Oh, say can you see?

Sometimes we really do a holiday right, and when we do, it feels so good! Like the Christmas seasons we choose to focus on the Savior, ponder what His birth really means to us, and really give of ourselves. Or the times we stop on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and listen to the "I Have a Dream" speech, and consider our attitudes and actions toward our fellow beings and how we may need to adjust them. Or the times we really throw ourselves into Coast Guard Day.

I'm pleased with the way we did the 4th this year. During the month of June, I read 1776, by David McCullough. I highly recommend it to anyone who reads at high school level or above. It is compelling, stirring, fair, skillfully written, and well researched. So I've been thinking about the issue of our country's independence for a while now--and pretty deeply. I've gained a profound appreciation for what our founding mothers and fathers went through to give us the benefits of freedom. On Sunday we got the family together and had a little devotional of sorts, to remind ourselves what we have been given here, what people sacrificed to make this life possible for us, and what our responsibilities are because of that.

On Monday night, because we prepare in advance, we went to the video store to get a couple of patriotic videos that might enhance our celebration. We left with the Will Smith classic, "Independence Day" (which I got as a joke, and which we did not watch. We did watch "1776, The Musical." That turned out to be surprisingly good. The kids were hooked, the story was well told and educational, and the cheesy music wasn't too distracting.).

As part of our actual Independence Day celebration, we displayed our new nine-foot, hand-stitched (in China) flag (D.I.--$5). Then Lola I participated in the Freedom Festival parade. (After that we ate mass quantities of food, which doesn't figure in this story.) The parade participation consisted of walking with the Utah County Democrats, carrying signs for candidates, and smiling and waving congenially at about six hundred thousand people. I did this because I love my country, I believe in democracy, and I believe that our state needs to return to something that resembles a two-party system. I also believe in being involved, and standing for something, as opposed to sitting around complaining when things don't go my way. Theric spoke to this issue already, so I don't need to say more on that (he also offers Coast Guard Day tips, so don't miss it).

I expected that there would be a cool reception from many of the parade watchers. I also expected the announcers to have some fun with us, saying things like, "Hey, it's the Utah County Democrats--all ten of them!" (There were twenty-three of us.) What I did not expect was actual booing and heckling from the crowd. I did not expect whole groups of people to boo. I did not expect others (mostly college-age men) to yell things at us, like "I hate Democrats," and "You suck!"

These things made me wonder: why is okay for someone to sit on the sidelines and do nothing, while shouting offensive comments at someone who is genuinely trying to make a difference in the world, even if that effort may be misguided? I'm not saying my effort is misguided, but what if it were? Hey! At least I'm trying.

And why is it that it's okay for those same sideline sitters to purchase American flags for their children, and then do nothing when the kids drop them on the ground and stomp all over them?

Oh. One other thing. Someone had apparently decided to express their patriotic fervor by spray painting American flags and the word "freedom" all over the city of Provo. What was that all about? It was about somebody coming up with what they thought was a legitimate excuse to paint graffiti, that's what it was about.

Freedom of speech/expression? Give me a break.

Fortunately, I did not cry. I smiled and waved. I didn't even get angry. After a brief moment of controlling the urge to go over and grab the kid by his shirtfront and say, "Do you donate blood every fifty-six days? Do you volunteer at the polls? Do you serve your PTA? Do you even do your home teaching beyond hosting a monthly all-night Halo party for the apartment building? Huh? Do you?" I just felt sad for those few who thought it was okay to abuse a fellow American on this wonderful day. I also appreciated the irony of it all. And then I ate mass quantities of food, watched a great movie, and set off some cheap Chinese fireworks. Because what says "thanks for my freedom" more than one of those little tanks driving around the middle of the street shooting sparks out of its muzzle?

God bless America!