Happy Independence Day
I don’t love America. I don’t even know what America is. I do love the ideals on which this country is based. I think everyone should be free to do as they want so long as they cause no harm to anyone else. I enjoy being able to say and write whatever I want. People in this country succeed and fail on their own merits, rather than status or beliefs.
We’re not perfect, of course. Ask any gay person whether merit alone wins equality. The atheists among us can testify to how well we treat all people equally, regardless of creed. The drug war is evidence against any presumption of liberty in this country. Speech is constantly attacked from politicians and busybodies of all types, even potential Supreme Court justices.
Still, we’re a hell of a lot more free and equal than anywhere else in the world. And I also believe that despite the best efforts of the worst among us, we’re moving in the right direction. And the more we establish those ideals of liberty and equality, the more I love my country.
Oh, and we also have the best national anthem.
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July 4, 2010 at 11:04 am
Man, you tear me apart. I hate to hear the national anthem played like that, but I loved Hendrix. It’s a great day to celebrate that difference – that we can all enjoy it as we like it.
I’ll try to past my ‘old fogey’ status . . .
July 4, 2010 at 12:43 pm
i was going to post a more traditional version, but you’d already done that.
now the group that sang it yesterday for the firecracker 5k? they really ruined it. slowed it down and sapped all the vitality. ugh.