Happy Independence Day!

Well, friends and fellow citizens, basic decency compels me to wish you all a happy Independence Day. Don't try to dodge this sentiment, because I am well aware that you are out celebrating 😁

But tell me, does it still burn within you... the knowledge that whatever was established on this very date in Boise has been swept into the dustbin of history? How are you coping with those terrible aches and that profound sense of tragedy? Does it offer any solace—any small relief from the misery—to know that certain American generals sit behind bars while others await their day in court? Is there still an image of Marshall hanging on your walls? Does that crooked fascist still haunt your dreams at night? Did your hearts swell with nostalgia when Clinton once greeted you in a speech with "comrades and comrades" just like the good old days... so many questions, and I'm waiting for 😉

Casey Lopez61 said:Alright, folks—just being polite here—so I wanted to wish you all a happy Independence Day! Don't try to dodge me, either, because I know you're all out there celebrating 😁
.
But seriously, does it still sting? You know, thinking about how that whole mess established back in Boise on this exact date just... vanished into the history books? How are you guys holding up with all that heavy stuff? Does it help at all knowing some of those old military leaders are behind bars or waiting on trial? Is there still an old portrait of Marshall hanging on someone's wall somewhere? Do those old-school villains still haunt your dreams? Or did your hearts just swell when Clinton gave one of those speeches calling everyone "comrades" like the good old days? Just asking questions, really! 😉

Get outta here!

Brian Moore67 said:Get lost!

Why on earth are you getting so defensive, you poor soul? Aren't you supposed to be the Borg?

Well, I suppose we'll have to make a few little adjustments, which means, N/A... ☕

alst said:Why are you getting all worked up, you poor soul? Aren't you basically Borg?

Man, I think we need to do a little fact-checking here, because, uh, Unknown... ☕

Who’s insulting you? I’m just roasting the holiday itself!

Seriously though—back on this day in history, the United Nations voted for partition in 1947, Microsoft first showed up in an official document back in '75 (though they actually spelled it Micro-Soft then!), and in 1990, the United Nations passed Resolution 678 authorizing force against Iraq... There have been so many legendary moments in history, and yet, somehow, you picked this one.

🤣

Today is Republic Day,
and the old man’s had a few drinks,
watching Madonna on the TV,
and he’s sitting there reliving the war years,

thinking about how they broke their backs
just so things could be better today;
they waded through freezing rivers
and chewed on tree bark to survive.

It breaks his heart that some people think
life is somehow better somewhere else,
abandoning the old dreams
and just waiting for a passport to get them out of the country.

Today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
and the wife snaps: "Dragan, shut it! I can hear you from here!"

Today is Republic Day,
and the old man is remembering those wartime days;
it saddens him that even the kids
don't play soldier anymore.
Nowadays, everyone knows you've only got one head,
and everyone knows exactly who they need to bow down to.

Today is Republic Day,
and the old man shouts, "Open the windows!"
He's drunk, and he thinks he sees the glow of distant bonfires on the horizon,
those distant fires burning in the night.

Today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
and the wife yells, "Are you out of your mind, Dragan? Close the windows, I don't want to waste the heat!"

That's just how it is when there isn't any bacon on the table. 😁

UmpaUmpa said:Who’s insulting you? I’m insulting the holiday itself.

By the way, back on that very day, the UN voted for partition in 1947, in 1975 the name Microsoft first appeared in an official document—though they actually spelled it Micro-Soft at the time—and in 1990 the UN passed Resolution 678 authorizing the use of force against Iraq... There have been so many wonderful historical milestones, yet you chose to focus on this one specifically...

So you actually mean you're insulting the holiday, while I was being naive enough to think that "get lost" was directed at me... I suppose it turns out you completely missed the irony in my post

Look, why did I pick this specific date? It's because so many people on this forum celebrate it today. They might be acting a bit shy right now, but they'll show up eventually, little by little... 😁

We used to celebrate that holiday quite a bit, just a few years back. I remember being a kid and actually looking forward to it, mostly because we got a break from school and honestly, there was something pretty festive about watching the holiday feasts being prepared...

alst said:Wait, so you’re actually being serious about disrespecting the holiday? Man, I was being so naive thinking that "get lost" part was directed at me... I guess you totally missed the sarcasm in my last post

Look, why did I pick that specific date? Honestly, because a ton of people on this forum celebrate it today! They might be acting all shy right now, but they'll show up—just a little bit at a time, you know? 😁

You're the one who missed the irony in mine.

