Yesterday we probably had the best July 4th in a long time. Well, the best July 4th in the USA at least. Last year we were in Portugal on our holiday and I’ve been in both Mexico and in the air on the way to Hungary on 04 July in the past. But since Jess and I have been married we haven’t really done the whole fireworks “thing”.

The summer we lived with my in-laws we had a fun time on the fourth. We let off our own firecrackers and sparklers and whatnot. Growing up in California, firecrackers were illegal. So we settled for watching the professional shows on 04 July.

Last night we met up with my friend Ryan and his new wife Laura and grabbed dinner before heading out to the Arch for the fireworks show over the Mississippi. Special bonus: Train was playing a concert there. Which was cool.

In any case we braved the crowd and watched the fireworks under the Arch. It was pretty cool. In the 7 years I’ve been in the St Louis Metro-East, we’ve never been out to the city for the fireworks display.

This past year I’ve begun, through a lot of reading and research, to appreciate more the United States and its history. I’ve never been particularly patriotic. I’ve always worn Union Jacks and such as a tongue-in-cheek expression of … whatever. But this 4th felt a little more meaningful to me. Despite how I feel about our current leadership and policies coming into play, this national holiday felt different.

Not that I don’t still want to live in England or practically anywhere else in the world. Because I do. But for a few minutes last night it was good to be an American, I suppose.

My friend Ryan lives in Denver and he shared this video on his blog.

Did they not think this would fly around the internet? This isn’t France. Those people were peaceably assembled. They were invoking their constitutional rights. And they were threatened and bullied and attacked by the people their tax dollars go to pay to protect and serve the public. It’s an atrocity.

Edit
Randall makes a few good points on his blog as well. As soon as the protestors got in the way of traffic or started blocking streets they went past peaceably assembled. But I’m also sure the police could have handled it a bit than enclosing the crowd between buildings on the left and right and two lines of cops in full