[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THE FOURTH OF JULY

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the most patriotic time of the year is 
at hand. I love the Fourth of July. It is picnics, hot dogs, potato 
salad and barbecue. It is kids decorating wagons with red, white and 
blue for neighborhood parades and little kids sitting on their dad's 
shoulders watching the parade. It is horses and cowboys. It is John 
Phillips Sousa and ``The Stars and Stripes Forever.'' It is waving 
flags and thanking our troops for their service. It is yellow ribbons 
tied to trees.
  The Fourth of July is a packed freeway and a long weekend. It is 
going to the beach and getting sand in everything. It is coolers, beach 
towels, blankets, sunscreen and the salty air.
  It is the big fireworks display in the big cities and the small ones 
in the neighborhood. It is making circles in the air with sparklers. It 
is bottle rocket wars. It is Black Cat firecrackers and Roman candles. 
It is buy one, get four free.
  It is stump speeches by politicians. It is people dressing up as Tom 
Jefferson and George Washington. It is snow cones and caramel apples. 
It is kids, grandkids and pets all packed in the Jeep and going for 
cotton candy.
  Everybody is happy about the Fourth of July. There is nothing sad 
about freedom. After all, it is happy birthday to our country.
  And that's just the way it is.

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