A Unique Independence Day

This Fourth of July, our nation's birthday, will be remembered
for many things: being caught up in the Coronovirus panic with
the subsequent lockdowns of various businesses and the cancel-
lations of events, such as (here in Milwaukee) SummerFest,
various outdoor concerts around town, fireworks shows (yes,
you read that right, my sharp-eyed readers), and scores of picnics
--- company, church, family, erased like so many errors on a
handwritten note. Although some communities are still planning
to host some fireworks displays, many others (including New
Berlin, my suburban community) have cancelled theirs; it's
going to be mighty strange and not a little disconcerting to
have an Independence Day without fireworks.

Although some places around the country are still under various
degrees of lockdown, one can still reflect on the special meaning
of this day, the historic day when our United States declared its
independence from what was then the world's foremost superpower,
a veritable David thumbing his nose at the Goliath of the day,
risking all for the taste of freedom, of self-determination, and of
autonomy, to not have to answer to or seek permission from an
all-pervasive power to do anything. And aren't we in a similar
position  today, but the all-pervasive power we face is an internal
one rather than external. It's right here with us, rather than across
an ocean. And this power has played politics with the Coronovirus
situation, going beyond reasonable health safeguard measures
in order to gain more control over us and how we conduct our
daily lives.

Think about this on July 4, and on Election Day.


MEM