Pessimistic Politics: One Guy's Fourth of July

I sat out one night on some lady’s lawn, staring up at the sky, waiting for the big show. I laid back on a borrowed NWO blanket, snuggling up to my girlfriend, taking in a cool breeze that brought relief to the masses. I listened in on a random redneck-like guy who claimed to have a working knowledge of fireworks and kept announcing that the show was going to begin in seconds. After a few minutes of predictions, it actually did.

The flares soared up to their final destination in the clouds, bursting into a wide variety of colors and sounds. The crowd cheered and gazed in awe as the sky lit up and the explosions shook the waters of the nearby Maumee River. Radios played whatever the radio stations thought would go best with the festivities, while a lone child innocently shouted “Happy birthday, America!” Before long, the grand finale ensued, a long series of unrelenting explosions and flashes rocketing the skies, so intense that it nearly blinded the onlookers. And then it stopped, a single second of silence echoing over the riverbank, and then the crowd cheered.

For those twenty minutes, America was patriotic again.

This was the scene at the 2005 Toledo fireworks show, held every year on the shores of the Maumee River at the edge of the downtown. Attending this show has been a tradition for me that’s spanned an unbelievable twelve years, despite the fact that it doesn’t seem nearly that many. The tradition started in 1993, when Mom and I would venture over to my dad’s place and used it as a base of operation, since the show could clearly be seen a scant block away from his house. This turned into a yearly practice that’s never (at least in my recollection) been missed so far.

Not that I’ve ever been too impressed with fireworks. Maybe I’m just hard to please, but I never reveled in the joy the crowds have felt over the years when it comes to fireworks, even when I was younger (though setting the things off has always been a great time for all ages). Yet I can’t see myself missing this event. It’s an integral part of the holiday.

On July 3, 1776, John Adams said that America’s independence should be celebrated with “bonfires and illuminations,” and we actually started using fireworks the next year. Today, fireworks and the Fourth of July are one in the same. Comedian David Letterman put it one better when he stated that the Fourth of July combines two of America’s favorite things: alcohol and explosives.

Yes, the Fourth of July is a time for fireworks, outdoor grilling, get-togethers, and getting excessively drunk, but a lot of Americans forget that it’s also a celebration of America itself. Not that I’m saying that I’m any better. I march out to the fireworks, stomach filled with undercooked meat, just like the rest of the country. The last thing on my mind is America when I stare up at the Chinese fireworks and see people get drunk off of German beer.

But now that I’ve separated myself from the festivities, I think a little post-celebration is in order for the important parts of the Fourth of July. Its other moniker, Independence Day, is the first thing that we should reflect on. Two hundred and twenty-nine years ago, America was formed on the ideals of independence for all. While this ideal is still in the process of totally coming into fruition with each passing civil rights movement, we can still appreciate the fact that we live in a country where we’re allowed to express ourselves to a greater extent than most other places without fear of direct punishment from the government (I’m trying not to make my grandiose statement into an argument here by covering my bases). We live in a great nation, a nation where any cretin can buy a web domain, upload a website, and take up the valuable time of unwitting visitors with his rants.

It’s also a time to remember those who are working to preserve those freedoms. Those in the armed forces immediately come to mind, those men and women who risk their lives to protect this country from forces that would try to destroy it and its people. This isn’t a time to thank the president, Congress, Senate, or any other pasty old guy that runs things but doesn’t personally risk life and limb for the country. Of course, all of our veterans deserve recognition, even if you are a pasty old guy that runs things today. Thank you.

Let’s not forget those who protect us within the country, though. We have the police, firefighters, and medical workers (from ambulance drivers to brain surgeons) that keep us alive when life throws us a curveball and beans us in the skull. Without their help, we’d probably be dying of heart attacks in a burning building while being mugged, and I know THAT would be an embarrassing legacy to leave. Thank you.

And it wouldn’t be right to leave out Americans as a whole. We may all have our differences and not agree. Hell, I probably wouldn’t like a good portion of you if I had to pleasure to meet you, but I think it’s safe to say most of us have helped others and have some good in them, and that’s part of what makes America what it is: the “melting pot” (or “tossed salad,” just so you sociologist-types will shut up) where people from vastly different cultures and beliefs can come together as one nation and bicker amongst each other. But when push comes to shove, we all agree that this is our country, and you’re going to stand up for it and its people. Thank you.

So that’s Fourth of July. I hope you had a great holiday and didn’t blow important body parts off because of illegal fireworks. As for me, I’m getting out of Toledo before the denizens decide to turn their illegal fireworks on my car.

By the way, if you’re interested in the knowing more about fireworks, head over to the Bartolotta Fireworks Company’s website, which I used to confirm the John Adams quote.