The 5th of July

That's a Big-Ass Country

Click this image for an obscenely massive version.

Or more aptly, a Humongo Nation.

The special-needs kids of Humongo (formerly known as Plaid) are at it again. This time the Eastern Seaboard is the target as the customized Ford Flex full of live bloggers, tweeters and videographers meets up with people they've only known virtually, demonstrating once again what social media is about.

Last summer they did some Central states. Summer before that they did the West Coast. And they kicked off this annual ritual in 2007 with a tour of I don't even remember, that was so long ago.

This time they start in Maine and make their way to Miami, stopping along the way to meet people and maybe land a client or ten. I intend to ambush them when they hit Daytona Beach, but since they already know what I look like from the last time I ambushed them, I'm going to have to be more clever.

Sponsors already lined up for the tour include Ford, Green Mountain Coffee, Sprint and Wingate by Wyndham. If they're coming to your town this time around, you really should get out and say, "Hi," just as Andy, James, Lori and bunch of others did on previous tours. If you don't already read Brand Flakes For Breakfast, you should do that, too. It's an agency blog, but unlike most agency blogs it doesn't just promote the agency. In fact, it rarely does that. What's more, it wasn't left to die two months after it was created, like most agency blogs.

Speaking of country, this is (entirely coincidentally) my 1776^th post. And just in time for the 4th of July weekend.

Full disclosure: I've done some freelancing for Humongo. Fuller disclosure: They gave me the shirt in the above picture in the hopes that I'd blog about the tour. I'd have done it without the shirt, but when they threw in an air-freshener and some buttons, I felt I owed 'em.

Blasphemer!

I thought I'd edit Mr. Jefferson's document a little.

Click for Maximum Offensiveness

Guess this means Sean Hannity won't be inviting me to his picnic.

Of course I "Love My Country." But let's be real for a minute on this day and remember that the "Founding Fathers" would probably not have associated with you unless you wore a powdered wig and banged your slaves. It's fine to celebrate our past, but don't color history in such majestic and glorious shades that you repaint it entirely.

We still have a long way to go as a country. We are just as divided today as we were then. 40-45% of the colonists supported the rebellion. 15-20% of the population remained loyal to the British Crown and the remaining 35-45% attempted to remain neutral.

Overdosing on the Flag

Here's a screenshot of Sean Hannity's homepage. He's so handsome when he does the "squint into the distance" pose, don't you think? Note that you can sign up for "Hannidate," where you might meet the woman of your dreams. She bakes red, white and blue cakes and agrees with you completely that "The Architect" Karl Rove gets a bad rap from the liberal Commie press.

It's good we have Sean here in our country. Anywhere else he'd have been locked up. Or worse.

God Bless America... NOW, Damnit!

That phrase, "God Bless America." It's always struck me as a little demanding. Sort of like we have this inflated sense of entitlement to all that is good and glorious, which is, I suspect, why so many other nations find us repulsive.

Don't get me wrong (or as our President likes to say, "Make no mistake!"), I love my country. It may stink in lots of ways, but it's one of the best ships afloat. Always room for improvement, though - which is another reason it's a pretty cool place.