Flying or not flying our country’s flag on the 4th of July doesn’t mean you are or are not patriotic. I fly mine year-round out of respect for what this country is and what it has provided me.
And just because some folks spend an inordinate amount of money buying fireworks to celebrate our country’s birth doesn’t mean they are somehow more patriotic than the next person. It just means they want to make more noise than their neighbors.
Unfortunately, far too many people have lost sight of what the 4th of July is really about.
In his June 23 letter, “Respect ‘rockets’ red glare,'” William T. Stokes only got two things right, the national anthem and the word “day.” I have no problem with everyone setting off fireworks on the 4th of July, it’s the explosions for many days before and after that I have a problem with. It isn’t so much about the celebration, but the “day” it is observed, and that should be the 4th of July and only the 4th. It means more to celebrate one day and remember all the men and women who are serving and ones who have served and died defending our country than to listen to explosions day and night for a week.
