4th of July, 2022

I wrote the following as a response to a friend who decided to spend this 4th of July in another country as she was not happy with the direction of America in light of the recent SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe V. Wade and various other things going on in this country that are being driven by the far right, GOP. Her Facebook post really hit me as I know she proudly served this country in the US Marine Corp and has a very deep love of this country and for her faith in America to be shaken to this level, really made me stop and think.

“On behalf of millions of Americans, I want to thank you for your service to this once great country.  You, and millions like you, put your lives on the line for freedom and justice and the principles under which this country was founded.  As things stand today, America does not deserve the sacrifices that you and so many others have made.  It feels to me as though our government and SCOTUS have spit on the blood, sweat and tears you have shed for the freedoms that we once took for granted.

I too, did not feel that there was much to celebrate on the 4^th of July this year. I have not always been proud of this country.  We have done many things in our history that are shameful.  Looking back, I have always felt that there were lessons learned from these events to ensure that they never happen again.  However, I have never felt the disgust for this country that I feel today.

My hope is that this is our generation’s “phoenix” moment.  America has been burned to the ground before and each time we have come back stronger and with more resolve than we previously had.  I still have a glimmer of hope for this country and that we can rebuild the country based on the foundational concepts under which it was born, and we can once more be the “Land of the Free!”

So, to all my friends that have proudly served this country and worked for a better tomorrow, I thank you.  And to everyone else, I implore you to get out and vote, to protest and to lift your voices to rebuild this country into something that is deserving of their sacrifice.”