Happy Independence Day!

This is one of my favorite holidays...when I was a child, we would decorate our bikes with red, white and blue streamers and have a "parade" up and down the street for the adults. Of course, we always had the threat of rain going--this is, after all, Oregon.

The truth is that I'm a patriotic sort of girl. I'm proud to be an American during a time when I wonder how many Americans are proud. The Rube says on his blog that you can love your country and still not agree with it. I share this belief...there are many things our government is doing that I question. However, that's part of being an American. We are a country that was born when a bunch of people got pissed off. There was no ethnic nor religious reason for us to declare independence. The geography did pose a problem for the colonies to remain British, but what really happened is that the Americans were mad as hell and they weren't going to take it anymore!

Garrison Keillor once made this comment, "This most un-American thing you can say is, 'You can't say that.'" While I do feel that many Americans have become quite adept at voicing their opinions whenever and wherever, I've noticed that they are also very quick to try to shut down any opposing opinions. I have no problem listening to views that differ from mine, but once someone starts to attack me for my beliefs, my dander goes up.

So, this is my wish for our country as we enter our 231st year. Speak out, but keep your ears, minds and hearts open. While we may not all agree with each other, no one has the right to belittle anyone else for their beliefs.

And, if you are going to have a protest downtown that stops all traffic, please don't do it during rush hour. Nothing will make enemies faster than keeping people from their suppers.