Independence Day Eve

On the eve of the anniversary of this great nation's independence, and in anticipation of the parade celebrating our nation's independence, I had the great and mighty responsibility of ensuring that my borders were protected from outsiders who might try to infiltrate and ultimately settle on my lawn for the duration of the parade.

According to the city of Huntington Beach, the morning of July 3 at 7 AM is the earliest anyone is allowed to claim a spot on main street for the 4th of July parade. You might think that this a morning where everyone would feel the comradery and spirit of unity that joined this nation together, that we would all be laughing and shaking hands and getting excited together about the upcoming festivities. Instead, everyone acts like it is the Oklahoma Sooners rush. With their stakes in hand, the masses of people are crowding each other out and just waiting until the whistle blows to drive the stakes into the strips of land on Main Street that they want to claim for the parade. I watched as a cop broke up an argument across the street that took place because a girl was sitting under a tree that belonged to a neighbor who wanted the spot for the parade, and the girl had gotten there before 7 AM. That cop laughed and told me that the 5th of July couldn't come soon enough. Another cop lady with a heavy smokers voice and the meanest scowl I've ever seen drove by and yelled at people. I think she was just trying to make sure we were all miserable in preparation for the 4th.

My initial reaction was to shake my head and look down upon all these people for their petty skirmishes and selfish behavior, believing that they were all acting childish and unpatriotic. But then I asked myself, "what would the founding fathers do if they were here?" If I remember correctly, they all fought and yelled at each other up until the last second before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Therefore, it only makes sense that they would probably be protesting and making a scene in the same manner as my neighbors. I was immediately filled with a sense of pride and patriotism as I knocked over the chairs and pulled out the stakes of the people next to me. Happy Independence Day!