Andy's Favorite Holiday

(CBS)  This segment was first broadcast on Jan. 11, 2009.

The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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Christmas and New Year - New Years I guess we call it - are over and I'm glad. I like them but they're hard. I prefer ordinary days and I like to go to bed about 10:30 most nights. I don't know what time most people go to bed. I guess it's actually closer to 11:00 when we turn the light out.

Christmas is good but New Year's Day is too close to it and no one knows what to do New Years except stay up late.

The next special day we have is Martin Luther King's birthday - January 19. The third Monday in February is called Presidents Day but we've really made a mess of our holidays. I think most people would just as soon forget their birthday anyway after they're about 25 years old. Getting older is nothing to celebrate.

My favorite holiday is the Fourth of July. My father used to give me $2 to buy fireworks on the 4th every year and I always had a great time shooting those off.

The ones that went up in the air and made a big noise when they exploded were most expensive, so I only bought a few skyrockets but I spent the rest of my money on dozens of two or three inch firecrackers. They were the most fun. We also had some round things that crackled when we stepped on them. Alfie Gordon's mother wouldn't let Alfie have fireworks, so he always shot off some of mine. I thought Alfie's mother was just saving money.

My family was always at our cottage at the lake on the Fourth of July and after my fireworks were gone it was fun to sit on our dock at night and watch fireworks go off all around the lake.

I don;t know what the statistics are on fireworks, but we had fun with ours and no one ever got hurt. A lot of things in life that are fun are dangerous. It's hard to know where to draw the line. I'm in favor of fireworks, dangerous though they may be.








Written by Andy Rooney

[messiahx4eve]

And you, cyberscribe, are something to aspire and emmulate? Reflective time for you would probably do you some good if you could only see beyond the point of your nose and the hair within it. Whether or not you like or approve of my comments is not the issue, my right and your right to respond to them are, which we both are, you posted yours and I posted mine....bring it, let the small mind battles begin, I''''m sure your prattle has a sort of significant source of merit to bear. Your retort smacks of a child in school that I probably slapped around a lot to amuse my brethen in high school, my condolences.....whine on someone else''''s dime.

[messiahx4eve]

Any you, cyberscribe, are something to aspire and emmulate? Reflective time for you would probably do you some good if you could only see beyond the point of your nose and the hair within it. Whether or not you like or approve of my comments is not the issue, my right and your right to respond to them are, which we both are, you posted yours and I posted mine....bring it, let the small mind battles begin, I''m sure your prattle has a sort of significant source of merit to bear. Your retort smacks of a child in school that I probably slapped around a lot to amuse my brethen in high school, my condolences.....whine on someone else''s dime.

[cyberscribe]

"MY favorite holiday will be when Andy(***)Rooney RETIRES, trims his eyebrows, and gets a real life."

Posted by messiahx4eve at 08:32 PM : Jan 12, 2009

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My favorite holiday will be when those rare small-minded, unappreciative jerks like messiahx4eve quit posting their bitter, pointless rants on these Andy Rooney article threads.

[messiahx4eve]

And I have no will ill against those "arnoldbowers" types who feel they can judge the "others" who grew up as bad, if not worse than he. NO ONE is like me, nor ever will be, my individuality is my own, and is very unique to my life style. My family suffered many MANY things and I have earned the right to make statements just as you have, the petty whiners out there that feel because you DON''T go with the flow of social contention is the odd many out, so be it. The main difference between you and me is this; YOU blame people like bush/cheney, bin Laden, Saddam, Hitler, terrorists or even god for the end of mankind''s distinguished Manifest Destiny, our topple from the top as the favored species, while I, simply wish to have a front row seat and exit stage left. To those that think I am suicidal, I am not, just realistic, most of you were born, raised with institutional ingrained behaviors that have served no one but the rich and powerful of our society & a false structured religion that beckons control through fear of the unknown. I applaud you for your posting because it shows me and others like me that pathetic eys shut leading the path to know nothings, and see nothings have a place to squat and scratch their behinds. Have a nice day......

[arnoldbowers]

What I find very sad is we have those, "messiah4eve" still breathing fresh air in our country. I came up and had it a lot harder but that is no excuse for blaming others for their good fortune. copme the fouth of June in 1953 I was in the old R&S grocery store in Leesville, La and found a 10.00 bill and used to order a big box of fire works from an Ohio company, my dad got mad as he wanted the 10.00 and did not get it, Ha.
The folks I dislike or those of the bush/cheney type who came up wealthy and then murder thousands out of greed for even more with lies and deceit and then tells America''s citizens he can not think of a thing he would change if he had a chance Monday the 12 of January 2009. Ssorry folks that is who you should vent your angry not Andy who served honorable in WWII, something bush/cheney avoided by draft dodging and deserting.
I do not think Andy will ever be that greedy or think he is too good to do as all good men do and that is serve honorable, think all of you who have never served any thing other than youself I got 8 years in and 3 honorable discharges and 100% disability protecting lazy idiots like those, but we will always be stuck with those like, "messiahx4eve" a worth less soul who can type a few strokes.
Frank Bowers of Austin, Tx wishing all the best of good byes.

[messiahx4eve]

MY favorite holiday will be when Andy(***)Rooney RETIRES, trims his eyebrows, and gets a real life.

[hospice7]

For Andy:

I wanted to share with you why July 4th is my favorite holiday. On that day, in 1943, my father escaped from a Japanese POW camp with 9 others on Negros Island. He had been on the Batton Death March after having been taken prisoner from Clark Field in the Phillippines. He escaped into the jungle and lived for 14 months with the Phillippino Guerrillas. He didn''t realize it was the 4th of July until a few days later. A perfect expression of "Freedom." I''m very proud of my father. Without that escape, I wouldn''t be here. Every 4th of July, I think especially hard of my father, thinking of his sacrifice for this country. It took its toll on him and his future family, but he gave us so much...

[d33pthroat1]

Was Andy the son of wealth and privilege?

-------Posted by fsw3 at 08:50 AM : Jan 12, 2009

Andy Roony was born into a very well-to-do family. His father made $8000 a year which was considered very good money in those days. Andy attended a private school, Albany Academy, where tuition was a hefty $400 a year (considered a princely sum in those days).

In his book - "My war", Andy even talks about how other kids used to call him a "rich kid".

You can read all of the above here (Page 8 of his book): http://***********/8tormq

[sgt2dog]

He knows what day is MLK''s birthday, he was saying that this year it will be celebrated on Monday the 19th the third monday of Jan - as he said!

I miss Lincoln''s birthday and Washington''s birthday, real American Hero''s. No, I am wrong to say it that way - it offends the good things that King accomplished, but I was around and remember many of the things that he did that were wrong, both Lincoln and Washington were dead before I was born so they only have good to their name. My grand daughter will only know the good that King did, so he will be a hero to her and rightly so...so saith the old man.

Hi Andy,

MLK Jr.''s bday is January 15th, 1929. My bday is January 19th, and if you want to send me a present it''s not too late :) Cheers. d