4th July

[Uncle Spielberg]

Where on Gods Green Earth is Steven Spielberg ?

 

[Meade's Ball]

Where on Gods Green Earth is Steven Spielberg ?

Probably mapping out his next big-budget swearword-free hammathon to bore me to death with if it gets Oscar-nominated.

 

[Elvis]

TONY MEOLA !!!

Wonder what he is up to now?

 

[Elvis]

In wonder of my own question, I have just googled old Tone. Pleased to see he is still in football, but took even more pleasure to see he was inducted into the Mullet hall of fame in 2012.

Top man! top Mullet!!

 

[Dandyman]

Lee Harvey Oswald.

 

[Woodchip]

John Madden.

 

[salazar]

Lee Harvey Oswald.

Snap!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Jack White
Morgan Freeman
The janitor in Scrubs
Reginald D Hunter
Greg Lemond
Jello Biafra
etc.

I could go on for hours, but apparently it's time to watch Mad Dogs

 

[Barrel of Fun]

There are a fair amount of Americans celebrating their 2013th birthday via the medium of Twitter so I vote for all of them.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

TONY MEOLA !!!

Wonder what he is up to now?

It's not a verified account, but it seems legit. @tmeola1 on Twitter.

 

[jakarta]

Frank Zappa

Seconded in regards to FZ.

Having been there several times with Mrs Jakarta on various holidays (Florida/New York/New England and Alaska) I can also confirm that the vast majority of Americans we met were friendly and welcoming but were also stunningly ignorant about the world beyond the UweEssAy

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Was in Boston (USA) on Independence Day a few years ago and stood in the crowd while the Governor of Massachusetts maintained the tradition of reading out the original declaration of independence from the balcony of the old Court building. I was surprised at the tone of the speech, basically a very polite and respectful letter to King George saying the colonials were loyal and asking the King to reconsider his tax policies without giving them representation but because he wouldn't they felt they had no option but to sue for independence. All seemed quite reasonable and made King George seem very arrogant.

I know The King was skint and needed the money from taxes but by asset stripping the colonies he didn't seem to recognise the bigger picture that he would lose the longer term wealth and resources they were generating for dear old Blighty. The rest is history, unless you believe the Mel Gibson / Hollywood version.

Boston is a great city and definitely has a British feel - yes there is an Irish influence but not as much as some of the hype will have you believe.

 

[Stoo82]

If we had treated them with a little more respect in the first place we would not have taken that pasting

The 13 colonies wanted independence because the British Government would not 'allow' them to settle past the thirteen colonies boundary. They feared French settlers, who the British Government where trying to appease, would end up settling there. They were under British 'rule' but under a different administration (Empires are complex creatures). They were from Canada and came into the British Empire after the 1763 (13 years before their declaration of Independence) Treaty of Paris after the French defeat in the Seven Years War. The British Government was desperate to appease the new French subjects and help them see the value of remaining loyal to the Crown.

The Declaration of Independence had nothing to do with Democracy or tax; they originally wanted independence 'under the crown' (there are letters available from government to government about this during negotiations). The 13 colonies wanted to expand and we could not, due to treaties with the Native Americans, and the French thing, make it happen.

Also, religion played a huge role in it. The French were Catholic, Britain was kind of over religion by this point (as a state) and the ‘Americans’ were Puritan for the most part. A dangerous mix.

It had very little to do with tax . That was the tipping point maybe, or just an excuse. Americans had already carved up and sold various chunks of land outside their boarders and would not allow the French to just take it! Plus, the British state was seen to be on the side of the Catholic French in North America.

 

[martyn20]

The 13 colonies wanted independence because the British Government would not 'allow' them to settle past the thirteen colonies boundary. They feared French settlers, who the British Government where trying to appease, would end up settling there. They were under British 'rule' but under a different administration (Empires are complex creatures). They were from Canada and came into the British Empire after the 1763 (13 years before their declaration of Independence) Treaty of Paris after the French defeat in the Seven Years War. The British Government was desperate to appease the new French subjects and help them see the value of remaining loyal to the Crown.

The Declaration of Independence had nothing to do with Democracy or tax; they originally wanted independence 'under the crown' (there are letters available from government to government about this during negotiations). The 13 colonies wanted to expand and we could not, due to treaties with the Native Americans, and the French thing, make it happen.

Also, religion played a huge role in it. The French were Catholic, Britain was kind of over religion by this point (as a state) and the ‘Americans’ were Puritan for the most part. A dangerous mix.

It had very little to do with tax . That was the tipping point maybe, or just an excuse. Americans had already carved up and sold various chunks of land outside their boarders and would not allow the French to just take it! Plus, the British state was seen to be on the side of the Catholic French in North America.

What a load of bollocks, what land outside it's borders had America already carved up and sold, remember America did not exist at the time you are talking about and who bought this land?

 

[BuddyBoy]

Ah the land of the free, apart from all the slaves of course. Good they stuck it to bloodsucking British colonialism though.

 

[Ringmer Seagull]

For living Americans, for lots of reasons John McEnroe would be well up there for me.

Widening it to deceased Americans, Robert Kennedy and Bill Hicks.

 

[Phat Baz 68]

 

[BuddyBoy]

 

[Norman Potting]

None of the above.

Ry Cooder, because he is a great guitarist, is political, has attitude and cares.

Or Bruce Springsteen, for similar reasons but less so...... in my view. I don't know as much about Mr Springsteen before all the Springsteen fans protest.

I would go with either of those, the latest Ry Cooder album (Election Special) makes it quite clear that he is not very keen on their "system". See also Steve Earle.

 

[Stoo82]

What a load of bollocks, what land outside it's borders had America already carved up and sold, remember America did not exist at the time you are talking about and who bought this land?

You've never heard of speculation then?

Rich people laid claim to land outside their boarders and sold it to other people, who, when the 13 colonies expanded into this land, could prove ownership and work it. 'America' was/is very fertile land. I know America did not exist. Thats why I called them the 13 conlonies.

Its not hard to see that the 'Americans', loyal or not, were going to be hemmed in.