# Happy Birthday America!



## dustinzgirl (Jul 4, 2006)

Yay its the 4th of July! 

We are having a bar b q and then setting off some fireworks that we are probably not supposed to have, ha ha ha.


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## BookStop (Jul 4, 2006)

Us too!  This year we got loads of fireworks to share with the neighbors.  Can't wait for dark.


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## murphy (Jul 4, 2006)

Here are some fireworks that won't scare the animals.  

http://www.fireworkspop.com/liberty.htm.

Hope it works.


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## Paige Turner (Jul 4, 2006)

Have a great day, America! You guys party into the night a bit too much for our liking, but you're still our favourite (and only) neighbour! Have fun!

(edit) And just so you know: You don't look a day over 200!


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## j d worthington (Jul 5, 2006)

Paige: It's the Grecian Formula 44 (sort of a combined hair-color/health tonic)


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## Tau Zero (Jul 5, 2006)

OK, true story.

About 25 years ago, my father was traveling on July 4th in Africa with an associate on British Airways.  Since it was the 4th, my father's friend (without thinking) loudly asks the Flight Attendant "Since it's July 4th, how about a free round of drinks for the Americans?"
The Flight Attendant quietly replies "Not bloody likely."

I don't know if this is really the best forum to bring up America's Independence to a primarily English audience.  

That being said, i'm off in half an hour for a cook out at a friend's with a load of fireworks (legal in Oregon as long as they don't fly).


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## Teresa Edgerton (Jul 5, 2006)

We live in one of the few towns in this area that still allows people to set off their own fireworks (although only the approved "safe and sane" brands).  That means that a lot of people from other communities come over here to celebrate.  Between all the people using the legal stuff and the folks setting off the occasional illegal firework, it can get pretty wild after dark.  

(It's not even dusk yet as I write this, but there's already a fairly steady barrage of firecrackers.  Fortunately, our dogs are quite casual about that part.  It's the louder explosions at night that make them a little edgy.)

I do love the fountains and the rockets, though.  In spite of the fact that my own lifetime encompasses approximately a quarter of those 200+ years, I'm still a child at heart when it comes to these lovely showers of colored fire.


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## j d worthington (Jul 5, 2006)

Teresa Edgerton said:
			
		

> I do love the fountains and the rockets, though. In spite of the fact that my own lifetime encompasses approximately a quarter of those 200+ years, I'm still a child at heart when it comes to these lovely showers of colored fire.


 
Teresa -- no flattery intended here, but I think you're much younger -- at least, as you say, at heart -- than that. It's a privilege and a joy to correspond with you.


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## YOSSARIAN (Jul 5, 2006)

Fireworks are illegal here in St. Louis, but you can drive 20 minutes to the outer suburbs and get whatever you want.  The police in my neighborhood turn their heads to setting off fireworks illegally so long as you only do it on the 4th.  We set off a couple of supercool fireworks on Sunday night and consequently got a visit from the law.  Right now my neighborhood is blowing up like crazy.  Here's to hoping that everyone sticks to the fireworks and leaves the guns inside (I live in a really bad neighborhhod.)


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## j d worthington (Jul 5, 2006)

Well, the fireworks have been going off here since about 5 p.m. A fair amount of booming, combined with thunder from the local and rather large storm that's moved in.

On the subject of big booms, growing up, the neighbor across the street had a small cannon (I kid you not), which he'd set off on the 4th and on New Year's Eve -- no shot, but plenty of powder! Darn near made me jump out of my skin every time....


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## littlemissattitude (Jul 5, 2006)

It's just past 8 p.m. here now, and so I expect to start hearing the "bombs bursting in air" any time now.  I've already heard a few.  Here in town, they're legal from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight on the 4th.  I also just saw the police helicopter fly over, so I'm thinking they're starting to watch for the non-legal (flying) fireworks now, as well.


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## steve12553 (Jul 5, 2006)

Tau Zero said:
			
		

> I don't know if this is really the best forum to bring up America's Independence to a primarily English audience.


