What has happened to the United States of America in the short span of five decades?
Not completely immune to professorial influence, this liberal undergrad was still appalled at some of the pressurized instruction dispensed from the lectern. Raised by lifelong democrats to be loyal to the party, my parents were avid readers who instilled that love of the written word in all their children. For this, I thank God, because it meant that despite what professors espoused, the ability to critically measure their premises hadn’t been completely abandoned.
Perhaps, growing up working in the family business, learning a trade before heading off to college, kept my head screwed on straighter than others who fully succumbed to the rising level of nonsense being dispensed at university.
Uncertain about the rhetoric disparaging our nation, an unanticipated invitation came to accompany my boyfriend and his family to attend the festivities on Independence Day at Boston Harbor.
It was an experience that, on our nation’s 200th birthday, imbued my life with an appreciation for my home.
Amid the pageantry of the tall ships sailing into the bay, lit by the most extravagant fireworks spectacle I had ever viewed, the patriotic camaraderie among the vast crowd was awe inspiring. To this day, I have never encountered anything like it.
Having participated in such brotherly pride and love of country, the sky ablaze with flares of brilliant color, exploding one hue after another above the stately masts of clippers and schooners, this apathy toward our 250th anniversary is alarming.
What has happened to the United States of America in the short span of five decades?
What had begun during my foray into university life has come to fruition. The constant barrage of hate for our nation to which youngsters have been subjected since the 1960s has taken root. It is shameful that governors of failing states like Oregon, Illinois and Washington couldn’t even bring themselves to promote their homes at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.