This July 4th will be the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed. It was the true shot heard round the world. Imperfect people with a thirst for liberty put their signatures to a document that has shaped human events ever since.

I was born and raised in the U.S., a lifer in the San Francisco Bay Area. The older I get, the more I appreciate living where I do in America. Too many who were born and raised in the U.S. take what we've got for granted. We get pummeled relentlessly by news outlets peddling fear & loathing. Yet I've seen and experienced enough good to overtake the bad about my country, every day, to be eternally grateful for her existence. America is more than just the schizophrenic government. America is an ideal. The rights codified in America are too often trampled on, but they cannot be erased, no matter how many laws politicians pass.

There is a tremendous panoply of culture, be it music, food, dance, theatre, literature, scientific research, fashion, innovation, athletics, animation & other visual arts, all in this one country--and often funded privately. Newgrounds is based in America--which is apropos for a site whose slug line is "Everything by Everyone." That's the classic American spirit that drew so many from around the world to come here and set up shop.

I love America. 'Nuff said.