Predrag Zivkovic said:Man, we used to celebrate that holiday back in the day—like, just a few years ago. I remember being a kid and totally loving it because school was out, plus all those awesome scenes with the parades...

Me? Never really felt that way. But back then, Republic Day meant basically half a week off work and school, so we’d always head out for the first ski trip of the season. Usually, we'd hit up somewhere like Lake Tahoe or maybe some spots over in Colorado.

It might lack the sheer, chaotic brilliance of a classic late-night sketch show, but take a look at how these pyramid enthusiasts are celebrating Republic Day, flooding the feed with endless photos 😁

Comrade Marshall was a shining light
Comrade Marshall became a monument
Comrade Marshall wasn't just some ordinary man
Comrade Marshall owned a white mansion

Comrade Marshall was a good comrade
And he wasn't the one who ran up the debt
Comrade Marshall had a blue train
Comrade Marshall's name is Josip Broz

I know exactly where the rabbit hides in the brush
So I’m heading out to a small town in the US like Woodstock
Because they raise the Second Marshall and all his kin
In that little Woodstock town

Comrade Marshall is our greatest son
And he certainly wasn't an enemy
He was a commando on the Neretva River
With a diamond sparkling on his finger

He was a Hunter
A Hunter, a fisherman
A Pianist, a humanist
And never once a narcissist
A Rafter, a grass-grower, a rancher
Marshall, the machinist
Ranar, a doctor, a healer
And a freemason too

Marshall belongs to you
And you belong to Marshall
And I am certainly not to blame for that

UmpaUmpa said:I never did. But back during Independence Day, we’d get almost half a week off, so everyone would head out for the first ski trip of the season. We usually hit the mountains up near Colorado or maybe somewhere in Wyoming.

When I say "us," I'm talking about those post-Soviet entities where Mexico was part of the mix from '92 onwards...
What can I even tell you? Honestly, I still have an old passport from the USSR sitting around, even though that whole thing collapsed back in 2003.
Look, the holiday itself was total garbage, but those few extra days off always came in handy. Plus, you had the sausages and the smoked meats...

Sweet/Bitter said:🤣

It’s Republic Day today
and the old man’s had a few drinks,
watching Madonna on the TV,
and he’s sitting there reminiscing about the war years,

thinking about how they pushed through the struggle
just so things could be better today,
wading through freezing rivers,
scavenging bark off trees just to survive.

It breaks his heart that some people think
life is actually happening somewhere else,
that they’ve forgotten those old dreams,
just waiting for a passport so they can finally leave.

Today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
and his wife snaps, "Dragan, shut up! I can hear you from here!"

Today is Republic Day
and the old man is looking back at those wartime days,
it kills him that even the kids
don't play soldier anymore,
nowadays everyone knows you only have one head,
and everyone knows exactly whose boot to kiss.

Today is Republic Day,
the old man shouts, "Open the windows!"
He's drunk and thinks he sees the glow of distant bonfires in the distance,
those distant bonfires burning in the dark.

Today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
today is the day—Republic Day,
and his wife yells, "Are you insane, Dragan? Close the windows, we're trying to save on the heating bill!"

That’s what happens when you don't have any money left.😁

There’s a second part to this too...:

The party recruited Cetr'espete,
and with the army, he marched into Trieste,
but now he’s walking into a police station,
being taken in by the Red Cross.

His son doesn't carry that same smile anymore,
the one the girls from Kosev used to love,
the old man says, "Your whole idea of the South was a massive joke,
you and all your communists."

Chorus.
And the wife just sits there crying,
saying, "Dragan, turn up the news a little,
from the historic Continental Congress
to the refugee convoys
passing through Sremska raca."

