Today I was downtown, driving through the historic area so many Philadelphians take for granted. As always, I was deeply moved by the sight of the visitors who come all over the world to spend Independence Day in my home town.

Think about that. They could have gone somewhere else, or stayed home for a backyard barbecue. Instead, they came to Philadelphia for July 4th because they're drawn by the idea of liberty, and the ideals expressed in our Declaration of Independence.

It seems our elected officials forget about those ideals. But we haven't! Sure, there are many reasons to be depressed, but don't give up. Get mad, get organized! Remember, it's our country. It doesn't belong to the corporations.

It belongs to us.

Adams:
It's a masterpiece, I say!
They will cheer every word, every letter

Jefferson:
I wish I felt that way

Franklin:
I believe I can put it better
Now then attend, as friend to friend
Our Declaration Committee
For us I see immortality

All:
In Philadelphia City

Franklin:
A farmer, a lawyer, and a sage
A bit gouty in the leg
You know it's quite bizarre
To think that here we are
Playing midwives to an egg

All:
We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
Of an eaglet being born
We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator

Franklin:
God knows the temperature's hot enough
To hatch a stone, let alone an egg

All:
We're waiting for the scratch, scratch, scratch
Of that tiny little fellow
Waiting for the egg to hatch
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator

Adams:
God knows the temperature's hot enough
To hatch a stone

Jefferson:
But will it hatch an egg?

Adams:
The eagle's going to crack the shell
Of the egg that England laid

All:
Yes, so we can tell, tell, tell
On this humid Monday morning in this
Congressional incubator

Franklin:
And as just as Tom here has written
Though the egg may belong to Great Britain,
The eagle inside belongs to us!

All:
And as just as Tom here has written
We say to hell with Great Britain!
The eagle inside belongs to us!

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Bill O'Reilly was kvetching earlier this week about how the rest of the mainstream media -- besides Fox News, of course -- was biased against the Tea Party movement because "they like to look down on the folks." Unlike the Real Americans at Fox.

He even went so far as to claim his crack staff of researchers had sifted through "thousands" of news stories and managed to find only two that were rated as "positive." Of course, judging by the news standards at Fox, "positive" coverage is indistinguishable from "promotional propaganda" at any other news outlet. Moreover, most journalists consider it their job to be neutral in reporting these matters, not "positive." Unless, of course, they work for Fox.

So let's just say that we're guessing the methodology of O'Reilly's researchers is questionable.

But the most revealing an interesting moment came in the following segment, when O'Reilly brought in fellow Fox sage Brit Hume to ruminate on his thesis. Hume made the following observation:

HUME: Well, I think also, Bill, it's fair to make a comparison between the kind of coverage let's say the big anti-war demonstrations that went on during the last part of the — last parts of the Bush administration, the kind of coverage they got. They there would be a parade of extremists up on the platform saying the most remarkable things and the coverage in a lot of mainstream media outlets would be focused on the nice couples and the little families that are down in the crowd and their kind of civic.

O'REILLY: That's a great analogy. It's a great..

Yeah, that's a very interesting analogy indeed. Especially considering the way Fox covered those same anti-war protesters, especially in contrast to its glowing coverage of the Tea Parties:

Media Matters' review of Fox News' coverage of prior demonstrations finds that the network offered no such promotional coverage of 2003 and 2005 protests opposing the Iraq war, the 2006 immigrants' rights protests, or other demonstrations in support of progressive positions. Instead, the network's hosts, contributors, and guests often attacked participants in those protests.

Leading the pitchfork parade against the anti-war protesters, of course, was Bill O'Reilly. Some examples:

O'REILLY: I called some of the anti-war demonstrators anti-American when they start saying that a -- the United States is a terrorist nation and, you know, giving us this revisionist history that -- this one and that one, we did this and that, and, you know, there's a line. We respect dissent here, by the way. If you're against the war, and -- that's fine, and we respect that. But, once you start attacking your country as fundamentally an evil place, which some of these anti-war people have done, then you're anti-American, in my opinion.

O'REILLY: All right. I believe there's a heavy strain. I don't think everybody -- And I know everybody -- I think there are some sincere peace demonstrators. I just think they haven't thought it through.

I always say to people who are doing this, remember Vietnam and remember Cambodia. What happened there, OK?

Because for every cause there's an effect, all right?

So you don't want Saddam Hussein removed for whatever your reason may be, but you can't guarantee anybody that this guy, a proven killer, will not turn around and do something very heinous. And then what happens? Are you responsible for that?

And then there were Foxheads like Fred Barnes:

BARNES: You know, I was struck by how uninformed and morally empty these demonstrations were.

[...]

BARNES: These demonstrators are both morally vacuous, they're stupid, they're disingenuous.

[...]

BARNES: They just don't want a war and they hate the U.S., Mort's right about that.

Or Sean Hannity:

HANNITY: Had we listened to the appeasement movement, the pacifist movement, the same protesters back then as the ones today, the world wouldn't be a safer place. Why do they even have any credibility based on their failure after failure, historically speaking?

[...]

HANNITY: Steven, by the way, these are Marxist groups. They do organize this thing with very anti-American ideas. I don't believe every anti-war protester is anti-American. I'm not suggesting that.

Ah, but that's not "looking down on the folks." That's "looking down on the liberals." Who, by the Fox definition, are not people.

All Spin Zone: The economic outlook is so bleak, some economists are looking for a bunker to hide in. But what do economists know? Chimpy is is upbeat about the economy, though I'm sure he'd be amenable to more tax cuts...and he's not the only one living in a fool's paradise.

Wall Street Jackass: Sage advice

Beggars Can Be Choosers: Iowa shows how Iraq war support remains toxic for candidates, though apparently, the "surging" St. McCain doesn't think so.

Blorgable: Year of the web: 10 strangest political moments of 2007

CQ Politics: Voter ID court challenges expected to have a big impact on the 2008 elections.

Watchdog Blog: The House Ethics Committee parties on

"They are interested in your stuff, however, and sooner or later, they will swamp your kind out of existence." Sadly No on the dwindling honkie tribe.

Jesus' General's effort to seek guidance from Wiley S Drake results in little satisfaction.

Marc McDonald looks at how FOX blew it's chance at credibility.

You'll want to save this for when you've got more than a minute - Blue Herald's massive new Right Wing Cartoon Watch

And finally, it's a passing as sad as any, and as I hold the final issue of the Weekly World News in my hands, I must try hard to think about the good times, even though the grave of Elvis grows a bit colder, and Bigfoot trudges sadly through the frozen tundra which scientists predict will be a tropical paradise next year after the reversal of the magnetic poles. When again shall we see the everyman outrage of Ed Anger, who introduced the phrase "pig-bitin' mad" to the English lexicon? Or the sage advice of Dottie, who routinely advised the lovelorn that their best course of action would be suicide? So long, Bat Boy. Branches Up, Roots Down offers the eulogy.

Guest blogged by Mark Hoback. Send tips to mhoback AT verizon Dot net.