250 Years of Struggle and Hope

My feelings are mixed about the celebration of 250 years of being the United States of American. I will be glad when July 5 comes. Fortunately, this year also marks the 150-year birthday of my newly adopted state, Colorado, and I am proud to be a resident of the Centennial State.

I recognize the privilege I have as a US Citizen. I believe in the Constitution and the preamble statement: “We the People of the United States…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” To defend our Constitution, I believe we must protect the rights of everyone. I do not think we are doing a respectable job at this 250-year mark. I am deeply troubled.

I believe in the central tenets of our democratic republic. I love my country but am embarrassed by my federal government. I am chagrined by the cruel policies and disregard for the integrity of the law that today undermines progress made in the past 250 years.

I am a patriot in that I appreciate what my country has historically stood for and against. Loving my country, however, does not mean that I do not see the faults and mistakes made during these 250 years. We can always do better and that sentiment has made us great for the past two and a half centuries.

In 1976, looked forward to the celebration of the country’s bicentennial. That time was also politically contentious, but optimism prevailed in the idea that the coming years would be better. I had returned from living in Turkiye on an exchange program the year before. Living in a developing country where the residents saw the US as a beacon of hope humbled me. I recognized what a privilege I had as an American. Upon my return, and to this day, The Star-Spangled Banner always brings tears to my eyes. I cannot support, however, the malice and absurdity of our current national government.

I am an unabashed defender of kindness, learning, decency, science, diversity, justice, social solidarity, and empathy. I believe as Barak Obama noted recently, “It is our greatest inheritance, the story of America at its best, because it reflects a basic faith in the decency of our fellow citizens and the possibility that despite all of our differences, we can see each other and understand one another and make common cause together.”

I cannot let this 250-year celebration come without noting my hope as well as my concern for the rhetoric and actions of the government. I celebrate what has guided our country in the past and the hope for a much better future.

I will celebrate our nation’s founding despite my concerns. I will play the patriotic songs with passion at our 4th of July band concert Saturday night. I will recommit to how important the November midterms will be. I will not let the current predicament spoil the holiday and will continue to believe in the basic principles of civility and humanity that provide the foundation for our country.