On the other hand, this being a well read, thinking group, I suspect they know who fought beside them in the two world wars and countless other battles. With everything that's happened since the 1770's the loss of the American colonies amounts to little more than ahaving their feather's ruffled.


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## dustinzgirl (Jul 5, 2006)

I'll get drunk on English Holidays too! LOL

Actually, I way over drank last night. I hardly ever drink more than a good glass of wine in the evening. We went to my sister in laws and had a pretty big family and friend party. I drank 3 glasses of pinapple juice and spiced rum, two glasses of rum and coke. by glass, I mean big beer glasses. LOL. Then we walked home at about 1 am...they only live two blocks away. This morning I walked to the store (1 mile away) for muffins and chocolate milk like I always do, and OMG! I should have just stayed in bed. Actually, I am pretty sure I am still drunk. Ha!


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## YOSSARIAN (Jul 5, 2006)

dustinzgirl said:
			
		

> I'll get drunk on English Holidays too! LOL
> 
> Actually, I way over drank last night. I hardly ever drink more than a good glass of wine in the evening. We went to my sister in laws and had a pretty big family and friend party. I drank 3 glasses of pinapple juice and spiced rum, two glasses of rum and coke. by glass, I mean big beer glasses. LOL. Then we walked home at about 1 am...they only live two blocks away. This morning I walked to the store (1 mile away) for muffins and chocolate milk like I always do, and OMG! I should have just stayed in bed. Actually, I am pretty sure I am still drunk. Ha!


 
Hung over from 5 drinks?  Lightweight!


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## dustinzgirl (Jul 5, 2006)

YOSSARIAN said:
			
		

> Hung over from 5 drinks?  Lightweight!



I am so a lightwieght. It is very, very sad. And my husband says I am a dork when I am drunk.... The last time I drank real alcohol was Christmas.


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## star.torturer (Jul 5, 2006)

i dont drink


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## Rane Longfox (Jul 6, 2006)

Well, I wandered around LA wearing my England cricket top to stick a finger up at our dear US-ian friends, but because no one has ever heard of cricket, none of them realised. Bwahaha...


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## j d worthington (Jul 6, 2006)

Rane Longfox said:
			
		

> Well, I wandered around LA wearing my England cricket top to stick a finger up at our dear US-ian friends, but because no one has ever heard of cricket, none of them realised. Bwahaha...


Oh, we know about the game. We just figured what with the recent problems in football, to give you a hassle simply wasn't ... er, cricket


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## YOSSARIAN (Jul 6, 2006)

Cricket seems like baseball with all the fun removed.


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## murphy (Jul 6, 2006)

The only thing I know about cricket is that it is played with a ball, a bat and a "wicket?"  But I have heard of it.


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## Sparks the Knave (Jul 6, 2006)

YOSSARIAN said:
			
		

> Cricket seems like baseball with all the fun removed.


 
played both and find cricket to be far more fun. but a cricket ball hurts a hell of a lot more when you get hit by it on the down side haha


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## YOSSARIAN (Jul 6, 2006)

Sparks the Knave said:
			
		

> played both and find cricket to be far more fun. but a cricket ball hurts a hell of a lot more when you get hit by it on the down side haha


 
I am completely ignorant about cricket.  U.S. television never shows cricket matches, and I don't think anyone plays it over here.  Actually, TV does show India v. Pakistan matches, but they are on Pay-Per-View and it costs like $40 to watch it.


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## dustinzgirl (Jul 6, 2006)

YOSSARIAN said:
			
		

> I am completely ignorant about cricket. U.S. television never shows cricket matches, and I don't think anyone plays it over here. Actually, TV does show India v. Pakistan matches, but they are on Pay-Per-View and it costs like $40 to watch it.



