because we are any better or worse than other countries but because of our inherent beliefs in what our Founding Fathers established.

In every crisis there has ever been you hear reports of the terrrible and selfish thing done during those times. But there has been just as much good and kind and humane things done as well.

Regardless of circumstances.....in my lifetime it was evident in the few days after 9/11 where we stumbled but as a people we banded together and felt the one nation...indivisiable part and I saw alot of unity and patriotism that made me believe in the ideal of Americanism and brotherhood.

I'm sure we'll see it again soon, but to see it we have to suffer a little, listen the naysayers and watch crooked politicans, police and neighbors do and say what they want, grouse about this and that and so on. To appreciate what we do have and despite us being looked down on and unpopular in certain viewpoints. The rest of the world still looks to us and wants to become part of our system.

Sorry thats my rant for the day

Jul 5, 2011, 6:26am Permalink
Bea McManis

To me, July 4, is a grand holiday. I remember John Adams musing that he believed July 3 would be a day of celebration (he was off by one day, and no, I wasn't there).
Since you are all posting music, I'll post one of my favorite marches.
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Jul 5, 2011, 10:22am Permalink
Billie Owens

Funny thing, C.M., I was just watching that very White Rabbit video a day or so ago. When I get onto You Tube for one thing, I get transfixed into checking out this, which leads to that, and I end up in the strangest places. But I like Grace Slick because she's one of the greats from that era who has aged gracefully and now is all into painting, like Joni Mitchell and Tony Bennett.

Jul 5, 2011, 6:35pm Permalink

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