HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

[NYDingbat]

The beacon of freedom, the land of opportunity. On this, our birthday, our resolve is strengthened, our optimism restored. We are once again filled with the fighting spirit of those brave men who crossed the Delaware river on Christmas day, shoeless and frostbitten, to smite the mightiest empire on earth.

We are resolved to defeat those within our borders who wish to diminish and destroy us.

God bless President Trump - a president who truly loves America - and God bless America.

Happy Birthday to the greatest country the world has ever known.

[oettinger]

The beacon of freedom,

Not really, signed by The rest of the world

[Badfellow]

The bacon of freedom, the ham of opportunity...

Um, fixed that for ya. No even gonna touch those Trumpy parts; no telling where they've been.

[Badfellow]

I'm not your typical American.

[ThirstyDrunk]

[Badfellow]

Not that I'm keeping score or anything, but...

America - 2
Germany - 0

[ThirstyDrunk]

[machinehead]

Mentioning Trump on
Fuckbook got me suspended

Until they realized
I am the Legendary
Troll of all the boards
On the web about drinking
Go figure

Ah, yes Old Farty the American Flag
As I call it nowadays
POTUS is an idiot.

[Badfellow]

Are you an American't? Or an American?

[scream ale]

An Ameripossibilty

[machinehead]

Anything is possible
You just have to believe
Cheers
Scream

[Badfellow]

Amerimaybe.

[Hugh]

The beacon of freedom,

Not really, signed by The rest of the world

The teachers and adults that were responsible for my upbringing in the USA taught me, most emphatically, that the USA was the greatest country in the world and, just like NYD said there, a "beacon of freedom." Of course the rest of the world knows that's a bunch of malarkey. And I'm a little confounded on how it is still a widely held belief here. Certainly, a lot of people immigrate to the USA to live and work here, but I don't think it's because the USA has more freedom than the rest of the world. A Mexican living in Tijuana has the freedom to push a food cart out onto a city sidewalk and sell his food. Try that in any American city and an armed law enforcer will shut your ass down. The USA has over 2 million people sitting in jails right now. That's hardly a beacon of freedom.

Over the last few years I've noticed a lot more homeless people in my city, and I've read about increases in homelessness in other cities, too. Whenever it gets discussed, people try to explain it with different reasons. Some people blame laziness, some blame the high cost of housing. It usually depends on the political beliefs of the person offering their two cents. (Nearly everybody says it's caused by mental illness. I don't buy that. People don't understand the difference in mental illness and just being a little weird.) Myself, I think the main reason for so many homeless people in USA is addiction. We're a nation of addicts. Not only is it difficult for an addict to hold down a job, it's nearly impossible to get a job in the first place because a lot of American employers require pre-employment drug screening. Even people who do nothing more than smoke weed can be barred from employment because they can't get by the drug screening.

I've taken two world excursions in my life, both at government expense (thanks US Navy!) and both times I was gladdened to return to the USA. There's no place I'd rather live. But just because we're number 1 in military spending, doesn't mean we're number 1 in the world. Hell, despite getting into war after war after war for decades and spending all that money, we haven't won one since 1945.

[ThirstyDrunk]

we haven't won one since 1945.

Talk to Grenada

[scream ale]

We totally won the war on drugs. Can't deny the facts.