July 4th Holiday
The annual July 4 holiday is upon us.
For some this day means cookouts. For some it means a day (or a couple of days) off from work. For others it means an afternoon of swimming or a trip to an area park. For many, it’s about watching fireworks light up the night sky once the summer day is complete. No doubt many people will take in America’s pastime at a baseball stadium.
In reality, there is nothing wrong with any of these things. They are all part of what makes our country great. Additionally, they are each part of what makes our country the best in the world.
However, hopefully we can all take at least a minute or two and remember those who sacrificed to make our country what it is. It’s a great day to thank all veterans or any current member of our armed forces.
It’s about putting things in their proper perspective and remembering that we are all Americans.
Unfortunately, it seems we are more divided as a country now than ever before with the exception of the Civil War and even that still has people split into two camps.
The recent campaign for the open congressional district in our state was one of the saddest (pathetic is probably a more accurate description) displays of partisan politics I have seen. It’s made even long-time political observers such as myself want to tune out.
It’s the same on the cable televisions shows each night. Since the day Donald Trump became president some have been bound and determined to bring him down. I understand there are going to be disagreements with the president, regardless of who it is. However, things are so partisan now that the other side cannot give credit to anyone unless he or she is a member of their own political party. And one side is just as much to blame as the other.
Whatever happened to the time when our country was united? Heck, maybe we never really have been united with a few exceptions such as World War II and in the days right after the 9-11 attacks. Why are we always looking for ways to disagree?
For this July 4, let’s remember that we live in the greatest country there is. Sure we have some issues. We are not perfect because humans run our country and no human is ever going to be perfect.
However, let’s stop the petty bickering and remember that we are all part of the United States of America. We are all part of what our great flag and our great country represents.
The mere fact that we can enjoy a holiday in our country that centers on summer fun and cookouts and baseball and family shows how great we really have. Whatever political differences we may have really don’t matter in the long run. Both sides have made plenty of mistakes through the years and will continue to do so.
And please remember to thank a veteran this July 4. For without them, none of us would be able to enjoy this day the way we like.
Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.