Proud as an Eagle and as honorable as a flag

There will be great conversation and tasty food shared between friends for an hour or so, and then we will play some games together. Sarah is a recreationalist, so games are big around our neighborhood!

This year we will be shooting-off bottle rockets as a part of the kid competition. These rockets will be decorated by youngsters in the neighborhood and after we put some water in the bottle, we will launch it into space!

This event required that we have a rocket launching pad. So last night I gathered up a bunch of 1/2″ pipe and fittings to put a launch system together for the competition.

Sarah was tossing out an old adjustable table, so it has become “launch-central” for our water rocket extravaganza!

We are so thankful to live in a free country where friends can gather and enjoy great company. Where fireworks and bottle rockets can be loud and obnoxious, at least for one day…

This is a great land where ingenuity can join with creativity and put man on the moon or a Root Beer bottle high into the air.

Thank you America; for the free-enterprise system that has blessed my family in so many ways.

We hope that you all have a great 4th of July holiday, and remember that freedom has been purchased at a very high price. Be proud as an eagle and honorable as our flag.

The 4th stands for Freedom

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air…

This Independence Day is all about freedom.
The freedom that comes from a REAL payment by REAL people.

A freedom that allows you and me to sit comfortably and read this blog, or to connect on Facebook or to party together online.

These freely-used networks of Web 2.0 are courtesy of a freedom given us by someone else who has paid the real price.

There were no virtual bombs at Fort McHenry in 1812, and likewise there are developers, advertisers and investors who are paying a real price to see that we have so many freedoms of expression and entertainment.  It takes REAL money to give us what we sometimes take for granted on our screens – They don’t build the web with virtual currency.

Virtual things are fine, but they are a by-product of something that is REAL. And REAL has a price.  Freedom to use the web in so many wonderful ways has expanded our horizons and we should be grateful to those who take the real risks to give us these tools.

And just as we celebrate Independence, we should take some time occasionally to tip our hat in thanks to those who provide us the freedom to use the many tools of the Web.

But we should also scratch our heads in confusion when so much of the web is being paid by things that are virtual not real.

Please explain the value of virtual gifts.. ??  They seem silly and useless, when REAL gifts are so easy to give and have proven so helpful to our support. Virtual gifting seems to be a cop-out and an insult to the REAL support needed for family and friends.

Now, I know that many social networks are using virtual gifts sales to pay the bills, and I guess if you don’t have a better business model, then you do what you can to keep the doors open.

I wonder what the soldiers in 1812 would have said to their leaders if they were asked to fight,  bleed and die for a “virtual” freedom for their families. I think they expected the real deal from their sacrifice.

As you surf the net, play a social game or chat this weekend ask what are you doing that is REAL on the web.

Are you willing to pay for some of the web’s freedoms or is it your right?