I totally agree with you. You put it so well and relieved some of my anxiety about the USA. Let’s keep working for a more perfect union and embrace and celebrate our country this Fourth of July.
Colby, I wrote a somewhat less eloquent post on the same topic a few months ago. I grew up a Regan republican in a Roosevelt/Kennedy democrat household, and we all got along just fine. I was there for the Bicentennial in Brooklyn, enjoying the parade of ships from shore road in Bay Ridge and the heights promenade. I was part of the presidential honor guard on the Forrestal with my JROTC unit. There were no tribes that week, we were all proud of what the nation had accomplished. When I built our house, we proudly had the flag flying 24/7. 9/11 in NY made the flag and the sense of togetherness mean even more than before. Then around 2015 our beautiful flag became a backdrop for hatred and partisan politics. Flying it became a political statement that my now center left self felt so tangible. I flew it anyway because I still loved it. Earlier this year, I had enough of hatred and bigotry wrapping itself in Old Glory and had to speak out, albeit in my own social media bubble. I stand for the America that is, was, and will be : the imperfect experiment ever evolving to it's best self, the ugly along with the beautiful. The 250th and the world cup is placing us and the flag front and center. I am embracing it as an opportunity to show the world and our fellow Americans that we can transcend the noise and show our love for the nation. We should be listening to the world cup visitors who are telling us how awesome we are, and become who they see.
I totally agree with you. You put it so well and relieved some of my anxiety about the USA. Let’s keep working for a more perfect union and embrace and celebrate our country this Fourth of July.
thanks Mary Lou!
Colby, I wrote a somewhat less eloquent post on the same topic a few months ago. I grew up a Regan republican in a Roosevelt/Kennedy democrat household, and we all got along just fine. I was there for the Bicentennial in Brooklyn, enjoying the parade of ships from shore road in Bay Ridge and the heights promenade. I was part of the presidential honor guard on the Forrestal with my JROTC unit. There were no tribes that week, we were all proud of what the nation had accomplished. When I built our house, we proudly had the flag flying 24/7. 9/11 in NY made the flag and the sense of togetherness mean even more than before. Then around 2015 our beautiful flag became a backdrop for hatred and partisan politics. Flying it became a political statement that my now center left self felt so tangible. I flew it anyway because I still loved it. Earlier this year, I had enough of hatred and bigotry wrapping itself in Old Glory and had to speak out, albeit in my own social media bubble. I stand for the America that is, was, and will be : the imperfect experiment ever evolving to it's best self, the ugly along with the beautiful. The 250th and the world cup is placing us and the flag front and center. I am embracing it as an opportunity to show the world and our fellow Americans that we can transcend the noise and show our love for the nation. We should be listening to the world cup visitors who are telling us how awesome we are, and become who they see.
Great stuff Skip. Great minds...