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Citizen Fireworks! Happy Birthday America the Beautiful!

LibertySugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:00:50 -0700

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the year! It's also my mom's birthday, so every year we go all sorts of red-white-and-blue crazy at our family barbecue.

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A firework show is the only way to finish a day of sun, fun, family, friends, flags, and food! So here is your very own CitizenSugar fireworks display. And tell us — what did you do today to celebrate America the beautiful?

Meet the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

CitizenSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:10 -0700

As we celebrate the approval of the Declaration of Independence, just a mere two days after Congress adopted the document (speedy!) here's a look at some of the 56 men who put pen to parchment. Not the usual suspects, your John Adams (who said it was "dress and ornament rather than Body, Soul, or Substance,") your Thomas Jefferson, or Benjamin Franklin — that's kids' stuff. Did you know a guy named "Button" signed the thing? Oh, yes. Button. Let's meet him and his friends now. . . .

McCain or Obama? Can You Pick Out the Patriotic Candidate?

LibertySugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:00:05 -0700

John McCain and Barack Obama wrote about the meaning of patriotism for Time. I took excerpts form McCain's essay "A Cause Greater Than Self" and Obama's "A Faith in Simple Dreams." Can you match the quote to the patriotic candidate?

The magazine also featured a great piece about the state of American patriotism. Check it out here. Tell me —how do you define patriotism? Good luck on the quiz!

Source

Real Patriots Eat Hot Dogs Until They're Red, White, and Green

CitizenSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:00:46 -0700

Update: Joey Chestnut has reclaimed the title in a tie-breaking eat-off. Rumor has it, he's not spending the rest of the afternoon riding the Cyclone roller coaster.

Today is the day for that most blessed and sacred of all Fourth of July customs: the IFOCE/Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition at New York's Coney Island. The grand weiner fest will be broadcast at noon EDT on ESPN.

American Joey Chestnut won the Mustard Belt in 2007 after besting Japan's Takeru Kobayashi by eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes last year.

Think that sounds like a lot of dogs? You have no idea just how many hot dogs the US consumes. To find out how many dogs we'll bite today,

Bush Welcomes New US Citizens on Fourth of July

CitizenSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:55:27 -0700

Bush Welcomes New US Citizens on Fourth of July
President Bush invoked the memory of Thomas Jefferson Friday in welcoming new US citizens at a naturalization ceremony at Monticello, saying "I'll be proud to call you a fellow American." On his final Fourth of July as president, Bush told an audience at the home of the Declaration of Independence's author that he was honored to be present for the naturalization.

Quiz Nation! What Do You Know About Independence Day?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:00:41 -0700

Happy Fourth of July! Yesterday Ft. Stewart, GA, had a just-in-time-for-the-Fourth-of-July homecoming — reason enough to celebrate! Before you head off to your parades and barbecues, how much do you really know about Independence Day?

And if you're aces at Americana, try your hand at Buzz's "American" TV quiz — she assures me it's a tricky one!

Source

Read, Write, and Blue! Celebrate the 4th With Patriotic Stories

LibertySugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:38 -0700

Would You Be a Patriotic Bride?	Feeling Patriotic? Ways to Share the Spirit and Help a Soldier!	The National Postal Museum Says "You've Got Victory Mail"
Stars and Strips: Porn Ban Threatens Soldier Morale	How Well Do You Know the Candidates?	Pictures of Homecoming at Camp LeJeune!

Schwarzenegger Says "No Fireworks" for 4th, Fires Rage On

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:00:22 -0700

With more than 1,400 fires engulfing the forests of California, President George W. Bush has designated areas from Nevada to the Pacific Ocean an official federal disaster area, allowing FEMA to dispatch equipment and financial relief to the counties that have been devastated by the blazes. So far more than 17,000 firefighters from more than 35 states are currently battling the fires with nearly 1,200 fire engines and 85 helicopters.

Given the unprecedented amount of fires raging throughout the state, the air in Northern California has been reduced to an unhealthy smog of ash causing the cancellation of athletic activities and other outdoor events. Some regions are registering the worst air quality on record with smoke from the fires ascending to the ground levels like a fog. Air quality departments are concerned about small-particle pollution in which tiny particles can penetrate the immunity system and burrow deep into the lungs and blood stream. Health officials have reported an increase in eye and throat irritation and have warned that the poor air can cause asthma attacks and bronchitis.

The raging fires are putting a damper on Independence Day celebrations as well. To see how,

Fighting the New American Revolution — Energy Independence

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:00:26 -0700

The US is gearing up to celebrate Independence Day, the day when citizens vowed to fight against crushing taxes, inflation, and a rising price of necessities — Americans took a stand then against tyranny, and fought. Now as the country picnics and watches fireworks to commemorate that fight, is the situation any different?

Taxes, inflation, cost of necessities — what was once tea, is now Texas Tea — oil, all factors point to another fight. Is energy the new American Revolution? In this new battle for independence, are citizens willing to sacrifice to win freedom from the tyrannous and costly addiction we have to standard forms of energy?

John McCain's plan for a modern energy revolution takes that parallel seriously — he's dubbed his energy revolution the "Lexington Project," named for the town where, according to his speech last week, "Americans asserted their independence once before." To see the battle plan for energy independence,

Reader Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:40:39 -0700

Reader Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
With the presidential race speeding up and the Fourth of July hot on our heels, it seems like a perfect time to make some red, white, and blue cupcakes. (As if any of us needed an excuse to make cupcakes.) Check out the recipe.