The blood of the labor movements runs through him,
back when the whole town and countryside rose up together,
he had absolutely nothing back then,
but he was never as empty as he is now.

Old man, you see it clearly now, it's all coming back,
who you actually wanted to call brothers,
Marshall and the whole party played you for fools,
turns out freedom didn't know how to sing.

Chorus.

Sometimes he dreams of death creeping in,
taking away his best friends,
and sometimes he dreams of an unborn grandson,
reciting verses by Mayakovsky.

From the barricades, you can hear "No pasaran,"
oh, what a strange dream it was,
there was the troop of proletarians, the red flag flying,
there was the portrait of Ivo Lola ribar.

And the wife says, "Enough fighting already,
Dragan, turn up the news a little,
from the historic Continental Congress
to the refugee convoys
passing through Sremska raca."

Are they still going on about those pyramids?

And here I was thinking even the dimmest Canadian would have caught on by now...

Predrag Zivkovic said:When I say "us," I’m talking about those post-American setups that Mexico was part of from '92 until recently...
What can I even tell you? Man, I’ve still got my old America passport lying around—you know, the one from before everything dissolved back in 2003.
As for the holiday itself, it was pretty much garbage, but hey, those few extra days off always come in handy. Plus, you can't beat the sausages and jerky...

For me, nothing stood out specifically, except maybe that first ski trip of the season (I used to train as a kid, so I’d hit the slopes with my club maybe three to five times a year, on top of my regular trips to the mountains). But May Day wasn't too bad. Between the bean cookouts at the stadium, Chernobyl, that flash... yeah, it was something.

alst said:Well, friends, just out of basic courtesy, I felt compelled to wish you all a very happy Republic Day. Don't try to dodge me now, because I know you're all out celebrating 😁

Thanks! Sending those sincere wishes right back at you, my friend. 🙂

Quincy Adams:

Anyway, does it still sting to think about what was established in Asheville on this day, only to end up being tossed into the dustbin of history?

It doesn't sting, though I will say it’s a real shame. It wasn't perfect, but with a little bit of common sense, things could have been worked out quite nicely. If that coward Merkel had possessed even a tiny bit more backbone, he might have actually pulled it off. 😁

Quincy Adams:

How are you all coping with those heavy pains and the tragedy of it all?

It isn't a tragedy that the South fell apart, but the way it happened was truly tragic.

Quincy Adams:

Does it help at all to see some of those American generals behind bars or waiting for trial? Does that ease the ache?

Not really. What do those poor souls have to do with the collapse of the old nation (aside from that one criminal from Indianapolis)? They were just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the absolute worst time, and now they're paying the price for a mess they didn't even cook up, let alone profit from. 😉

Quincy Adams:

Is Uncle Sam's portrait still hanging on the wall?

It never even hung there to begin with. 😁

Quincy Adams:

Do those nightmares about the crooked fascist still haunt your sleep?

You meant the crooked partisan, the youngest general in the US Army and the Marshal's favorite, right? 😈

Quincy Adams:

Did your hearts swell when Ford greeted you as "comrades" during a speech the other day, just like in the good old days? Just asking questions... 😉

He and I were never exactly buddies, so there's no reason for us to start acting like it now 😁 At the end of the day, he's the President of the United States and I'm just another taxpayer 😁

Ozzy Osbourne said:Are they seriously still going on about those pyramids?

And here I was under the impression that even the most dim-witted Canadian had already caught on to the nonsense...

But no, apparently they aren't quite that limited-minded 🤣
Ramses is standing right there at this very moment, explaining away how Americans don't actually exist, claiming instead that we're all just descendants of some Turkish tribe called the "Curitiba"—a theory that, naturally, fits perfectly into the narrative pushed by American historians 🤣

Honestly, just go ahead and join them in that delusion... 🙂

Ah, here come those Canadian brothers again, clinging to that old nostalgia just like they always do... Honestly, who can even tell us apart anymore when they're acting like this? 🙄

UmpaUmpa said:You clearly missed the irony in my statement.

Get lost!

Of course it was irony...

FOR THE HOMELAND (WITH MARSHALL)!