Support Your Local Pyrotechnician

Well, toast my buns and bake my beans! Next Wednesday is already the Fourth of July. Seriously? How in the name of John Phillips Sousa did we get this far into the year this fast? Will somebody tap the brakes just a little, please?

Be that as it may, the holiday of flags, food, fairs, family reunions and fireworks is upon us. Many will celebrate at our town’s homegrown annual picnic and fireworks show at the local high school athletic field. This has rightfully become a cherished tradition over the years for thousands of locals (my family, included) and non-locals alike.

Fortunately, we Crescenta Valley denizens can choose from several other nearby celebrations including the mother of all fireworks festivities at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the decidedly more upscale and privileged atmosphere of the Lacy Park Fourth Festivities in tony San Marino and several others. For what it’s worth, my vote goes to the celebration at CV High. Support your local pyrotechnics, I always say.

If you’ve followed My Thoughts, Exactly recently, you know why this will be the first year I don’t have to close up all of the windows in my home and put a stack of CDs in the stereo to blare throughout the house while we’re gone so that our dogs hear less of the bombs bursting in air. We’ve also always left lights on and curtains closed so our canine clowns couldn’t see the bright flashes in the nighttime sky. After all, there’s nothing like coming home from a wonderful fireworks display to find that a pair of neurotic, jittery, freaked out, quaking, mentally unstable, 80-pound hounds have spent the last several hours clawing their way into closets, behind sofas, under beds and any other place they could break-and-enter to try and escape the apocalyptic clamor coming from the valley below. Sigh. I sure do miss those pups.

But back to the holiday at hand; as you probably know (unless you’ve been interviewed by Jay Leno lately) the Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. And in case you’re wondering, there was no annual Fourth of July Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for all the brand spanking new U.S. citizens back then. Not to step on my colleague, Mike Lawlor’s historical toes, but archival records tell us that before firing off a loud round of artillery to salute the occasion, General George Washington marked the Independence Day holiday by giving his soldiers not foot long hot dogs (or burgers or corn on the cob for that matter), but a double ration of rum. Those colonials knew how to party, right?

Speaking of parties worthy of the history books, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Rhode Island has been held since 1785, making it the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the U.S. That’s impressive. Then again, I think our own Montrose Christmas Parade is that old, isn’t it? Or maybe it just feels that way when you’re waiting endlessly in between slow moving entries. But I digress.

I can’t let this Fourth pass without mentioning those who continue to make it all possible, our military. There’s a Facebook meme making the rounds this week that shows a bleak photo of an American soldier traipsing through desolate sands of Afghanistan along with a caption that reads: “I was going to complain about my day today, but then I realized … It isn’t 120 degrees. I’m not 5,700 miles from home. I’m not dressed in full uniform. I’m not carrying 70-plus lbs of gear. And there is little chance of me driving over a bomb today. Thanks, to all who serve.”  Amen to that.

So let the fireworks fly! Let the burgers grill and pass the ‘tater salad, please. Let freedom ring – and may God in His boundless grace and mercy continue to bless America. Happy Fourth of July, everyone.

I’ll see you ‘round town.

Note: This is a version of my column first published yesterday, 6.28.12, in the Crescenta Valley Weekly newspaper.

© 2012 WordChaser, Inc.

Bombs Bursting In Airheads

Now that the smoke has cleared from the sky, the backyard BBQs have cooled and the cobs have been de-corned, what do you remember most about this past Monday’s celebration of our country’s birth? The food? The fireworks? The sales? Or simply a day off work? Personally, I won’t forget the cacophony of car alarms triggered with every loud burst from the fireworks high above CVHS. Really, people?

With each 4^th of July observance, I can’t help but be reminded of Jay Leno’s ‘Jaywalking’ segments on the Tonight Show where he interviews random people on the street about various topics. A few times over the years his interviews have posed questions to average Joes about the meaning of our nation’s 4^th of July holiday. “Why do we celebrate the holiday?” he’ll ask, or “Who was George Washington?” Or even “What does Independence Day mean?” Believe it or not, many who walk among us don’t have the slightest idea that the 4^th of July and Independence Day are one and the same. I’ve watched with my mouth agape as Leno asks his subjects what or who we declared our independence from some 235 years ago, only to get blank stares in return. At first it’s funny. Then sad. Finally, it’s frightening.

I’ve seen Leno quiz college students, recent high school grads, parents, young adults, even some people who claim to be public school teachers. Granted, only the most dense and clueless make the show, but the fact that our society seems to be turning out increasing numbers of historically illiterate mouth-breathers is cause for alarm.

The truly despicable thing (in my opinion, at least) is that – as a direct and purposeful result of our left-leaning, multicultural-focused education system – more American students today could likely tell you what Cinco de Mayo is all about then could explain the importance of the Fourth of July. What have we done?

We’ve created a culture that is increasingly blasé and in many cases, apologetically embarrassed about the bright, shining uniqueness of this exceptional country. Even our current President, when asked if he believed in American exceptionalism said yes, he does, “… just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism …” In other words, America is no big deal. Ho hum. When’s my next tee time?

What can we do to reverse this dangerously deliberate dumbing down of our citizenry? I’m so glad you asked.

One of the wisest men alive today, Dennis Prager, is a Southern California resident, prolific author and talk show host with an impressive national radio audience (heard in my media market on KRLA 870AM ). This past week, Prager introduced what may turn out to be a the easiest, most effective way to teach the next generation some of the most important aspects of America’s founding. After years of stressing the importance of ritual and tradition not only in family life, but in the life of our country, Prager has created what he calls a 4^th of July Declaration.

This important new ceremony was patterned after the world’s best known commemoration of a historical event– the Jewish Passover meal, which has been instrumental in keeping alive the memory of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt for over 3000 years. To participate (and appreciate!) this ceremony, one doesn’t have to be Jewish, Christian or any faith at all. You just have to be an American willing to dedicate less than ten minutes of your holiday to the cause of American community.

Predictably, the ceremony (and its author, for that matter) has been blasted by the left as trite, jingoistic, unnecessary, childish, corny and much worse. Then again, consider the source. A unhappier, more bitter and antagonistic lot has never has so much to say nor so many ways to say it than the left has in today’s digitally supported iComplain culture. 

And yet, the need for just such a ritualistic remembrance is great. As Prager states on his Prager University web site,  “As Americans … we need to rediscover the meaning of our country’s creation. And we need to do it every year. That is the reason for ritual – to enable us to remember. Without ritual, memory fades. And without memory, life – whether of the individual or of a nation – loses meaning.” Amen, sir.

Independence Day 2011 is already history. But I urge you to take a look at what Mr. Prager has created and see if it wouldn’t make next year’s holiday more meaningful, more memorable, and most importantly – more significant than any your family has experienced to date.

I’ll see you ‘round town.

Note: This is a slightly modified version of my column first published yesterday, 7.7.11 in the Crescenta Valley Weekly newspaper (cvweekly.com).

© 2011 WordChaser, Inc.