I watched one. It was amazingly boring. Nobody cusses, spits, grabs each others butt or other unmentionables. They are so nice and clean cut. Its almsot adorable. The little white sweaters and slacks were cute. Then I realized, um........this is really boring. So I turned it to the WWE PPV. Much more interesting. Plus in cricket, they just hit a ball...back and forth, back and forth....just like baseball, which is boring too. But at least in baseball they get dirty. Rugby, now there is a game for you. My hubby's friend is from australia, he got a rugby team going, and that i love to watch.


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## Kaotic_Writer (Jul 8, 2006)

hope everyone had a great 4th


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## Rane Longfox (Jul 9, 2006)

Gawd, watching WWE rather than sport. And paying for it too... how depressing.


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## dustinzgirl (Jul 9, 2006)

Rane Longfox said:
			
		

> Gawd, watching WWE rather than sport. And paying for it too... how depressing.



LOL. Quite possibly, but much more interesting. And paying...well, thats another story. I rarely pay for any ppv's. Thats what friends and family are for. They all come over to my house for some insane reason.


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## Nesacat (Jul 10, 2006)

Lived in India for 5 years and that country does not just play cricket. It's lives, eats, sleeps, dreams cricket. It's funny how a game brought by the British has stayed to become a national passion. It's almost as if Indian children learn to play cricket before they learn to speak. You see it being played everywhere, on every available patch of ground by everyone from street children to executives in suits.


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## Sparks the Knave (Jul 10, 2006)

dustinzgirl said:
			
		

> I watched one. It was amazingly boring. Nobody cusses, spits, grabs each others butt or other unmentionables. They are so nice and clean cut. Its almsot adorable. The little white sweaters and slacks were cute. Then I realized, um........this is really boring. So I turned it to the WWE PPV. Much more interesting. Plus in cricket, they just hit a ball...back and forth, back and forth....just like baseball, which is boring too. But at least in baseball they get dirty. Rugby, now there is a game for you. My hubby's friend is from australia, he got a rugby team going, and that i love to watch.



haha !! I guess you must have watched a strange match then. cricket is a game of 'sledging' (sledging being constant acidic swearing and niggel in order to put your opponent off), the ball is spat on on one side often before it is bowled each time, the grabbing and everything happens each time someone gets out, and those whites get very much dirty from the grass, dirt and red from rubbing the ball spit off on the leg of pants. 

back to the topic!! hope the 4th was a good one for all from the USA!


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## The Ace (Oct 4, 2006)

The trouble with cricket is that its not always easy to tell if England are getting slaughtered (the only time it's worthwhile).  Baseball is just rounders anyway, and who can get excited at that.


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## littlemissattitude (Oct 4, 2006)

Hey!  I love baseball.  Especially this year, as the Dodgers are in the playoffs.

Go Dodgers!


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## carrie221 (Oct 4, 2006)

I have a few questions...

What is rounders? 

And who actually watches cricket? The game makes no sense and is boring... unlike baseball which is at least semi-interesting


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## Paige Turner (Oct 4, 2006)

carrie221 said:
			
		

> … is boring... unlike baseball…


You sure you want to stand by that statement? We are talking about _baseball,_ right?

On a happier note, hockey season starts tomorrow! Woo-hoo!


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## carrie221 (Oct 4, 2006)

Paige Turner said:
			
		

> You sure you want to stand by that statement? We are talking about _baseball,_ right?
> 
> On a happier note, hockey season starts tomorrow! Woo-hoo!


 
Your from Canada your sports opinions don't get to count... as you noted hockey season starts soon, hockey 

By the way how long until you all invade the US?


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## Paige Turner (Oct 4, 2006)

carrie221 said:
			
		

> By the way how long until you all invade the US?


Invade? Are you kidding? We LOVE you guys. C'mere. Somebody needs a hug. Yes you do. Come on…

* * * * * s s s q u e e e e e e e e e e z z z e * * * * *

There. Is that better? 

Thought so.

 Go Canucks!


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## the smiling weirwood (Oct 4, 2006)

Sports? Who cares about sports? I think we should celebrate the greatest American poets or perhaps our finest scientific minds. Sports? My dog can catch a ball.


