Goodbye King George

 We don’t get to pick where we are born, but by the Grace of God, I was born in America, and I am grateful. It’s the 4th of July and I love my country. America, the land of the Free and the Brave. Also, the land of the shocking, anything goes political behavior. When I watch ‘the news’ and see images of war-torn lands and violence, I don’t take living in America lightly. We are not perfect, but we have high standards that we strive to keep. We are also the only country with the motto: In God We Trust.

It is easy to forget that in 1776 voting for government was unique and different. It is still unique and different in perhaps half of the world. Our adversaries (being politically correct I will refrain from calling them our enemies) China, Russia, Iran etc. have dictators who were not elected but gained power and have kept it for decades. I don’t see a difference between Czar, King, and nonelected leaders who declare their ‘rulership.’

       Although I am grateful that our leaders are voted into place, the reality is I can’t think of one administration that changed my life either for the good or the bad. Carter, Bush, Clinton, Obama…even Trump. When I take a step back, take a deep breath and look around, my world is the same. The sun came up, the cats want to go out and I am able to start my day with a cup of tea. The same tea that I drank yesterday and the day before and the day before that. I guess my housewife attitude is, I voted. Let the politicians slug it out and I will plan what I am having for dinner. Shameful, but it does magnify the importance of The Vote.

      Thank you, Founding Fathers, for The Vote and providing a great reason to celebrate. I also love fireworks. In an effort to add a historical perspective to this blog I did some internet hurry-up research. What did I find? A 4th of July celebration killed Zachary Taylor our 12th President. At the 1850 4th of July celebration, President Zach ate too many cherries and drank iced milk. This combination resulted in gastroenteritis, he became immediately sick and died five days later. That said, and taking my lead from “Drill, Drill Drill.” This 4th of July “Grill, Grill, Grill,” but go easy with the cherries and iced milk.

.