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Not Feeling Free on Independence Day
Today is a beautiful July day.
The sun is hot, there’s blue sky for miles. American flags and bunting are on display in my neighborhood and hometown. The annual parade is marching down mainstreet. I hear the splashing of kids in swimming pools. Everyone is getting their grills ready for a cookout later on, before the fireworks.
America.
I have never felt more at ease in my own country than I do today.
The Real 4th of July
Independence Day 2019 looks and feels different than past holidays.
Tanks rolling down the streets in our nation’s capital. Souls yearning to be free to are legally trying to seek asylum are caged, with families torn apart. The conventions of our government established over 200 years ago are being challenged or downright ignored.
I’ve been thinking about the Preamble to the United States Constitution. Thanks to Schoolhouse Rock, I’ve had this statement memorized since I was a kid, and I still recite it out loud and in my head to the tune from that cartoon.