4th of July - Fireworks Day or Michael Jackson Day?

Today, Saturday, July 4, 2009. Ive got little Victor with me and we've spent much of the day just hanging around the house watching movies, playing video games and making ice cream. I bought a new ice cream maker last week and I promised him we would make some this weekend. We decided that our first batch would be coconut ice cream. He loves coconut, as do I.


While we were gathering and mixing the ingredients together, I asked him to put on the news. I usually like to watch FOX because I feel that they're the only news station that will actually report in a bipartisan manner. Unfortunately at that moment, it wasn't time for the news and instead they were showing COPS. I'm not a big fan of reality TV, especially those that are full of drama and minorities (mind you, I'm Hispanic) playing up the stereotype of constantly being involved in crime, drugs or some sort of domestic dispute. So I put on CNN. They definitely had the news on but not what I was expecting. Today, being Independence Day, or as society commonly calls it, 4th of July, I expected to see a special documenting the history of our country. Something that might remind us of the sacrifices made by our countrymen so that we could be free. So that we, could call ourselves a nation. Instead, CNN is doing a special on Michael Jackson.


What?


Don't get me wrong...I'm a BIG fan of Michael Jackson. I love every song he has ever put out. I think he is solely responsible for the way music has evolved into what it is today and I think that he is (or was) at a level all by himself when it came to dancing. Nobody can or probably ever will be able to dance the way he did. I remember as a kid, and admittedly as an adult, I would try to imitate some of his dance moves. Specifically, the moonwalk. I believe most of us have. I got pretty good at it but in my opinion, never as good as Michael. I don't think anybody could. So its not that I'm against a special on Michael Jackson. I do believe that his memory and talents should be "immortalized". But not today. Not on our nation's 233rd Birthday.


I thought CNN did great on D-Day. On June 6, 2009, CNN was live in Normandy, France, documenting all of the events that were taking place in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. They showed the speech given by President Obama. They showed the veterans that waited on dignitaries to approach them so they could give them a "recap" of that incredible day 65 years ago. They showed everything. It was an amazing special that I must admit, brought me to tears.


So why not today? Why, on the 233rd anniversary of the single most important day in American history, was there no prime time special documenting the various events that led up to us as a nation to be able to call ourselves Americans? Is it because Obama didn't set up a lavish ceremony. Because he didn't give a speech? Or is it because we as Americans have forgotten what it means to be an American? Because we as American citizens do not value what it truly means to be FREE.


How many of you received text messages today saying "Happy 4th of July"? How many of you responded with the same? I'm willing to bet most of you that are reading this.


Now how many of you received or sent out a text message saying
"Happy Independence Day"? Not too many I'm assuming.


Please don't take this blog that I'm posting as me castigating you. By no means, that is not my intent. The purpose of this open letter to you is to reach out to the millions of Americans out there who spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on fireworks, charcoal and food for a BBQ but don't spend a few minutes to educate your children on the importance of this day. I'm asking your to educate your children on the reasons WHY we celebrate this day. July 4th is not a holiday. Independence Day is. July 4th just happens to be the day it lands on.


Much like Memorial Day, Independence Day is usually rewarded to working Americans with an extra day off. Be it the day before the holiday or the day after. But sadly, also much like Memorial Day, the holiday is celebrated for all the wrong reasons in all of the wrong ways. I enjoy fireworks just as much as the next guy. I like to see all of the different varieties of colors and explosions that come about but for me personally, its not necessary. I don't NEED to spend a bunch of money on something that will last a few seconds or even a few minutes. I can almost hear the "ca-ching" of a cash register with every pop or fizz of each firework I light up. But I do it for my son. Like any child, he is mesmerized by the sparkles and noises that come about as a result of the money that was spent. Although he doesn't think about the money. I do. He thinks about the colors. How high the last firework went up. How much higher the next one went. How from one little shot up in the air, came about a bunch of different explosions that turned into different colors. And then he goes to bed with a smile on his face and memories to last a lifetime. So even if it hurt me to basically watch my money, literally "burn" right before my eyes, it pleases me that little Victor enjoyed the show. And for that, its worth it. Any second I get to spend with him, regardless of what or how much it took to get it, is most definitely worth it.


When we woke up this morning, as I was preparing breakfast, I was explaining to little Victor why Independence Day is such an important holiday. I explained to him (in kid's terms) why we celebrate it, what led up to the Declaration of Independence and why it is so important for him to remember that. I explained to him that on this day we celebrate "Independence" and not a date on a calendar. And I explained to him that to say "Happy 4th of July" is not only inaccurate but also wrong in the way it is expressed. At 7 years old, I wasn't expecting for him to really pay much attention to what I was saying. I also didn't expect for him to fully comprehend everything I was telling him. But if I can at least plant the seed of historical sense, hopefully, with enough examples in the future, and certainly many more "July 4th's" ahead of us, he will begin to take hold of what it is that I'm attempting to convey to him. I'll keep my fingers crossed.


We shot off all of the fireworks we bought and then sat down to enjoy the ones that were being set off all around my neighborhood. It was truly a spectacular show. Somewhere off to the South-East, someone had definitely made an attempt to end the recession all by himself. His fireworks display must have gone off for at least a half hour. Someone on the neighboring apartment complex set off what sounded like an M80. It was so loud, it set of 3 car alarms in my neighborhood, including my own. That wasn't fun. In the pain I had already been in all day, I had to go inside to get my keys to turn off my alarm. Before heading in, one of my neighbors stuck his hand out to little Victor, introduced himself and said to him "Happy 4th of July little man". Little Victor, always very polite and courteous, stuck his hand out as well and responded, "Happy Independence Day Sir". I was so surprised, I almost fell out of my seat. He didn't even look at me as if seeking approval or anything. He just shook his hand and went right back to watching the fireworks. But I definitely let him know that I noticed and was proud of him. I cradled him in my arms, gave him a hug, told him that I was proud of him and that I loved him. He's such a great kid. He constantly surprises me in how smart he really is. Maybe that talk this morning was worth it after all. If he didn't remember everything that I had told him, he certainly remembered one of the key points and maybe one of the most important points of the whole "history lesson".


I will now end this blog from a quote from my neighbor. After little Vic went inside to watch some TV, I began to clean up the spent fireworks containers. My neighbor had stayed out there with me and helped me clean them up. As we were putting everything away, I began to tell him pretty much everything Ive mentioned in this blog. His mom, who had flown down here to visit him, was outside smoking a cigarette. He told her that even though I was Puerto Rican, I was more patriotic than most Americans. The last thing he said before I went inside was...




"Vic, I bet if you would have known that you spent two years in Iraq, so that on July 4th CNN could have a special on Michael Jackson, you would have moonwalked your ass all the way back to the states".


How true that is...