America's Independence Day, 2005

"Independence Day" is more than just that movie where aliens blow up the White House - and as we'd relearn, it wouldn't take space aliens to try. Happy 229th birthday, America, as we round up this year's posts, and some of the best from yesteryear.

• Want to Support America's troops today? Here's how.

• Dean reproduces The Declaration of Independence.

• PejmanPundit's article describing his gratitude at being a new American is still unrivalled in the Blogosphere, and has very few rivals outside it. Required July 4th reading!

• Mudville Gazette has the daily Dawn Patrol, as MilBloggers blog the 4th. Or, you could visit the Ladies of the Cotillion's 40's-era pinup graphics as they swoon over various MilBloggers. Your call.

• Michael Lerner had a fabulous July 4th idea a couple years back: an American Seder. Just ignore the loony leftist bit in the middle, he's really on to something here. Rand Simberg has also wrtten about the idea, and Tigerhawk & Dave Kopel expand it with concrete suggestions. You don't have to be Jewish for this, but we have a good program to borrow from if you want a hand.

Other Links Today...

• The Blogosphere, 2005
• Best Of...

The Blogosphere, 2005

• Blogger and paid journalist Jigsha Desai hails from Zambia, and writes about becoming an American. (Hat Tip: Instapundit)

• Dean Esmay is blogging up a fireworks display of posts, including a short picture point re: The Flag and an online MP3 of The Stars and Stripes Forever - recorded live by the New England Conservatory's Youth Philharmonic Orchestra in 1999 - in Havana. Ah, subversion....

• Dan at Gaypatriot blogs about the American Revolution, as he watches the History Channel documentary as is moved by it. He's a lot smarter than NBC's Brian Williams, I'll tell you - but then, he didn't get his job because someone thought he looked pretty in front a camera.

• Mudville Gazette has photos of the Independence Day celebrations at Ramstein Air Force Base, in Germany. Worth reading for the captions alone.

• The Indepundit, aka. Lt. Smash, is holding a Victory Vigil in San Diego. Last year, they turned an anti-American ptotest into a Support the Troops Rally - and they intend to do it again. It's almost as good as the pamphlet shredding service story.

• JULY 5 UPDATE: This year, the protesters quit the field and the Victory Vigil just expressed their appreciation to the troops.

• From the other side, Iowahawk has a satirical 4th of July piece from al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Zarquawi entitled: "Stop Questioning My Patriotism." Man, where can WE get Guest Bloggers like that?

• GlennReynolds.com: "Power to the people. It's an American idea, and it's one that elites, abroad and at home, have always found threatening." Dean Esmay notes a good close to home example in (of course) the educational system, where a teacher explains that authoritarian governments are better aid recipients because democracies can't focus on spending the money correctly.

• Howard Lovy has a bit from the late Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman on freedom. Winds, as you might guess, has more in Feynman's Uncertainty and the Open Channel and Bronowski's Scientific Values: The Sense of Human Dignity.

• We'll end with fireworks. Ruth vectors us to this site with a lovely night-time picture of the Brooklyn Bridge & the Statue of Liberty. The Java applet then lets you set off fireworks and watch the result (warning: memory, CPU-intensive).

Best Of...

• K12.com has placed some history & civics lessons for kids on line. The difference? They start from the premise that America is a pretty great place. Click right here to access those lessons free of charge. Then look at what else K12.com provides, and show your school board.

• Dave Schuler offers 5 Short Quotes on America, and ponders what it means to be pro-American. His essay Anthems offers a related and interesting take on America The Beautiful, The Star Spangled Banner, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

• Let's not forget a fellow Canadian named Gordon Sinclair, whose radio address "The Americans" was widely circulated right after Sept. 11. It talks about what makes America great, and why the rest of us need to stand with her. Originally broadcast in 1973, it remains equally relevant today. Read his radio address and the story behind it, or hear it yourself in RealAudio!

The last word today goes to Ivan Giesbrecht of Calgary, Canada, who spoke for us both back in 2002:

"Two days ago my country celebrated its 135th birthday. Tomorrow is your day. Essentially, we're having a block party to celebrate birthdays, freedom, and democracy. It's a great neighborhood and I'm proud of it. Happy Fourth of July and pass the cake."

What he said. Thanks, America!