Happy Independence Day
July 4th, 2008This is, of course, the day we honor the birth of our nation, the United States of America. It’s a day for flags, parades, picnics, and fireworks. It’s a day to celebrate the American Experiment and what it has allowed us to achieve. And for us up here in the dry woods, it’s a day to hope our neighbors don’t get crazy with the fireworks and burn us all down.
Those fears aside, I offer sincere wishes to my readers for a Happy Fourth. Both of you.
In this cynical age, it is customary to offer contemptuous derision at such sentiments. To love one’s country is so 1776. Such a perspective sneers that the United States is not worthy of praise, and the reasons span the gamut of liberal/progressive causes; whatever pet issue pricks at you, that becomes the insurmountable failing of the United States. Is your cause environmentalism? Then the U.S. is a failure because it leads the world in energy usage and therefore is a leading polluter. Do you lean towards socialism? Then the U.S. is a failure because it’s a capitalist nation. Are you a feminist? Then the U.S. is a failure because it has kept women down under a monolithic patriarchal system. The list goes on endlessly.
The fact is there will always be room for improvement, and we need a few Cassandra’s to foretell the many possible dooms that await us. But do we let our irritation at the slowness of change on our particular issue prevent us from appreciating the freedom we have to initiate that change?
Freedom is what we celebrate. Not the party in power. Not the capitalist system. Not the “destruction of the environment”. Mourn these if you wish, but recognize that the freedom we have as Americans gives us the power to do something about whatever bugs us the most.
Is that not worth lighting a fire-cracker or two? I think it is. But just don’t do it near my house, please.
Finally, in case my efforts of persuasion have failed, and you still cannot bring yourself to celebrate the existence of the United States of America, perhaps you ought to think about starting a nation of your own.
Part parody and part pastime, micronations are generally under-the-radar, shoestring operations. Since the 1960s, want-to-be rulers have declared sovereignty over areas that range from an abandoned anti-aircraft platform in the North Sea to an icy swath of Antarctica. Some micronations are tax-avoidance schemes, others are political protests. Many are simply elaborate jokes meant to spoof the trappings of leadership and to poke fun at global politics.
In 1979, Erwin Strauss documented the birth of the movement in his book: “How to Start Your Own Country.” Later, the Internet gave rise to many virtual micronations. Most recently, in 2006, the creators of the Lonely Planet travel guides released the book “Micronations,” which featured the world’s top 50 “home-made nations.” “If you’re lucky,” the authors wrote, “the king will put on a pot of tea when you stop by.”
Of course, I am not talking about the Seattle Mariners, who are currently on track to lose 106 games this season. No, I’m talking about minor-league baseball, where the play isn’t perfect, the players are excited and eager, and perhaps most important, not-yet-millionaires. In a small city like Spokane, the game is played in a modest (but clean and well maintained) stadium where the parking is free, the beer is cold, and the kraut is lightly infused with salmonella, which vastly improves the flavor of the german sausage. I’m kidding about that last part - the flavor is completely unaffected.