Watching slews of the 5000 national guard members (not their fault) yesterday on the national mall (capitals intentionally omitted), riled up my blood. As someone who spent the Bicentennial at 9th St. and Constitution Avenue, with the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights just a two-minute walk away inside the National Archives on the intersection’s northeast corner of my MPDC duty perch, I know about pride and patriotism.
More than I million people, a real count, not a trumped-up one, walked by my intersection that day. They were happy, not conflicted; so, they had no qualms about the Department of Justice, on the northwest corner of the intersection, because that flagship cabinet agency was led and fully staffed by folks who took seriously the defense of those three documents that make up our Charters of Freedom in the Rotunda of the National Archives.
The bicentennial was about we, the people, and about our founding documents and the principles they honor. Gerald Ford was President, and he made no effort to make it about him.
Nowadays, you are smart to fear 5000 national guardsmen and/or tanks performing the duties of local law enforcement.
Although I am considerably older than you, Drew, I have similar memories of a childhood with friends, a neighborhood, and activities that took place outdoors. July 4 was a wonderful holiday with patriotic songs, parades, lots of things that were red, white and blue, sparklers, and fireworks so loud we had to cover our ears while we laughed with excitement!
Like you, MB O”Keefe, I spent July 4, 1976 on the Washington Mall. I was a day to be very proud and grateful that we were Americans, even though John Mitchell and a few other Nixon appointees on a balcony of the FBI building watching all of us protesters we believed we had nothing to fear and indeed nothing untoward happened that day.
At the end of the day, we watched the fireworks from Arlington National Cemetery. (We had special permission.) it was glorious!
Yesterday couldn’t have been different. I only hope that in years to come my pride in and gratitude for my country will return.
Yep, me neither. I felt guilty about it too.
Watching slews of the 5000 national guard members (not their fault) yesterday on the national mall (capitals intentionally omitted), riled up my blood. As someone who spent the Bicentennial at 9th St. and Constitution Avenue, with the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights just a two-minute walk away inside the National Archives on the intersection’s northeast corner of my MPDC duty perch, I know about pride and patriotism.
More than I million people, a real count, not a trumped-up one, walked by my intersection that day. They were happy, not conflicted; so, they had no qualms about the Department of Justice, on the northwest corner of the intersection, because that flagship cabinet agency was led and fully staffed by folks who took seriously the defense of those three documents that make up our Charters of Freedom in the Rotunda of the National Archives.
The bicentennial was about we, the people, and about our founding documents and the principles they honor. Gerald Ford was President, and he made no effort to make it about him.
Nowadays, you are smart to fear 5000 national guardsmen and/or tanks performing the duties of local law enforcement.
Although I am considerably older than you, Drew, I have similar memories of a childhood with friends, a neighborhood, and activities that took place outdoors. July 4 was a wonderful holiday with patriotic songs, parades, lots of things that were red, white and blue, sparklers, and fireworks so loud we had to cover our ears while we laughed with excitement!
Like you, MB O”Keefe, I spent July 4, 1976 on the Washington Mall. I was a day to be very proud and grateful that we were Americans, even though John Mitchell and a few other Nixon appointees on a balcony of the FBI building watching all of us protesters we believed we had nothing to fear and indeed nothing untoward happened that day.
At the end of the day, we watched the fireworks from Arlington National Cemetery. (We had special permission.) it was glorious!
Yesterday couldn’t have been different. I only hope that in years to come my pride in and gratitude for my country will return.
Thanks Drew for capturing the nostalgia of childhood, and the innocence of that time. I didn't celebrate yesterday either.