On the day of Independence, I, as a card counter or not, give thanks to the good O' USA, especially seeing zhitty things in other countries such as:
1) Somalia: it bit the hand that led its people out of starvation. That hand happened to be American's. Remember the murder of the American GIs in Mogadishu, Somalia?
2) Monrovia: it may or may not be the next Somalia, but it's pretty screwed up in there right now.
3) Iraq: overall, it shows no appreciation for Americans who are dying to do good for its people. It may or may not be the next Somalia. Remember the dead American solders dragged around in Mogadishu, somlia? Not a good thought, isn't it? I will be pretty pissed off if Iraqis murder and drag our solders around Badhdad.
4) Afghanistan, it's still screwed up and unstable, but it does show somewhat appreciation for what we have done for its people, unlike Iraq, of course.
5) Mexico: it's our next door neighbor, but it's f*ucked up too when it jails an American for recapturing a rapist. No bounty hunting against criminals it says!
On day of 4th of July, when I see the above waving flag, I was reminded of the JFK's Inaugural Speech (Jan., 1961): �...Ask not what the country can do for you; ask what you can do for the country!...�
As a counter or not, you can do a simple thing that can help you country---be nice, don't be the ugly or the bad. How can you be nice? Simple, just follow the following quotes (a copy given to me by a card counter who keeps a copy in his wallet):
...Avoid sin and wrongdoing...
Put good order into my private life...
Seek regular weekly dialogue with my spouse, my children...
Exercise my duties actively as a parent...
Invest generous amount of time for home and family...
Happy 4th of July to USA and my fellow card counters.
