July 4th Floats

July 4th floats.

It's one of those holidays that, like Christmas and New Year's, are celebrated on a fixed day rather than adjusted to a Monday.  It does not always offer an extended weekend.

What time workers get off for it may float too.  Some workers get the full week.  Alison, at the Pierce County Board of Education, receives the entire week off.  If you worked for the Ware County School Board, you get Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off.  I'm not working full time anymore, but if I were, my employer would grant Wednesday only.  And, of course, there may be some workers, first responders and such, who get absolutely nothing, 

America!  Land of the free and home of the shrinking vacation opportunities!

When our manufacturing base was stronger, some factories would shutter for the week, and our beaches would be crowded to the max.  But the days of the commonality are over.  In many of our great sightseeing spots, there are now more foreign tourists than American tourists.  We just don't travel like we used to.

For those who work most of the week, Wednesday has to be a particularly obnoxious time to take a break.  Work two days, break, then two more days again.  Hardly seems worth it.

Municipalities are all over the map as to when they do fireworks.  Unfortunately, so are my neighbors.  We'll probably have some fireworks off every day this week.  Luckily, my dogs don't seem very irritated by it, but many dogs are, and it's going to be a tough week for them and their owners.  Not to mention anyone who's trying to get some sleep.

Even the Declaration of Independence itself is kind of a floater.  The vote for Independence was on July 2nd.  The text was ratified on July 4th.  Even John Adams thought the date that would go down in history was July 2nd.  It took awhile for John Adams and the early signer to adjust to the day of recognition being the 4th.

Years later, two of the most prominent writers of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died on the same day  - July 4th, 1826.

It's a great time to celebrate, with family and friends and fellow Americans, whichever days we get to do it.  And these days, with so many of our democratic and civic norms under siege, it's a good time to remember the goals and spirit of the Declaration, and what it was meant to inspire.

From the Declaration of Independence:


We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

It took us more than two centuries to extend these rights to everyone.

It has taken us less than two years to start to rescind them and move backward.

July 4th floats.

Do not let your patriotism float.  Speak out now.

Do not let Trumpism deliver the final blow to everything we've struggled to achieve.