# Happy Independence Day! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893 "2009-07-04T13:25:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893/21 "2009-07-05T01:02:57Z")
I’m watching the Capitol Lawn spectacular. When did Aretha Franklin become Jabba the Hutt?! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893/22 "2009-07-05T01:32:45Z")
Word. She is _huge_. Still got the pipes, though. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893/23 "2009-07-05T03:18:53Z")
Happy Independence Day my a$$! My neighborhood sounds like the Taliban is attacking, smells like Hell, and I keep waiting for the yard to catch fire. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893/24 "2009-07-05T03:31:51Z")
Sorry. I’ve been married for over a quarter century. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893/25 "2009-07-05T03:48:27Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Declaration of Independence. > > It’s a good read. I take a few minutes each year to appreciate it. > > Happy 4th! What struck me reading it this year - “and to provide new Guards for their future security”. New _economic_ guards, anyone? Anyone? July 4, 2009 has a nice ring to it, much like July, 4 1776. Every year commentators say we should “renew” our Independence, remember what it means to be an American, and other such platitudes. But, I can’t help but think back to the `80 and `90s – and the economic scene of those disparate decades. Will we have a new political and economic era with Obama? I think we had our lost decade and in the words of President Whitman: > [@](#): > > Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. “Mankind.” That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom… Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: “We will not go quietly into the night!” We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day! ---
**Author:** ![mattomic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@mattomic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattomic)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893/26 "2009-07-05T04:04:35Z")
Hope you all had a happy Fourth. I was watching a documentary on Independence Day recently, some really fascinating stuff. Apparently, at one point, aliens actually celebrated the date by blowing up the White House. Luckily, Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum were able to stop the alien menace, by hacking computers or something contrived like that. I’m glad to see none of that repeated itself today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-independence-day/501893.md?page=1)