An Historic Fourth of July in Glens Falls, New York
After a lovely morning honoring the Declaration of Independence at the Warren County, New York Municipal Center, catching up with friends at Kitch A Vibe and the Glens Falls Farmers’ Market, as well as cleaning the house with Michael, we went for a stroll around the Feeder Canal. Along the canal, we saw our neighbor, Barb, rowing her kayak along the recently cleared canal, thanks to the hard work of the NYS Canal Corporation.
After Michael and I walked together for a mile, I sped up ahead for a light run around the trail and through downtown. I passed by the September 11th Memorial, featured next to the Glens Falls Firefighters Building, as well as folks enjoying the beautiful weather dining at local restaurants like Farmacy and Fenimore's Pub. Before heading back, I climbed the Elm Street Parking Garage with a patriotic tote bag found on the ground to clean up all four levels of trash and debris. At the top, there were some college-aged car enthusiasts partying. I wished them a happy fourth, while reminding them to keep the parking lot clean.
When I got back home, I was thoroughly exhausted but proud of the small acts of kindness that we all imbue to make this country better every day. My shirt glistened with sweat, emblazoned with the United States flag from a 2011 Rock and Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon event. I remember running that race with my dad, and the memories rocketed through my mind as I gulped down water.
As Benjamin Franklin is often quoted after the Constitutional Convention, this nation is a “Republic, if you can keep it”. Language is powerful, as are actions, and we can slowly reverse course of tyrannical ideas and return to civil discourse. Michael Brock wrote an essay with a clear notion to “flood the zone with truth”, a satire of Steve Bannon’s ideas on the precipice of the second term of the Trump administration. He describes, “the soldiers in this war for truth aren’t just journalists or fact-checkers. They’re teachers who teach students how to think critically. Citizens who insist on reality in the face of chaos. Technologists who build systems to enhance understanding rather than distort it. And yes—they’re you. The beauty of simple truths is their power to cut through confusion. When officials bypass democratic processes, obscure their actions, or lie with reckless abandon, they’re not just making policy choices. They’re attacking the foundation of democracy itself.”
Each of us have a choice: to find truth in our shared society and debate priorities and policies that attempt to help not harm people. Michael Brock offers simple calls to action, like “talk to neighbors, read local news, attend meetings. These aren’t just niceties—they’re the foundation of how humans make sense of the world together. When these systems fail, our ability to make meaningful choices about our future collapses.”
The United States of America, celebrating 250 years of independence from the tyranny of early British monarchy, is a collection voices that demand to be heard. Be a part of positive change, learn from others’ experiences, and mold a society that treats everyone with dignity and respect. I wish all Americans a wonderful day of celebration, honor, and prosperity! Remember all those that have passed as well as the memories of celebrations past.
To close out this historic day, an historian and journalist Anne Applebaum ended one her essays with a short anecdote about Władysław Bartoszewski. They were a member of the wartime Polish underground, a prisoner of both the Nazis and the Stalinists, and then the foreign minister in two Polish democratic governments. Later in his life, he summed up the philosophy that had guided him through all of those tumultuous political changes. It was not idealism that drove him, or big ideas, he said, it was this: Warto być przyzwoitym— “Just try to be decent.” And that is something we can all strive for.
