A genuine July 4
Thursday is July 4. And like countless years before this, many of us will use the day to throw some burgers on the grill, play with the dog, watch marathons on TV (Star Trek, anyone?) and generally loaf around.
But this is no ordinary Independence Day. It's not just another holiday that gets you out of work and happens to come with fireworks.
It's the first July 4 after Sept. 11.
It's the first July 4 that, for many of us, actually means something.
I never really thought much about being an American until that day. That's when my nationality hit me full in the face.
Suddenly it was cool again to buy a flag sticker and affix it on your car bumper. Or wear a tiny pin on your lapel.
That familiar American cynicism sorta flew out the window.
And we were all in this together — feeling grateful when British Prime Minister Tony Blair offered his country's condolences, like a friend offering sympathy when a loved one dies.
It never ceases to amaze me how much good has come from an event so thoroughly evil.
So that's why this July 4 might just be the best one we've ever seen. Ignore the terrorist threats — vague as they are — and enjoy the day.
We've earned it.
— JENNIFER WILSON
