Simply Put...

[Jerry]

Long May She Wave...


http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif

------------------
Webmaster - BeatleLinks.net (http://www.beatlelinks.net)

[SleepyHead]

"'Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
And they can't take that away."

God Bless the U.S.A.

------------------
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[SF4-EVER]

Ohhh, say, can you see...


------------------
Author of "Move Over Ms. L." and the sequel "To Thine Own Self Be True,"
hosted at www.rooftopsessions.com (http://www.rooftopsessions.com)

[bearkat77]

By the dawn's early light

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[alliesun]

"...Flag of the free heart's hope and home,
By angel hands to valor given!
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born in heaven.
Forever float that standard sheet!
Where breathes the foe but falls before us,
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet,
And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us!"

-Joseph Rodman Drake-

------------------
here comes the sun...

[SleepyHead]

"Wave the flag,
Wave the flag,
Wave the flag, oh, wave it high."

-from "Celebration Song", author unknown

------------------
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[SleepyHead]

America

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathe partake,
Let rocks their silence break --
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.

--Samuel Francis Smith

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[This Message Has Been Edited By SleepyHead On September 17, 2001 04:30 PM]

[HMVNipper]

Here's my personal favorite patriotic song...

**************
AMERICA,.THE BEAUTIFUL

.O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

.

America! America!

God shed His grace on Thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

.

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

.

America! America!

God shed His grace on Thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!



------------------
Rooftop Sessions - The Finest In Beatles-Related Fiction. September 2001 Issue up now! About.com BEST OF THE NET, April 2001! www.rooftopsessions.com (http://www.rooftopsessions.com)

[HMVNipper]

And another...we need these songs now!

*************
You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

.

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.



------------------
Rooftop Sessions - The Finest In Beatles-Related Fiction. September 2001 Issue up now! About.com BEST OF THE NET, April 2001! www.rooftopsessions.com (http://www.rooftopsessions.com)

[bearkat77]

http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


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[Tim]

http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif

Yankee Doodle came to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it Macaroni

Yankee Doodle keep it up
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Mind the nusic and the step
And with the girls be handy


------------------
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[mindgames]

A tear came to my eyes when I witnessed the above outpouring of patriotism. Thank you.

------------------
This post was brought to you by Daniel R. Mindgames, Co-Moderator of the Goodnight Vienna Forum and all-around nice guy.

[JCB410]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>Originally Posted By bearkat77:
http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I believe it's "Where" so proudly
we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming(?)-
I just figured I'd mention that since we're
being more precise about names.. But a great
posting nonethaless, Kat... http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/wink.gif

http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/cool2.gif


------------------
//*//--"you may say I'm
a dreamer, but
I'm not the only
one"--

[This Message Has Been Edited By Nowhere Man On September 18, 2001 02:44 PM]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>
http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have a big long pole you can stick that flag on if you'd like to get it a little higher.


------------------
http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/king2.gif

http://www.tupics.com/members/woodpecker2k/usflag.jpg

There, that's better.

------------------
http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/king2.gif

[jami]

http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/laugh2.gif

------------------
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[bearkat77]

http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States Of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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[SleepyHead]

http://www.beatlelinks.net/images/temp/flag.gif

STRENGTH OF OLD GLORY
Unknown


I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is Old Glory. I fly atop the worlds'
tallest buildings. I stand watch in America's
halls of justice. I fly majestically over
institutions of learning. I stand guard with
power in the world. Look up and see me.

I stand for Peace, Honor, Truth and Justice.
I stand for Freedom. I am confident. I am
arrogant. I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners, my
head is a little higher, my colors a little
truer.

I bow to no one! I am recognized all over
the world. I am worshipped. I am saluted.
I am loved. I am revered. I am respected.
And I am feared.

I have fought in every battle of every war for
more than 200 years. I was flown at Valley
Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appamatox. I was
there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome and the
beaches of Normandy, Guam, Okinawa,Korea, KheSan,
Saigon and Vietnam. I was there. I led my
troops, I was dirty, battleworn and tired, but
my soldiers cheered me. And I was proud. I
have been burned, torn and trampled on the streets
of countries I have helped set free. It does not
hurt, for I am invincible.

I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled
on the streets of my own country. And when it's by
those whom I've served in battle - it hurts. But I
shall overcome, for I am strong.

I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stood watch
over the uncharted frontiers of space from my vantage
point on the moon. I have borne silent witness to
all of America's finest hours. But my finest hours
are yet to come.

When I am torn into strips and used as bandages
for my wounded comrades on the battlefield, when
I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier and
country, or when I lie in the trembling arms of a
grieving parent at the grave of their fallen son
or daughter, I am proud.

My name is Old Glory.
Dear God In Heaven,
Long May I Wave.


------------------
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[SleepyHead]

"Ragged Old Flag"
By John R. Cash,
© 1974 House of Cash, Inc.

I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."

He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing Say Can You See.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seems.

"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.

"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She was sent where she was by her Uncle Sam.

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she's been abused --
She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.

