Happy 3rd of July! Hey, it’s a compromise between July 2nd (John Adams favorite) and July 4th (a date that 46% of Americans celebrate without knowing why.) Whatever, it is also the 250th anniversary of America’s declaration of independence, frequently spelled Declaration of Independence. It is also my 50th high school reunion. My ancestor and signer of the Declaration, Francis Hopkinson, may groan in his grave, or not. Maybe this is the way they wanted it to turn out.

If you want a primer on the Declaration, or want to hear my voice, here’s my rendition of it. (Let’s see if it uploads and downloads.)

What to talk about first: family history from 1776, personal history from 1976, or current history from 2026? Maybe some insights, because why else write a blog post? (Of course, it’s Friday, so I guess I’d do that anyway.)

Francis Hopkinson, founding father, or at least a guy who showed up for work and ended up signing a piece of paper. Haven’t heard of him? Why would you? Half of Americans don’t know July 4th 1776 was a thing, an event, one could even say something that was revolutionary. 

Founding fathers are mythologized as if they were infallible. Some think so, including politicians. They didn’t. They knew they were people, granted they tended to be rich, white, land owners, and their own version of religious, but people, not heroes or icons. That’s common with heroes and icons. I’ve read some of history. Thanks for doing what you did, but I’m not surprised that no one ordered up a halo for him.

It was a revolution. Some say it was The Revolution, but a lot of the world agrees with the almost half of Americans who can’t see back that far. That something that revolutionary can be lost is a source of pondering, at least for me. 

But hey, it’s worked this far, sorta kinda. (If you want a recent upbeat view of the US, go to YouTube to watch some reaction videos from the World Cup. Many foreign visitors are pleasantly surprised at the reality of the US, especially as compared to their media coverage and political commentaries. Residents can rely on personal experiences for personally real realities.)

Again, thanks Francis. (By the way, family folklore has it that the folks in the UK call him the traitor. So it goes.)

So, by luck of birth, I graduated high school in 1976 from West Mifflin South High School. Go Spartans – and they’re gone. The building was knocked down a few years ago. It was more modern than the WPA building next door, but it’s gone. I suspect the WPA building is gone, too. There were probably good, bureaucratic reasons for the demolition; but, I prefer the neighborhood folklore version which was that it was above an abandoned coal mine that was collapsing. The other bit of folklore was that it was collapsing because someone was sneaking in and taking out support timbers to use as firewood.

We were graduating, which should be a celebration, and it was; but, I recall a great contentious debate about our tassels. On the top of our graduation outfits were the cap in the ‘cap and gown’. The caps had a button on top. Around the button was affixed a tassel of yellow/gold that represented one of our school’s colors of blue and gold. Ah, but it was 1976, so someone decided, decreed that the tassels should be red, white, and blue. Think politics in the schools is a new thing? After months of testy debates, we students got to pick from ourselves. I picked both.

And now that episode is mostly forgotten, except maybe at this year’s 50th Reunion. I didn’t attend. Something about living 2,600 miles from home. I don’t miss the place much. Most of my friends have moved away. Some have popped up on social media. I miss the definite weather, four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall; as compared to Western WA’s relatively reliable blandness. Though, around here, a one or two hour drive can land me in a greater range of climates. I miss the lightning storms. So it goes.

I understand that the politics there are as confused as anywhere.

In the bigger 2026 picture, there’s the 250th celebrations, and the Soccer World Cup. And fireworks. And pride. And concern. And optimism. And pessimism. 

250 is definitely worth noting. Pat ourselves on our backs, but really, pay respects to the Founding Fathers who got this started, and the generations of sincere-yet not-always-qualified people who have maintained the country, even when it had to be stitched back together. 

We grumble and gripe, and usually for good reason.

“…it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” – Winston Churchill

Of course, whether we have a democracy, or a republic, or a democratic republic, or a representative whatever, or an oligarchy, or… Go ahead, debate it amongst yourselves. We’re celebrating 250 years of something. Did Francis guess at this? Did 50% of Americans not know about the reason behind the 4th? (Cato Institute) What do we have now? I’m not answering that because my opinion is mute. I can’t even get the hospital to listen to me, why would my government?

We vilify the ‘others’. Worldwide, the media and the politicians do too. Considering the current politicians, there’s a lot to vilify. 

And then the World Cup happened. 

The general consensus is that the world is pleased and surprised that Americans are nice people, as if their people aren’t. I’ve traveled a bit, and I like them, too. I like people who treat people as if they are people, which works, because they are, we are. The media and politicians, however, need headlines and sound bites. Headlines and sound bites need to be dramatic. 

Drama is by definition, not mundane. And yet, the majority of our lives are not dramatic enough to make headlines. For many, life is just Not mundane enough to be interesting. So, when people (soccer fans) meet people (locals) their lack of personal melodrama comes across as a massive positive – which it is. Without the media and the politicians, we can have fun. Fun. What a concept!

There’s red, white, and blue on the flag. Wave it, if you want to.There are headlines and sound bites. I’ll read and listen, sometimes only as a distraction. There is drama and there is strife, but we are also here with each other. Why not accept that almost all of us are people being people? Good enough for me. 

Let’s see if we can make it to 300.