Happy Independance Day

[rrantique]

From beautiful Lake Fork Texas.

 

[ldhair]

[hoard]

Happy Independence Day Everyone. While there are no citations associated with the below text, and I really do not care. I believe the message of the text embodies why despite our internal problems, we Americans make up the best country in the world.

 

You could have heard a pin drop

 

 

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush.

 

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United

States has sent many of its fine young men and women

into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.

The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return

is enough to bury those that did not return.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a conference in France where a number of

international engineers were taking part, including French

and American. During a break, one of the French engineers

came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest

dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft

carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What

does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our

carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several

hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply

emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they

have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000

people three meals a day, they can produce several

thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each

day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in

transporting victims and injured to and from their flight

deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does

France have?' You could have heard a pin drop.

 

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference

that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian,

Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception,

he found himself standing with a large group of Officers

that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped

their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that,

whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn

only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have

to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking

French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe

it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans

arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

 

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in

Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer aske sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'

The American said, "'The last time I was here, I didn't have to

show it.

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports

on arrival in France!'

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard

look. Then he quietly explained, "'Well, when I came ashore

at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country,

I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

[pendragon1998]

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush.

 

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United

States has sent many of its fine young men and women

into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.

The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return

is enough to bury those that did not return.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

True story.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/powell.asp

[jtryka]

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush.

 

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United

States has sent many of its fine young men and women

into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.

The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return

is enough to bury those that did not return.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

True story.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/powell.asp

 

Funny how you never here these sorts of stories on CNN...

[rbrown4]

"WHERE LIBERTY DWELLS THERE IS MY COUNTRY" Ben Franklin

 

[jtryka]

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them to another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a descent respect to the opinions of mankind require them to declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

 

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...

 

In 8th grade, we had to memorize the text above in order to graduate to high school, in addition to memorizing the pre-amble to the Constitution and taking a test on both the United States and Illinois Constitutions. If I had to guess, today these are not only no longer required, but discouraged...

[pendragon1998]

 

 

 

 

[physics-fan3.14]

:thumbsup: