Month: July 2008

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Just in time for the end of Independence Week, Yankee Doodle turns 250 years young today.  Well, maybe.

According to Happy News, three dates are likely for the song’s creation, but nobody is quite sure which one is true:

The original lyrics to one of America’s best-known songs, one associated with the American Revolution, were actually written a couple decades earlier during the French and Indian War, although an exact date has eluded historians. Some peg the year as 1755, when the war’s first major battles were fought, or 1756.

The other year often cited is 1758. Now, a state archaeologist believes he has narrowed down the date to sometime in June of that year, when a large British-led army was mustering at Albany for an expedition against the French.

So, happy 250th, 252nd, or 253rd birthday, Yankee Doodle.  I’ll sing it in my head to commemorate your creation and association with freedom in this country, while happily ignoring that you were originally written to mock the militia of my state:

Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, a British army physician, is credited with penning the ”Yankee Doodle” lyrics to mock the ragtag New England militia serving alongside the redcoats. As the story goes, Shuckburgh wrote ”Yankee Doodle” while at Fort Crailo, across the Hudson River from Albany, after witnessing the sloppy drill and appearance of Connecticut troops.

…

The lyrics attributed to Shuckburgh, an upper-crust wag known for his conviviality, mocked the Connecticut fools — ”Yankee doodles” — who arrived wearing hats decorated with feathers. An old English nursery rhyme provided the tune, which was also used in a musical play popular in the British colonies in the mid-1700s.

Two decades later the song was used by the Continental army in pride!  Happy Birthday, Yankee Doodle!  And with that sentiment, I declare an end to Independence Week 2008.  It was really heartening to do a whole week of positive news here at Dymersion.  Don’t worry about my sanity, though!  I had a whole week of posting about politics over at Poligazette!

Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

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I forgot to write about this yesterday, but it made me very happy to know that Marc Gonsalvez of Bristol would be able to celebrate Indpendence Day with his family again after being rescued from FARC rebels in Colombia.

Via the Hartford Courant:

George Gonsalves was mowing his lawn Wednesday afternoon when he got the news that that his son had been freed after five years as a hostage of leftist rebels in Colombia.

“I didn’t know how to stop my lawnmower,” Gonsalves said. “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it.”

Marc Gonsalves and two other Northrop Grumman Corp. contractors were taken hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in February 2003, when their plane went down in rebel-held jungle.

Gonsalves, Tom Howes and Keith Stansell, had been the longest-held American hostages in the world.

Along with the Northrop contractors, those rescued include former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, and 11 other hostages.

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I was going to write something new for this year, but I was reading the one I wrote last year, and decided it would suffice:

I love my country. I do. I may not agree with all the decisions the government makes, but that’s what makes this country great. The fact that we’re allowed to disagree with the government is what makes it great. Today, I’ll speak briefly about my optimistic view of the past, present, and future of the U.S.A.

Merry old Britain found that out in 1776 when some damn rebels started fighting their forces. Several years later, we have a new country starting to creep its feelers around and get a sense of itself. Since then, this country has been through quite a bit – wars, attacks (though, relatively few compared to some other countries), epidemics, economic depression, and national disgraces – but Americans have always pulled through like troopers. And, it’s been through a lot of good stuff, too. We pulled ourself through a period of disgraceful action with the abolition of slavery, and later on, accepting all our fellow men (and women) as equals (well, more or less). We’ve done a lot of good in the world, helping those who need help, and trying to spread democracy throughout the world. We’ve brought a lot of new innovation to the world (listen up iPhone users) over the years, and will probably continue to do so for the coming future. We haven’t been perfect, but who’s is? Certainly not the U.S., but no one else, either.

The last few years have seen some dark times, but we continue to live our lives. We know that by not doing so, the bad guys win. It’s as simple as that. Some things have come down the pike that would perhaps change the way we live, but Americans are not stupid. We know when things are going against how we like it, and then we let ourselves be heard. And we have, and that’s what makes us great. For, if we get together and shout loudly enough, we are heard. And then our leaders must act. So has it been in the past, and so will it be for the future.

Speaking of the future, I foresee one that is bright. A future of peace and prosperity. A future where America still leads in the world (though perhaps with less influence than in the past, but we need some beating down in status, anyway). We’ll continue bringing innovation to the people. And we’ll continue becoming a freer society, with people allowed to live their lives as they see fit, not the government. Some people take a pessimistic view of the future, but I think that’s the wrong attitude to take. America is not destroying itself. We may slip and fall from time to time, but that’s part of growing up. You fall, and then learn from your mistakes. Likewise, America has taken some slips in the past, but has always risen from them, greater and better than ever. And so shall it be for the future. Long live the United States of America.

Happy 4th of July!

I still stand by what I said last year, because it’s all true.

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Via Happy News, 26 heroes have been recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund.  The fund, set of by Andrew Carnegie in 1904, honors people annually who have gone past the call of duty to save people from life threatening situations.

This year’s recipients include Marc Patterson, who forced a cougar to let go of a 12-year-old; Deborah Chiborak and Gerard Beernaerts, who rescued 89-year-old Winifred M. Lindsa after she was trapped beneath her scooter near train tracks, facing an oncoming train; Curtis Dawson, 47, of Astoria, Ore., who helped rescue a tugboat captain from drowning in the Columbia River; Dennis H. Morton, 38, of Prineville, Ore., who helped rescue Oma D. Pratt, 54, from her burning mobile home; and Samara Marie White, 15, of Davison, Mich., who died trying to save her 4-year-old sister from their burning home

Everybody who did this deserves to be recognized for their efforts.  I applaud you all!

Just a quick programming note: Tomorrow will be my yearly “why I love American” post.  Those who gag at overt expressions of patriotism need not read it.

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Today’s Independence Week post is dedicated to an actor who played a character who ensured Earth’s own freedom for seven years, Don S. Davis.

Gateworld reported two days ago that veteran actor Don S. Davis died Sunday of a heart attack.  Davis played Major General/Lieutenant General George Hammond on Stargate SG-1 for seven years.  Expecting retirement, Hammond found himself in command of several “SG teams,” whose mission was to go to other worlds to procure technology that would serve in the defense of Earth, and to make friendly contact with the natives.  Hammond was replaced with civilian expert treaty negotiator Elizabeth Weir (who would go on to be a central character in Stargate Atlantis) at the end of Season 7.  In real life, Davis left the show to deal with medical issues.  He reprised the character several times throughout the rest of the series’ run, and will appear in the upcoming Stargate: Continuum.

Davis also played Major Garland Briggs in Twin Peaks, and was a stunt double for MacGuyver actor Dana Elcar, which is where he met Richard Dean Anderson.

I posted this as today’s IW entry, as it was partly due to Davis’ portrayal of General Hammond (along with the rest of the actors’ respective characters) that led the U.S. military to praise the show due to its relatively positive portrayal of the military.

More shows and movies could do with this kind of attitude.

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Independence Week just wouldn’t be complete without celebrating the attempts of some group tryng to attain their freedom.  Well, a group of circus camels and zebras tried just that today.  From the AP via HappyNews:

Amsterdam police say 15 camels, two zebras and an undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine briefly escaped from a traveling Dutch circus after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage.

They were obviously protesting their status as second-class citizens!