As kids, my brothers and I always found some way of getting our hands on fireworks. Though illegal even then, we found sources. Of course, there were a few times when all we had were snakes and sparklers but M-80s, Cherry Bombs and good old firecrackers were the usual finds. There is something awfully fun about lighting the fuse (often too short) and hearing that big boom...some like the M-80s even created a bit of body concussion...that was the best. The neighborhood families did their food thing while also displaying the US Flag...proudly too. Many of our neighbors were Polish, Ukrainian and Italian folks who were first generation immigrants now raising their kids. These were terrific people, friendly and generous and appreciative. They assimilated and became US Citizens. How things seemed to have changed.
On the surface where the media lives, things don't look so rosy. But dig a bit deeper into the day to day lives of hard working immigrants and you can still find those who are taking the US promise to heart. They aren't waiting for some big deal out of DC but pulling up their bootstraps and grabbing their piece of Freedom. I still think their is too much segregation by choice more or les staying with their own kind in nationality and language but that is run of the mill tribalism. I would like to see more willingness to mix, associate and be that promised E Pluribus Unum. But the media won't have it. They want division and they seem to be getting it. Enough!
On this 4th of July, stop for a moment between hot dogs and fireworks...stop and realize we are that E Pluribus Unum only of we make it so. Be glad you are not under the 100 year old CCP...but we could be if the media is not reigned in. Life is not lived on a TV screen or iPhone. Life is lived in the daylight, in the parks, in the factories, in the schools, in the playgrounds, on the ball fields, in the churches and at the dinner table.
Come on, let's live life, celebrate Freedom and ignore the destructive media this 4th. We'll be all the happier and better for it.
Happy 4th of July!
BOOM!