"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning, take her
down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground and we fold
her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."


God Bless America


------------------
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[SleepyHead]

Commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and
meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote
down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is
followed by an observation of his own.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

I
- - Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge
- - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance
- - My love and my devotion.

To the Flag
- - Our standard; Old Glory; a symbol of Freedom; wherever
she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity
that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job.

United
- - That means that we have all come together.

States
- - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight
great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity
and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a
common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic
- - Republic -- a state in which sovereign power is
invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And
government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not
from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands


One Nation
- - One Nation -- meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible
- - Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty
- - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own
life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice
- - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with
others.

For All
- - For All -- which means, boys and girls, it's as much your
country as it is mine.

And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of
Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to
the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.


Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and
two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: "Under God."
Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would
be eliminated from schools, too?

Red Skelton

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[McCharlenstar]

Great work everyone!! The Flags are FANTASTIC!!!!Thank you.
LONG MAY SHE WAVE!!!
------------------
http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/dance.gif

[This Message Has Been Edited By McCharlenstar On November 23, 2001 05:42 PM]

[SleepyHead]

THE SOLDIER

By Grantland Rice

A protest raged on a courthouse lawn,
Round a makeshift stage they charged on,
Fifteen hundred or more they say,
Had come to burn a Flag that day.

A boy held up the folded Flag,
Cursed it, and called it a dirty rag.
An old man pushed through the angry crowd,
With a rusty shotgun shouldered proud.

His uniform jacket was old and tight,
He had polished each button, shiny and bright.
He crossed that stage with a soldier's grace,
Until he and the boy stood face to face.

"Freedom of speech", the old man said,
"Is worth dying for, good men are dead,
So you can stand on this courthouse lawn,
And talk us down from dusk to dawn,
But before any Flag gets burned today,
This old man is going to have his say!

My father died on a foreign shore,
In a war they said would end all wars.
But Tommy and I wasn't even full grown,
Before we fought in a war of our own.
And Tommy died on Iwo Jima's beach,
In the shadow of a hill he couldn't quite reach
Where five good men raised this Flag so high,
That the whole world could see it fly.

I got this bum leg that I still drag,
Fighting for this same old Flag.
Now there's but one shot in this old gun,
So now it's time to decide which one,
Which one of you will follow our lead,
To stand and die for what you believe?
For as sure as there is a rising sun,
You'll burn in hell 'fore this Flag burns, son.

Now this riot never came to pass
The crowd got quiet and that can of gas,
Got set aside as they walked away
To talk about what they had heard this day.
And the boy who had called it a "dirty rag",
Handed the old soldier the folded Flag.

So the battle of the Flag this day was won
By a tired old soldier with a rusty gun,
Who for one last time, had to show to some,
This flag may fade, yet these colors don't run!


------------------
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[SleepyHead]

WHY I LOVE HER (America)

By John Mitchum

You ask me Why I Love Her? Well, give me time and I'll explain.
Have you seen a Kansas sunset or an Arizona rain?
Have you drifted on a bayou down Louisiana way?
Have you watched a cold fog drifting over San Francisco Bay?

Have you heard a bobwhite calling in the Carolina pines,
Or heard the bellow of a diesel at the Appalachia mines?
Does the call of Niagara thrill you when you hear her waters roar?
Do you look with awe and wonder at her Massachusetts shore,
Where men who braved a hard new world first stepped on Plymouth's rock?
And do you think of them when you stroll along a new York City dock?

Have you seen a snowflake drifting in the Rockies, way up high?
Have you seen the sun come blazing down from a bright Nevada sky?
Do you hail to the Columbia as she rushes to the sea,
Or bow your head at Gettysburg at our struggle to be free?

Have you seen the mighty Tetons? Have you watched an eagle soar?
Have you seen the Mississippi roll along Missouri's shore?
Have you felt a chill at Michigan when on a winter's day
Her waters rage along the shore in thunderous display?
Does the word "Aloha" make you warm? Do you stare in disbelief
When you see the surf come roaring in at Waimea Reef?

From Alaska's cold to the Everglades, from the Rio Grande to Maine,
My heart cries out, my pulse runs fast at the might of her domain.
You ask me Why I Love Her? I've a million reasons why:
My Beautiful America, beneath God's wide, wide sky.

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[Sally]

Quick! Anyone got a British flag?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are being taken over (joke)!!!!!!!!!

------------------

[SleepyHead]

OUR TRUE COLORS

by Pamela Gayle Smith

Today I made a trip,
to the clinic of our local VA,
where America's true colors,
are proudly on display.

I'm not speaking of the colors
of our Flag's red, white and blue,
I'm speaking of the soldiers
who have fought for me and you.

There were men of all ages,
from World War One, just a few,
most were from the "war to end all wars"
"the big one," World War Two.

From our UN participation,
Korea, Viet Nam and Desert Storm,
from Joint Police Actions,
keeping people safe from harm.

Though they are in wheel chairs,
on crutches or with canes,
missing an arm, leg or eye,
their loyalty still remains.

