Happy Birthday Comrade

Today is the 60^th anniversary of the Chinese Communist party and there isn't a spare missile carrier, rocket launcher or tank available for rent from the local Hertz rental office in Beijing. It's a really BIG day in China, bigger than the Olympics' opening ceremony. It's the People's Republic, founded in 1949, chance to have their cake and eat it too. Streaming banners and lofty speeches declaring China's commitment to peace amid the backdrop of camouflage lorries laden with ballistic missiles and a bright sky lined with smoke-trails from the 151 jets that fly overhead.

Tiananmen Square is filled with tens of thousands of schoolchildren who flip colored squares of paper that display a "loyalty to the party" message, the women's militia, tall and uniform, march in their red skirts and white boots, while veteran "model workers" wave to the crowd. The parade ends with more cheering school children as thousands and thousands of brown and white doves are released from the rostrum.

I celebrate this day because it reinforces my belief in America and reminds that I am free. Free to get up turn on my computer and write this blog, as I see fit and without government approval or censorship. I can be critical of our political leaders without fear of being prosecuted and jailed. I live in a country so free, that by golly, we can choose to have our school children listen or not to our President when he speaks.

We are a great country who knows how to give a party. I like the way we celebrate our country's birthday; fanciful parades, hot dogs and ice cream, merry-go-rounds and Ferris wheels and people wearing crazy glasses and Statue of Liberty hats. And when night falls we light up the sky with giant sparkler fireworks, that have long since lost their originally weaponry meaning, and we listen to likes of the Boston Pops Symphony playing in the background.

Yep, I love American, even when we stumble, even when we take a wrong turn, because I believe in our hearts we really do want to do the right thing. America is you and American is me, all of us working together to make our home a better place for all of us. Freedom is our greatest right but with it comes responsibility and that sometimes requires that we think and make sure that the actions we take are the right ones and not the wrong ones.

Oh, and don't forget where we got the money to finance this war we're in. They seem to have enough left over to put on a big party today.