Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, is one of the most significant holidays in the United States.
It is a day filled with patriotic fervor, fireworks, parades, and barbecues, as Americans come together to commemorate the nation's independence. But what is the history behind this iconic celebration? I believe it is more. Much more than that.
The story of Independence Day begins on July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress, comprised of delegates from the thirteen American colonies, adopted the Declaration of Independence.
This historic document, drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, proclaimed the colonies' separation from British rule and established the United States of America as a sovereign nation.
Read more: The 4th of July - a day of celebration in America
RATTY NEWS EXCLUSIVE
Operation Downstream: The Rise of the Feathernet Underground
By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent, Dusty Gulch Bureau
Dusty Gulch - long known for its meat pies, burnt sausages, and chronically confused mayor Dusty McFookit - now finds itself at the centre of a digital duck insurrection. Just days after new telecommunications cables were laid under cover of darkness (and a suspiciously convenient sausage festival), eight ducks moved into the paddock opposite the hangar.
Coincidence? Not likely.
Read more: Operation Downstream: The Rise of the Feathernet Underground
Written: 24 February 2025
This is a true story, about PP’s cancer journey.
PP will post his updates and we welcome people to comment and add to the thread via the comment section. It is hoped that this will help others.
He has been on a strict regime incorporating Ivermectin and other things... he is now 3 months in. So let's see what has been happening....
Like all stories, there is a beginning.
Read more: A Tale of Cancer and and an Aussie Bushie's Journey.....
Tucked away in the remote heart of the Indian Ocean lies a tiny archipelago that few outside geopolitical and military circles had heard of.... until now.
The Chagos Islands, and most notably Diego Garcia, have suddenly entered the spotlight as the United Kingdom has agreed to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, while simultaneously negotiating to retain its military presence through a long-term lease. President Donald Trump, has made sure that America's interests are protected and things can carry on as before. Or will they?
Read more: Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands: A Strategic Crossroads in Transition
In a rare confluence, Canada, Britain, and Australia held elections within a week of one another, although in Britain’s case, these were local elections in England. Yet England’s local elections may turn out to be the most consequential of the three for centre-right politics across the Western world. Last year I noted, amidst a gathering crisis of democracy, the rise of the New Right on both sides of the North Atlantic. Against that wider backdrop, at the start of the year, centre-right parties were expected to do well in all three countries.
In an interesting week, Canada’s Conservative Party saw a once 20-point advantage in the polls slide behind the governing Liberal Party on 28 April, UK Reform caused a political earthquake in England as it exceeded expectations and forecasts on 1 May, and Australia’s Liberal-National coalition suffered the shock of a significant swing against it to hand Labor a landslide re-election victory on 3 May. The polls proved reasonably accurate in capturing the electoral shifts in Canada and England but failed spectacularly in Australia.
Read more: The Aussie Election - Gathering Rosebuds of Consolation
Factional ferrets, backstabbing bandicoots, and the great Teal tango - how the Libs turned on their own and left Dutton in the dust. By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Political Correspondent, Ratty News - keeping paws on the pulse and noses in the nonsense.
Ratty News can now reveal the explosive truth behind Peter Duttons's catastrophic election loss: it wasn’t incompetence. It wasn’t the Teals. It wasn’t even the cost-of-living crisis.
It was a hit job. An inside job. A Ratstab.
Sources embedded in the Liberal Party's subterranean burrows have leaked details of Operation Ratstab – a covert campaign of sabotage orchestrated by a cabal of factional insiders known only as The Black Paw. This Armani-suited syndicate of Sydney moderates, teal-curious technocrats, and ex-Turnbull loyalists didn’t just torpedo Dutton’s run.
They detonated the entire ship, saluted ironically, and then popped over to the North Shore for pinot noir and crumbed cheese on toast.
Read more: Operation Wombat: Dutton’s Downfall Was an Inside Job!
In early 1951, New Zealand’s waterfronts weren’t just bustling ports - they had become battlegrounds.…
211 hits
Ratty News Special: “From Gondwana to Dusty Gulch: The Ostrich Problem” By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
412 hits
During World War II, Australia was a vital cog in the Allied machine, sending troops…
485 hits
Of all the magnificent units and regiments of the Australian Army I doubt if…
452 hits
The Emu War is one of Australia’s strangest historical events. In late 1932, the government…
376 hits
For nearly a decade, I’ve poured my soul into this blog. Twelve hours a day,…
351 hits
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy…
419 hits
We live in a strange age where even computers can sound like they care. AI…
315 hits
RATTY NEWS EXCLUSIVE: DIGITAL DINGO’S BIN BONANZA By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Chief Correspondent, Dusty…
397 hits
On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the…
402 hits
Democracy: Now With 97% Less Majority Rule Because who needs the will of the people…
478 hits
NEWSFLASH FROM DUSTY GULCH By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Dusty Gulch Bureau Chief Hold onto…
405 hits
Between the “Scrap Iron Flotilla” and “the Rats of Tobruk,” turning insults into a point…
405 hits
Before Xbox and iPads, we had mist, mud, and pinecones - and we waged battles…
376 hits
Picture trench warfare, and you’re probably seeing World War I’s muddy, rat-infested ditches, with soldiers…
426 hits
Digitally Removed in Shocking Duck Directive - Trevor the Wallaby Victim of “Knee-Free” Policy – Gulch Governance…
470 hits
How my father’s final hour barefoot in the sun taught me what it really means…
413 hits
What a healed bone, the smell of leather, and a soldier’s burden reveal about who…
401 hits
Thomas Pritchard, Australia's last "Rat of Tobruk" passed away at the age of 102 on…
533 hits
In a thoughtful historical essay published on this blog, John Ruddick celebrated the British discovery…
453 hits
From immigration policy to identity politics, energy to ideology - the erosion of Western society…
475 hits
In the 1970s, listening to Pirate Radio was more than entertainment - it was defiance.…
568 hits
DUSTY GULCH IN TURMOIL AS SOCIAL MEDIA MELTDOWN HITS MULTI-SPECIES SCHOOL By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
479 hits
“Every tyrant must begin by claiming to have what his victims respect and to give…
547 hits
The sea doesn’t warn you. It doesn’t care who you are, what rank you hold,…
463 hits
National First looks into how compulsory voting shackles true democracy. Australia likes to pat itself…
478 hits
At nine years old, I felt the silence of the lambs, long before I knew…
471 hits
While the new aces argue about the runway, the old crew still knows how to…
475 hits
When a lifetime isn’t enough to be believed I know a person... in her older…
554 hits
RATTY NEWS SPECIAL BULLETIN By Roderick “Whiskers” McNibble, Editor-in-Cheese It has been a busy week…
455 hits
Before he was a U.S. Senator, Vice President, or bestselling author, J.D. Vance was just…
516 hits
From the rat-hunters of age-old sailing ships to the black-cloaked Catalinas prowling the Pacific skies,…
501 hits