They are from well know divisions,
Paratroopers from Kentucky's Fort Campbell,
to Fort Hood Texas, the tank drivers,
called "Hell on Wheels," a name known well.

They were Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines,
all with medical problems, waiting to be seen.
discussing America's latest problems,
over coffee in the crowded canteen.

Then a white haired man rose up,
his back bent with age,
his voice shook, his hand trembled,
his eyes told of his rage.

He said "I'm an old man,
in years I'm eighty-five,
I guess by most standards,
I'm lucky to be alive."

"I was a paratrooper,
in World War Two,
I'd go again, fellas
how about all of you?"

"For this is my country,
many have died to keep her free,
my Father, my Son, my Best Friend,
I will not forsake their memory."

The room was very quiet,
as he sat slowly down,
and in that large room,
not one dry eye could be found.

For they all had a similar story,
which, on by one, they started to tell.
this room full of American Veterans,
made my proud heart swell.

Watching these American Vet's,
their arms around both young and old,
from World War One to current time,
my patriotism, grew one hundred fold.

Now I know what Patriotism really means,
it's not just "apple pie, Mom and the girl next door,"
it's a feeling, welling up from your soul,
way down deep, at your very core.

It's a catch in your throat when "America" is sung,
tears in your eyes when Veterans parade by,
standing straight, when reciting the "Pledge,
and a bursting heart when "Old Glory" does fly.

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[SleepyHead]

THE FLAG

By Capt. John S. McCain, USN, (Ret),
Senator for the state of Arizona

I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during
the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment,
the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to
a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions
of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40
men to a room.

This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and
was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans
on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from
home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young
man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small
town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of
shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in
the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going
to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval
Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967.

Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the many
opportunities this country-and our military-provide for
people who want to work and want to succeed. As part
of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed
some prisoners to receive packages from home. In
some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves,
and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo
needle.

Over a period of a couple of months, he created an
American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we
would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say
the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of
Allegiance may not seem the most important part of
our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell
it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did
periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag
sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned,
opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us,
beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours.
Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in.
We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the
middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs
hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried
to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the ex-
citement died down, I looked in the corner of the room,
and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece
of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was
my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his
eyes almost shut from the beating he had received,
making another American flag.

He was not making the flag because it made HIM feel
better......he was making that flag because he knew how
important it was for us ALL to be able to pledge our
allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you
must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands
of Americans have made to build our nation and promote
freedom around the world. You must remember our duty,
our honor, and our country.

------------------
http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/sleep2.gif
In Memory Of Robby (http://inmemoryofrobby.50megs.com)
Our Lady's Psalter (http://ourladyspsalter.50megs.com)
Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page (http://bearkat77.www9.50megs.com)
Bearkat77's Tribute to John Lennon (http://bearkatjl.50megs.com)
Bearkat77's Tribute to Ringo Starr (http://bearkatrs.50megs.com)

[JCB410]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>Originally Posted By Sally:
Quick! Anyone got a British flag?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are being taken over (joke)!!!!!!!!!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well I'll tell you Sally, if
that really started happening, I'd want to
somehow meet up with you for that cool listen
to Syd Barett's new c.d. set... that ought to
keep us well distracted until "the end"--
(echoing the Doors pun-http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/wink.gif

But yes folks, hear ye to that flag!!-- no
matter how tall or small... --JC

http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/thumbsup.gifhttp://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/lookaround.gifhttp://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/thumbsup.gif



------------------
//*//--"you may say I'm
a dreamer, but
I'm not the only
one"--

[Sally]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>Originally Posted By JCB410:
Originally Posted By Sally:
Quick! Anyone got a British flag?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are being taken over (joke)!!!!!!!!!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well I'll tell you Sally, if
that really started happening, I'd want to
somehow meet up with you for that cool listen
to Syd Barett's new c.d. set... that ought to
keep us well distracted until "the end"--
(echoing the Doors pun-http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/wink.gif

But yes folks, hear ye to that flag!!-- no
matter how tall or small... --JC

http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/thumbsup.gifhttp://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/lookaround.gifhttp://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/thumbsup.gif



Well matey, you are more than welcome, I don't really hold with all this patrism, doesn't matter where we come from, we should have now borders or boundries "we are fantastic" etc

Who gives a s**t which country we are from, mind you I have to say that I am quite pleased at being English due to all the fantastic music we have produced for such a teeny weeny country.

------------------

[JCB410]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>Originally Posted By Sally:
Well matey, you are more than welcome, I don't really hold with all this patrism, doesn't matter where we come from, we should have now borders or boundries "we are fantastic" etc

Who gives a s**t which country we are from, mind you I have to say that I am quite pleased at being English due to all the fantastic music we have produced for such a teeny weeny country.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Yes, we are "all" fantastic. But I would think because indeed
you've produced much good music in the UK,
it's good reason "to" give a sh**t which
country you're from-- though I know what
you basically mean-http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif



------------------
//*//--"you may say I'm
a dreamer, but
I'm not the only
one"--