On Jun 26, 10:13�am, "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute"
wrote:
In oglegroups.com, Chuck
Gould sprach forth the following:

The busiest boating time of the year is nearly here, the July 4th
holiday.

The holiday is properly called INDEPENDENCE DAY. *We are not celebrating
the fact that the Month is July and the Date is the 4th, are we?

I'm a Yankee Doodle dandy
Yankee Doodle do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on Independence Day.....

(naw, that just doesn't swing like Born on the Fourth of July)

I think you'd have to change the meter of the second line and wind up
with the word "gay" to rhyme with "day". While that presents a lot of
intriguing possibilities, I'll pass on the opportunity to offend a
major percentage of the NG............. :-)

July 4th was the day we officially declared our independence, but it
took a few years to actually achieve it. So, from that respect, the
term Independence Day almost cheapens the long and extreme sacrifice
of our ancestors who were brave enough to throw over an abusive and
non-responsive government. Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, et
al........what a bunch of heroes arose when the need was greatest. I
wonder what Jefferson would think about modern day? (Definitely not
going there, either).

However, Fred, you are right. The official name of the holiday is
Independence Day, but nearly everybody will know what you mean if you
say Fourth of July instead.

When Independence Day rolls around on the Fourth of July, I'll be out
on the booat but well away from the fireworks crowd. A lot of those
guys start drinking in the early afternoon, and don't stop even at
10:30 or so when the fireworks usually finish up at this latitude. We
took some guests out to Elliott Bay fireworks a few years ago, and the
aftermath was as terrifying as if we were caught in 60 knot winds. As
soon as the grand finale concluded, 250 boats all set out in about 50
different directions. Some guys were running 15-20 knots and slaloming
through the slower boats in the dense crowd. Half the darn rag boaters
were running without lights, or so it seemed. Too much booze for far
too many, and not enough light for anybody to really see what was
going on. There were a *few* lights, as several boats had posted
little kids with bright flashlights or even spotlights- and they all
seemed highly amused while beaming light into the faces of nearby
boaters. Night blindness, anybody?

Never again, say I. :-)