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## Paige Turner (Oct 4, 2006)

the smiling weirwood said:
			
		

> My dog can catch a ball.


Yeah? Who does she play for?


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## the smiling weirwood (Oct 4, 2006)

The Red Sox.


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## Paige Turner (Oct 4, 2006)

the smiling weirwood said:
			
		

> The Red Sox.


Okay, which is it?


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## the smiling weirwood (Oct 4, 2006)

Both. She's that good.


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## carrie221 (Oct 4, 2006)

Paige Turner said:
			
		

> Invade? Are you kidding? We LOVE you guys. C'mere. Somebody needs a hug. Yes you do. Come on…
> 
> * * * * * s s s q u e e e e e e e e e e z z z e * * * * *
> 
> ...


 
unhuh... then why do many of you come down here? I keep seeing plates from up there. 

But thanks for the hug. Hockey still sucks!


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## Paige Turner (Oct 4, 2006)

carrie221 said:
			
		

> unhuh... then why do many of you come down here? I keep seeing plates from up there.


To golf, ride roller coasters, and buy cheap—if unappealing—beer.


			
				carrie221 said:
			
		

> But thanks for the hug.


Any time.


			
				carrie221 said:
			
		

> Hockey still sucks!


You're just young, so you don't know.


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## Who's Wee Dug (Oct 5, 2006)

carrie221 said:
			
		

> I have a few questions...
> 
> What is rounders?
> 
> And who actually watches cricket? The game makes no sense and is boring... unlike baseball which is at least semi-interesting


Rounders kids play that in the UK going base to base, but have not seen that in years but I now live in a large city.
I don't like cricket, football(soccer) even less, so glad the rugby season has started


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## steve12553 (Oct 5, 2006)

the smiling weirwood said:
			
		

> The Red Sox.


 
I've got a dog that not only can catch the ball but he'd probably eat it and I've got another that eats red socks(and any other color).






And by the way I think the July fourth weekend is over.


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## Paige Turner (Oct 5, 2006)

steve12553 said:
			
		

> And by the way I think the July fourth weekend is over.



Looks like one of those red socks got left in with the whites.


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## Tau Zero (Oct 5, 2006)

Paige Turner said:
			
		

> Looks like one of those red socks got left in with the whites.


 
I've got a dryer like that, too.


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## Winters_Sorrow (Oct 5, 2006)

Actually since someone's already derailed this thread completely I've got something which I've never really understood about baseball (not the rules, they're kept purposely simple I imagine...  ). Why so many games in a season?
American Football is only 16 weeks long for most teams, Hockey is longer but mostly seasonal as well from my limited understanding but I've seen teams play over 100+ games of baseball - isn't that from one extreme to the other? 
They may be overpayed nancyboys playing a girls game but at least per game they're probably cheaper than their NFL equivalents.


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## Lacedaemonian (Oct 5, 2006)

I think it has become part of the Baseball tradition.  Plus they are hard as nails and play most nights of the week as opposed to once a week like other sports.  Baseball is all about tradition.


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## j d worthington (Oct 5, 2006)

Lacedaemonian said:
			
		

> Plus they are hard as nails ...


 
You got that right... ever get smacked in the face with one of _those things_?


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## steve12553 (Oct 5, 2006)

Winters_Sorrow said:
			
		

> Why so many games in a season?
> American Football is only 16 weeks long for most teams, Hockey is longer but mostly seasonal as well from my limited understanding but I've seen teams play over 100+ games of baseball - isn't that from one extreme to the other?
> They may be overpayed nancyboys playing a girls game but at least per game they're probably cheaper than their NFL equivalents.


 
Baseball has typically the third longest season. Basketball and Hockey (all three including playoffs) both have longer seasons. Baseball weeds out all but eight teams by playoff time and is done in 3 rounds. Basketball has 16 playoff teams and Hockey has more playoff teams than non. BAseball appears longer because they play series of game and manage 6 days a week. Basketball and Hockey travel more often and play about half as many games.


