Isn’t it wonderful to be living in the greatest country in the world? We may have our recessions and our corrupt politicians, and our inept lawmakers, but compared to the rest of the world, we’re pretty darned fortunate. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself how many people are trying to slip into Brazil, or France, or Mexico, or Japan to live! No, they all want to come here, because this really is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

If you have never traveled outside of this great land of ours, you really don’t have any idea what life is like for the great majority of people in the world. We are free to come and go as we want without requiring special permission, we can work at whatever career we choose, and we can voice our opinion, right or wrong, without fear of retribution from the government.

Every day I get e-mails from people telling me how terrible President Obama is, how he is going to turn our country into a giant cesspool, and on and on, ad nauseum. I find these messages foolish and boring and I delete 99% of them without opening them. Not because I am a Democrat (I’m not) or because I’m a Liberal (I’m not), but because I grew up in the country, and I can recognize the smell of bulls%#$ no matter what political flavor it carries.

But no matter what your politics are, think about this for a moment. We live in a nation where you can send out messages criticizing the government and the President, and not have to worry that storm troopers are going to kick in your door tonight. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?

I said above that I am not a Democrat or a Liberal, but neither am I a Republican or a Conservative. I don’t blindly follow any political party, because that is not what this country is all about. It is about each of us being able to make our own decisions, not having somebody make them for us.

I am an American, and a patriot, and I don’t and won’t apologize for either. I stop what I’m doing and hold my hand over my heart when the National Anthem is played. I still get choked up when I see Old Glory snapping proudly in the breeze. My eyes tear up when I see news stories about our brave military men and women being welcomed home after a tour of duty overseas, and I say a silent prayer for those still in harm’s way.

I come from a long line of men who fought for America, and I respect the sacrifices generations of Americans have made to keep us free. I love my country, even if I don’t always agree with the direction our leaders sometimes take.

Happy Birthday, America. For 233 years, we have set the standard that the rest of the world aspires to be.

Thought For The Day – Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.

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Yesterday we were running around in short sleeve shirts, but that didn’t last long! By evening it had turned downright chilly here in Albuquerque, and today’s high is only supposed to be 53 degrees!

We spent most of yesterday printing off copies of our various RV guides and making CDs to sell during the rally. This is our first Affinity rally, and while we have been to some big RV events over the years, I don’t think we’ve ever been to one single venue with so many vendors.

If you were looking for anything from a Fantastic Fan for your ceiling or a rooftop satellite TV dome, all the way down to wheel covers and tire pressure monitors; from headlights and auxiliary running lights to mud flaps and ladders for the back of your RV, they’ve got you covered from top to bottom and back to front. A shopaholic would be in heaven here.

The rally has some excellent seminars on all aspects of RVing, as well as some top notch entertainment lined up. Tonight legendary singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka will be performing, and tomorrow night Rita Coolidge will be the star attraction. On Sunday evening the Osmonds take the stage. I think it’s going to be a fun rally.

I try to stay out of politics and such, because I really just am not at all interested. I prefer to just live my life, roll with the flow, and try to stay under the radar. I have several people who constantly send me forwarded e-mails that would have you believe that President Obama is the devil incarnate, and just as many people forwarding me stuff about how those darned Republicans are the scourge of the earth, and I just delete them all without opening them. I think they all need bumper stickers on their cars that say “My Conspiracy Theory Can Beat Up Your Conspiracy Theory.”

In my little world, it’s all about me, and it really doesn’t matter who is in the White House, because none of them yet have offered to buy me a new bus or give me a cushy political appointment.

Extremists turn me off. My definition of an extremist is anybody who insists on sharing with me his views on religion or politics once I’ve politely said I’m not interested. Usually when people start spouting off about their political or religious opinions, I just nod my head, tune them out, and take a mental trip to Margaritaville with Jimmy Buffet.

That being said, I just had to respond to a guy yesterday. We had a couple of orders to mail out, and the fellow in line in front of me at the post office looked me over and said “You look old enough to be a Vietnam vet. Are you?”

I allowed as to how my Uncle Sam had given me an extended jungle camping trip as my high school graduation present.

“Did you hear what Obama just did?” he asked.

Now, it’s bad enough when my friends start sharing their agendas with me, but when it’s a complete stranger, I immediately start hearing Jimmy singing about shrimp boiling as we waste away in Margaritaville. So I didn’t answer him, just looked toward the counter, in the hope that the line would move quicker.

But he continued by saying “Today Obama and the Department of Homeland Security declared that all white Vietnam veterans are a national threat and he has ordered that they all be rounded up and put into concentration camps by the end of the month, along with their families.”

I tried, but even I couldn’t ignore this! Jimmy was stroking his six string and hit a sour note, and I said “What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s true.” He insisted, “The mainstream media is keeping it a secret, but it’s all over the internet if you know where to look!”

I know I should have ignored him, but sometimes I just have to say something.

“Are you really stupid enough to believe that?” I asked him. “Do you really think that could happen? And that not one radio or television station or newspaper would report the fact that millions of Americans are headed for a concentration camp? And do you really think we’d all just go along quietly? Have you even considered the logistics of it? How could they make it happen in less than two weeks?”

“It happened to the Jews in World War II,” he insisted. “You just wait and see! I’ll be waving to you from outside the fence when they take you to the gas chamber!”

Now, I’m not going to lose any sleep over his dire predictions. I’ve ridden in Mac McCoy’s van with the windows rolled up on the drive home from the Golden Corral buffet, so I know all about gas chambers. But what really concerns me is that people that dumb are allowed to drive cars and procreate!

(And please, don’t start replying with your political viewpoints, okay? Remember, I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it!)

Thought For The Day – I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

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