Long time ago, and even still today, the Statue of Liberty lets people know “You’re on the right boat.”
It’s ironic, that Lady Liberty came about whilst Manifest Destiny was all the rage (some say it never left), not long after slavery and the Indian Removal Act. She’s got a good message, she is in support of our best self, the country we’d like to be, the country that at best, is a place of innovation, experimentation and open-hearted goodwill and at worst, is a place of close-minded bigotry, avarice and cruel exploitation of people and resources.
If you’re feeling extra independent today, consider celebrating “International Flag Burning Day” and rid yourself of nationalist jingoism by burning the flag closest to your heart. We must pay respect to the past, and vow to join together in taking care of each other, we are not countries, we are people, and we are bonded by our humanity.
Independence Day shouldn’t just be about blowing stuff up and eating hot dogs. It should be where you take a good hard look at history, what you’ve been told, what is the truth, and what to do about the truth, and how to make a brighter day.
Here’s a little ditty from 1883 that you may know and love, subscribing to the concepts of compassion and hope, a place for all of us. It sits on the inner wall of the Statue of Liberty.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
And here’s a cartoon, because who doesn’t like cartoons? “You simply melt right in” is uh… rather optimistic, especially these days, but School House Rock, like the Statue of Liberty also wants to bring out the best in us:
Happy 4th to you, Craft Captain JP
