I'm a sappy romantic patriot when it comes to Independence day. I love
remembering the joyous days of youth when we had plenty of firecrackers, smoke
bombs, 'Roman candles' and maybe a few outlawed cherry bombs. We had the run
of
the little Wisconsin farm town and probably did dangerous things by setting off
'fingerling' firecrackers by every little pigtailed girl we saw or by blowing
up
tin cans with bigger three-inch firecrackers and shooting our bee-be guns at
every sparrow we glimpsed. The cherry bombs were saved for something special,
something big, out of adult view. I remember the flag parades down Main
Street
with the old WWI veterans trudging loosely ahead of snappy young soldiers in
close formation. The pathetic High school Band did its best, too, and all
applauded them. Then we had our big afternoon picnic on a bluff overlooking
the
Mississippi and I can assure you it was pure Americana with lots of fat
relatives in aprons spreading out their three hundred varieties of potato
salads, cold chicken, beer, pop and cookies on half-rotted picnic tables while
Oshkosh-by-Gosh farmer-husbands lit campfires for hot-dogs and marshmellows. We
messy reckless kids ran and climbed trees, stick-chasing puppies barked,
sputtering old sun-faded rattle-trap cars still steamed under a big tree at the
hilltop. Best of all was the huge vista of blue sky, the wide river, and the
distant woodsy lands beyond (where imaginary Indians danced). None of it was
ever equal led in later, older eyes. Now I want to celebrate the grown up
American Dream that underpinned that children's' delight: Social equality and
fellowship; honesty and fair play; freedom with charity. If you're an
American,
you'd better wave that flag today or be shamed. You almost surely have more
good
fortune than you deserve. I'll also celebrate liberal-progressive ancestors
David Conger, private NJ militia, 1776-78; Edward Conkling, Sag Harbor NY,
Commander of Privateer Eagle killed at sea by British foes, 8 May 1779; and
David Seabury, patriot, killed at Ft. Groton CT by mercenaries led by traitor
Benedict Arnold, 6 Sept. 1781. They and millions of others have assured our
still evolving ideals and Independence, still the best ever devised and
sustained so long. It's a cultural aesthetic.
wc
