Independence Day Madness
By: Cj Edwards
Tags: 4th Of July, Trumpism, Fireworks

For the last 5 years, Independence Day has become increasingly problematic.

It’s not the holiday I remember with my family; we would go to the park, have hot dogs and burnt hamburgers (sorry, Dad), chips and way too much soda. Fireworks were rarely part of the evening — sometimes we’d go watch a community event at the Fairgrounds or a nearby school football field, but mostly I remember those evenings at the park. It was always too hot, but somehow I don’t remember the 100+ degree temps that much — it was never a consideration to stay at home instead. Something about the trees and the water kept the weather tolerable. Mosquitoes were annoying, but you weren’t worried about things like Valley Fever, Encephalitis or fucking West Nile if you got a few bites.

Mom’s potato salad, potato chips, those hot dogs and burnt hamburgers. Sometimes we’d get sparklers and light them after coming home. People on the block would set off a few ground fireworks here and there. I don’t remember our dog ever freaking out. There were no M80s going off. It didn’t sound like the fucking war zone it is now.

People were respectful — Once it hit about 10 o’clock most people had finished up for the evening. People would do little displays in the street as neighbors watched. The thought that somebody would set off loud fireworks at 2AM was inconceivable. I never remember seeing a neighborhood aerial firework go off and certainly nothing that sounded like military artillery.

Patriotism, and I know I’m speaking from a place of extreme privilege here, was respectful and subdued. My father would hang our flag on the 4th of July, Flag Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. My parents were both lifelong Republicans. My Dad worked hard to provide for his family up until he couldn’t work anymore and died 3 years later.

The holiday “celebrated” yesterday was none of those things. The American Flag has been hijacked by Trumpers. They fucking bashed a cops skull with one just six months earlier while protesting a legitimate election and attacking the very foundations of our government. They drove in large 4x4 pickups since last November with large American and Trump flags, meant to intimidate anyone who disagreed with their politics. They altered their vehicles to emit large plumes of black exhaust to punctuate their disdain for all that was acceptable and proper. They were no longer the party of my parents.

California, and most of the West has endured several ongoing years of drought. Half the state practically burned down last summer. There were over 9,000 wildfires in 2020, just in California. Over 4 million acres burned and over 10,000 structures destroyed. The state was ripe for wildfires, and conditions are even worse this year — with record temperatures in June, July will likely break some records as well.

Loud booms continued last night until past 2AM. It’s currently 6:00pm on July 5 and I’m already hearing fireworks, as has been the case for the last month.

Practically all of my friends who own dogs had issues last night as evidenced by my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Walls and windows shook with the sheer force of the explosions, both in homes and apartments. Aerial fireworks could be seen in all directions throughout the night. Gunshots caused injuries throughout the city. The sky is a hazy brown this morning.

Much like New Years (because of the same issues), Independence Day is now a holiday I dread. The trauma inflicted on my pets, the anxiety of hearing so many sirens (hello, there’s still a fucking pandemic going on), and the complete lack of common courtesy and respect has completely ruined the holiday for me — probably forever. The American flag, once a proud symbol of of dignity and respect, has lost all meaning for me and it’s been tainted with it’s association to Trumpers and white supremacists (a lot of overlap, there).

So, all I have to look forward to is 364 days of some semblance of peace before it rolls it’s ugly head around again.