Weekend self-care open thread: Hey, baby, it's the Fourth of July
My sainted parents fled a dictatorship and found refuge in this country. They raised their two Cuban-born sons and me, a native-born American, in hope of a better future. So, I'm sorry, Evergreen Blue, but fuck you. What am I celebrating? That those of us who are not considered Americans are still Americans. That we survive and thrive. That, as Langston Hughes wrote : They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. People like me put the lie to the idea of blood and soil America. We give America much more than it gives us. And we celebrate it. I, too, sing America. Because it is the only country I've known. And I'll be damned if my inferiors in both intellect and morals tell me otherwise. This Fourth of July weekend we shall celebrate this enervating, annoying, imperfect country. Because for all its imperfections, it is still the last best hope for mankind. Be ever kind, gentle, and joyful with yourselves and those around y...
