Celebrating Our Independence, July 4th, 2019
Opinion
This year marks the 243rd anniversary of our country’s independence. President Trump has big plans for the celebration this year, and, demonstrating his usual talent for hyperbole, he recently wrote in a tweet: “HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th. It will be called “A Salute To America” and will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!” For 38 years Washington’s July 4th celebration has focused on the national mall with various musical performances, concluding with the National Symphony Orchestra playing the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, while fireworks blossom over the city. The entire event, titled “A Capitol Fourth,” is broadcast nationally on the Public Broadcasting System. PBS has announced that the annual concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol will go on as usual this year and that they will broadcast it. It will star Jimmy Buffett and the Beach Boys and be hosted by John Stamos. The concert will include a special salute to the military with soprano Renée Fleming singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Meanwhile, President Trump and Melania plan a concert from the White House featuring two of the failed “American Idol” contestants. Also performing will be pianist Lola Astanova, the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Corps Band, the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters, and the U.S. Air Force Band’s Max Impact. That concert will be broadcast by the Hallmark Channel. Melania Trump expressed gratitude to the National Park Service and the event sponsors for making it possible. In addition, the Trumps’ event will include a major speech by the president, saluting the military.
All our presidents, beginning with George Washington, have celebrated Independence Day, so President Trump’s decision to hold a special celebration is not unusual. What is unusual is the way that Trump has made himself the center of what is intended as a national celebration. Independence Day should not be a partisan event; it should be a unifying event that celebrates our country’s diversity. Separating himself from what has become a traditional Capitol celebration over the past 38 years can only be seen as divisive and self-serving.
We wish our readers a very Happy Independence Day with family and friends. We should all ask ourselves what we can do to be better Americans than we currently are in our own eyes, and in the eyes of the rest of the world. Can’t we celebrate our diversity by opening our doors to refugees as we have done in the past? Can’t we stop separating children from their parents at the border and putting them in cages? Can’t we accept the fact that human action is bringing about catastrophic climate change that threatens all of us in one way or another? Let us all ponder what means most to us about our country and make sure we can preserve that for generations to come.
Sources:
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore




