4th of July T-Shirts To Show Your Patriotism

I was at the U2 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree album the other night. I forgot how much the album was steeped in Americana. The screen behind the Irish band flashed proud images of the American flag. Bono did take the stand on some political issues, as expected, but his overall message was that the people are more powerful than the people in power. And it got me thinking in this time of political uncertainty in the USA: Hey, we’re all one country. We pledge allegiance to the same flag. We should always be on each other’s side.

That’s tough to think about when one of your friends or relatives fights with you on Facebook or at Sunday dinner about your opposing political view. But that’s the great thing about America. You CAN have opposing views. You CAN dislike your leaders and be vocal about it. And I think we should all remember that, regardless of if we like or hate the current leaders, the previous leaders or none of the above. We should have respect for all our fellow country people, regardless if we agree with them.

I know, a little bit of a heavy thing to digest in a blog that looked like it was going to be about 4th of July barbecues. But as we’re cooking and drinking and swimming that first weekend in July, we need to remember that we are able to do this because our forefathers fought for our freedom. So that none of us had to live under a repressive government. That we had freedom of speech and religion. The freedom to be ourselves.

And that should be celebrated on the 4th. By all of us. No one political party in this country has more claim to waving an American flag than the other. It’s our flag. We should all wave it (and wear it) proudly.

I remember Steven Colbert the night of the election saying that after such a polarizing event, we needed to remember what it was we could agree on as a country. And to “borrow” from that, I have to say that one thing we can agree on is our love for Forth of July. Right?

We all love a three (on rare occasion four) day weekend. And kids of all ages love that there is lots of pool time (or beach time, or lake time). I bet there are more cannonballs in pools each year, than there were cannonballs fired during The Revolution. And today’s minutemen are armed with high-powered water guns.

We all love all there is to eat in the 4th. Regardless if you’re a picnic or barbecue person, there’s something for you. Hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, potato salad to name a few. Bread so over-saturated with ketchup and mustard it gets all over your fingers (and probably your shirt too, but don’t worry, it’ll wash off in the water). I’m sure there’ll be ice cream for dessert. Maybe red, white and blue cupcakes. OK, we’ll even take some watermelon. It always tastes sweeter when served outside.

And we certainly can all agree that it’s a great weekend to drink. Nothing like a cold beer on a hot 4th of July weekend. Maybe one of those refreshing wine/vodka coolers. And I wouldn’t say no to a sangria.

Our day may be filled with concerts in the park or the local bowl, perhaps a parade, or maybe even a movie. But we will all be searching for that perfect spot to watch fireworks that night (even if it’s just the Boston Pops on television). Our nation collectively “oohs” and “aahs” while watching the pretty explosions in the sky.

So this 4th of July, while you’re having your fun. Remember that even that friend or relative you don’t see eye to eye with politically is enjoying the same things. And who knows. Maybe you can unite over a hot dog. I’d relish that. (Sorry.)

Happy 4th of July!