"I'd like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be also free."
--Rosa Parks
It’s been almost two month since my last entry. I’ve been suffering from frustrative writers block. That’s a term of my own construction. I’ve started several articles, and I’ve got plenty to say, but, if you truly have an interest, you’ve already heard it. The information is available. Some people want to hear it and are ready to act. Some people want to hear it, but, they’ve got an unlimited amount of excuses to keep them from taking action. Some people would be interested, but they haven’t taken the time or effort to become informed. Some people simply disagree with our observations while others are convinced we’re misinformed dolts being induced into insanity by brilliant white supremacists trying to use the Constitution of the United States to overthrow the world. And of course, there are those that hate us because we stand in the way in their quest for ultimate power. Anyway, the point being, the audience I seek is already attending another show and I can’t come up with, and or create a plot that’s engaging enough to entice an audience of my own. Frustrating. How can a normal everyday person make a difference?
So on July 4th, 2021, while my faith in humankind was faltering, my lovely wife and I decided to forego the initiation of our brand new trolling motor and a sunny day on Spirit Lake, undoubtedly reeling in hundreds of Rainbows and Kokanee, and attend the annual Kenai 4th of July Parade. My wife, a Colombian immigrant, watches me as I struggle with the current state of the country that has given so much to this world. No one knows better than those that have given up their homes, friends and families to come here, how ignorant and arrogant it sounds to hear from the mouths of wealthy elites just how terrible this country is. One of us said, “We need to support our country”. Thus began the day that I needed, to make me realize that the answer to my frustration in the American people would be found in a gathering of American people.
Kenai, Alaska. Small town America with a flair of “last frontier”. A simple local parade with firetrucks, police cars, Harleys and classic cars. The floats are unsophisticated and crude as compared to those in large city parades. The dance groups and musicians are less refined and the grand marshals are just regular people, like the rest of us. But, still, in a town of only a few thousand, several thousand people found their way to the sidewalks of Kenai to celebrate America. The singing of the National Anthem wasn’t as monumental as if it was performed by an elite hollywood (intentionally not capitalized) performer. However, it was better. Most of us didn’t know the young woman that sang the Star Spangled Banner, but, we were all proud of her. It’s a difficult song to sing and she sang it beautifully.
I let my eyes wander from The Stars and Stripes to the color guard, a group of elderly veterans. They were a little shaky, but took their job seriously. You could see the pride in the faces of these aged men as they momentarily took center stage in a celebration that meant more to them than most. However, as I let my eyes wander I saw that same pride in most, if not all, of the individuals in the crowd that lined the streets of the Spur Highway in Kenai. No one made a sound, men held their hats in their hands and most people held a hand on their hearts. Even the children overcame their excitement and fell silent with the moment. No one turned their back on Ol’ Glory. No one took a knee. Everyone was proud to be there, proud to honor our flag, proud to be a part of this country. I needed that.
I want to thank the people that attended that parade. I know you didn’t go there for me. But, each and every one of us did go there for each other, for everyone that takes pride in being an American. None of us look at each other for our infinite number of differences. It’s not about race or sex or sexual preference. Americans, true Americans, can live with the differences. Hell, we thrive on our differences. It’s what we have in common that make us Americans and that has nothing to do with skin color or religion or sex. It has to do with freedom and liberty and justice. There is a reason that people from all over the world want to be here and that people who claim to hate us won’t leave. It’s because we are all free. To be a success, to be a slacker, to be a patriot, even to be arrogant enough to hate the source of our success.
So, here was my answer. This is how a normal person can make a difference. Exercise your freedoms as an American. The elitists control a lot of things, but, they will never control the spirit within each of us that put liberty and freedom above tyranny and censorship. At some point they will be forced to let us go free or try to break us. From what I saw on the Fourth of July in a small town in Alaska, we will not be easily broken. Thanks to all of you that have kept the spirit alive. Let’s work on it…….together.
Happy Birthday America!