Soap Box Saturday!

So standing on my soap box the topic is "What is the American dream?"

I used to think life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness meant simply living and having a good time. You know pursuing happiness. Then, bong, it came to me one day. An epiphany! That's not what the American dream was. That's not the meaning of life. The whole thing goes back to when people are talking about freedom. What did the founders of this country think freedom was? Well, let's look at the world they were living in and try to compare it with the world we live in today.

The King was like the federal government. He was over all the major stuff. The Lords were like the state government they took care of smaller issues. And then under that were the land owners. If you've ever rented you know what I mean. The land owner tell you pretty much how you can live. Take out your trash, clean your house, spray for bugs, cut the grass all how he wants you to. Back in ye old times the land lords would tell you such things as what kind of crop you could grow. How much water you could have. Where you got your water from. The average person would give the land owner some of their profits to use his land and live on it, the land owner would give the lord money or taxes to own their land and live on it, and the lords would pay those taxes to the king to let his people stay on the land and live on it.

What we are taught in school is the King was bad, tea was dumped in the ocean so no one would have to pay taxes. That we pay every time we go to the store and every year at tax time. What's different now is that in ye old days only the land owners, Lords and King could own land. When we came to America land was free for the taking. And  some places still  offer free land. Homestead for a year and boom you a land owner.

Well, any way it clicked a few years ago. If you don't own some land even a house in a subdivision your just left to be one of those un free people being told what to do. On your own land you can grow your own food. I'm just now finding out most of the food grown today has all kinds of horrible things in it. Things I wouldn't want to eat. Like natural flavorings some time come from the anal glands of animals. If I wanted to consume that I would just join my dog next time he is licking his bottom. Any way that's a different soap box. If you have your own land you can do what you want. You can grow your own food. You can drill a well for your own water. You could mine it if you wanted. As long as the state, county and local officals says it's OK.  The more land the better because if your neighbor dislikes something he sees you doing on your land he may complain. Like playing the drums at mid night because the sound trespasses onto his land.  But other than that, I think it is owning land that is what makes you free.  Sorry for all you renters. Your not pursuing the dream your letting others tell you what to do and how to live.

 

Some people have been squatting on bank owned land that has been left vacant and I think there is some law that says after they are there long enough it's theirs.
Some people have been heading to national parks to illegally homestead land. Land that we all agreed to set aside and not homestead, so one day when all the land is gone, we can look back and go "that's what the land was like before it was homesteaded." Some of the national parks are on choice pieces of land and  so there have been fights for just taking the resources off the land (oil, lumber). I'm one of those people who believe we need wild places. It is sad to see homeless people living in tents homesteading this land when there is still land to be homesteaded. But there you go, they just didn't get the American dream. I don't think it was properly taught in school. I didn't get it.

I suggest you go to school, learn how to get loans, get money and get land! If you can't do that head to Kansas and get some of that free land!

Fourth of July 2012

I know I 'm a little late for the 4th of July post but.... everyone is celebrating the 4th up until this weekend anyway. We had planned on going down town to watch a professional display but the weather report said probable downpours maybe with hail so we decided to stay at home. But with no plans on that we had to run out and find some fire works. And we did.

  Early in the day we went to my Aunts house for some swimming and visiting with relatives.

We left just before the down pour, there was no hail. Thankfully the rain let up just before dark and we got ready to light up the sky.

V set up a Chinese lantern. I don't know how American that is but it was a flag lantern.

After bar-b-queing the ribs for dinner. Husband got the bonfire started with an old wooden crate. Everything was really wet, so let me tell you the boys got talent when it comes to fire.

Me and V set some tiki torches around to chase off mosquitoes and there was nothing left but to wait for the sun to set.

Hubie using his Florida coozy and watching the beautiful sun set.

Husband stuck with his beer but I wiped up a pretty good rum drink. That you can check out out the recipe part of the blog.

See what I mean talent!

We saw these great fireworks coming from our neighbors and decided to wonder over. Turns out they had purchases about $400 worth. And we had a great view right in our back yard.

Sparkler!

Ground firework with firework feature on the camera.

 We lit our own off too. And every time one went up the neighbor on the other side of us cheered. It was and impromptu block party. Even though most of the neighbors on the block were gone.

We all really enjoyed the night.