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## chrispenycate (Jul 4, 2007)

Who, me too lazy to start a new thread?
This is _recycling_, it's _ecological_.
Besides, do the USA deserve a brand new thread?
_Ducks_


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## areader (Jul 4, 2007)

Happy 4th of July. Baseball? Its a kind of softball right? *grins*


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## Allegra (Jul 4, 2007)

Have a nice day!


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## Talysia (Jul 4, 2007)

Hope our American cousins have a great 4th of July!


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## The Ace (Jul 4, 2007)

Have a nice day USA, but please consider a return to isolationism, thanks.


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## Delvo (Jul 4, 2007)

Winters_Sorrow said:


> Why so many games in a season?... They may be overpayed nancyboys playing a girls game...


That's the key right there. Baseball isn't as hard on a body as other sports are. The players in  other sports spend that time between games recovering from all that the game took out of them and punished them with. But in baseball, except for occasional bursts of activity of a few seconds, there's almost no physical action, just waiting around for the next brief burst. And you don't keep routinely getting into collisions or multi-player falls (and on those rare occasions when you do it's with leaner, lighter guys who aren't wearing armor), so there's little chance of injury and what injuries you do get aren't usually as serious.

Remember the phrase that it's the national "passtime" or "pastime". There's a reason why they didn't say it's the national "sport". It was deliberately designed not for action or excercise or risk/danger, but to occupy large amounts of time when there's nothing else to do. And if you're designing something that's intended to be done for a long time over and over, you design it so that it CAN be done for a long time over and over, which means you design it NOT to have much physical exertion or chance of injury in it.


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## dustinzgirl (Jul 4, 2007)

Baseball's boring as heck, but you do have to be able to move from standing still to being very fast in the blink of an eye. Its all reflex. Still, doesn't beat rugby. Those Australians are crazy. 

Happy and safe 4th of July Americans!

We are doing our usual bbq and fireworks.


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## tangaloomababe (Jul 4, 2007)

Party Hard.


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## chrispenycate (Jul 4, 2007)

dustinzgirl said:


> Baseball's boring as heck, but you do have to be able to move from standing still to being very fast in the blink of an eye. Its all reflex. Still, doesn't beat rugby. Those Australians are crazy.
> 
> Happy and safe 4th of July Americans!
> 
> We are doing our usual bbq and fireworks.


With that toe?
Well, I suppose barbeque does get the males doing the cooking.
Look after yourself, y'hear?


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## Interference (Jul 5, 2007)

I think of America and I think of her great Americans:

Abraham Lincoln (English)
Orson Welles (German)
Marvin Gaye (African)
Louis Armstrong (African)
Bix Beiderbecke (German - Dutch??)
Gene Kelly (Irish)
Charlie Chaplin (English)
Robert Oppenheimer (German)
George Gershwin (German Jew)
Irving Berlin (German Jew)
Frank Sinatra (Italian)
Martin Luther King (African)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Irish)
Superman (Kryptonian, Fictional)
George Walker Bush (Wish he was fictional, too)

God Bless the Planet.


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## The Ace (Jul 5, 2007)

Errr interference, weren't they all Americans ? How can one claim nationality to a country he's never seen ?

(Apart from anything else, that kind of thinking would make me Irish, and I've never even been there.)


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## HardScienceFan (Jul 5, 2007)

interesting thought that ,ACE
following that line of thinking,I am actually German
now that's scary,innit?

Hope everyone in the States had a good 4th of JUly,mine sucked bigtime


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## steve12553 (Jul 6, 2007)

The Ace said:


> Errr interference, weren't they all Americans ? How can one claim nationality to a country he's never seen ?
> 
> (Apart from anything else, that kind of thinking would make me Irish, and I've never even been there.)


 
Some people who were descended from immigrants still seem to want to retain their ancestor’s nationality. Some of us have such a mixture that we can't even figure out what our dominant nationality would be. I couldn't be anything but an American. Not a bad thing although someday I hope to be a citizen of Earth: subsection: North America. But I'm afraid that may be a long way off.


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