Oneth by land, twoeth by sea, WTF if they arrive by other means?

 Wellllllllll...it's OFFICIAL.  The British are coming!  

Let's backtrack to 1976, which was the bicentennial for American independence from England.  

I remember 1976 very vividly.  It was the 200th year of our separation from England.  I was 9 year-old girl in Minnesota.  I remember fireworks.  I remember watermelon.  I remember waiting for the parade.  I remember mosquitos at dusk.  I remember sparklers.  I remember firecrackers.  Oddly enough, I remember slime (the toy) and pop rocks (the candy) for which both are now banned for being toxic to children.  

Perhaps that is what is wrong with me. 

What were we celebrating?  Oh yeah, we sliced ourselves off from the English throne.  Did we know what we were doing?  Some say yes and others say no.  Some say we never really separated ourselves. 

Truth be told, we have more in common with the English than any other ethnic group.  Despite other ethnic groups migrating to America, the English still hold onto the title of "we dumped our losers and misfits onto your shores.  You deal with them."  

Other areas of Europe were already dumping their "undesirables" onto our shores long before the English.  New Amsterdam was New York before it was New York.   How many of you knew that? You all thought New York was the original name.  NOT. 

America became a dumping ground for the offspring of the royal's extra marital affairs the crown did not want to acknowledge nor provide for.  I'm living proof of that. 

Yes, we have many who escaped Europe (mostly northern and western Europe at the time) and we became the pioneers who carved out the west.  We have had many entanglements with other groups along the way.  Some became part of family.  

The Pennsylvania Dutch  is the other ethnic group I closely identify with.  They are really German, but the English thought they thought "deutch" was the same as "dutch."  

Then there are the central Europeans on my mother's side who arrived around 1900 from Bohemia (present day Czech Republic).  There is a story there.  Apparently, there was a huge fight as there was a railroad that ran along the German/Czech/Bohemian border or whatever it was at the time????????  They had to leave.  Now.

Bottom line:  I am an American SUPER MUTT.   

Mutts are loyal and just want to love.