My America is Your America

In my America, all Americans are free. All Americans live their lives according to their own choices.

In my America, you mind your own business and let others mind theirs.

In my America, you worship any god you choose, utter any prayer, keep your faith to yourself, and do not judge the faith of others.

In my America, you love the land, protect the oceans, clean the air so we all can breathe free.

In my America, you fix the roads, keep the trains running, build bridges and tunnels, pick up the garbage, keep us safe in schools and malls and churches, and you do these things as your main job when you serve the people.

In my America, truth is not a negotiation, the law applies equally to all, ethics are to be honored, and Justice is not at the whim of partisanship and agendas of the judges.

In my America, our history is brutal, a story of slavery and genocide, invasions and unnecessary wars, but our history is not rewritten, it is taught as is so future generations of Americans can learn and reflect and build a better America.

In my America, it's jazz and rock and roll, and rap and the blues, it's Nashville and blue jeans and cowboy hats, Broadway and symphonies, opera and dance, it's the American cultural stew we've created, Hollywood and television, Scooby Doo and Star Wars, Disney and Marvel and Superman too.

In my America, the beauty is in the eyes of immigrants, and the gaze of native-Americans who sing of the true spirit of the mountains and plains, who honored these winds and rivers for thousands of years

In my America, today is the 4th of July, and tomorrow, and the next day, and every day this nation moves forward, dreams, imagines, sins, and fails, but never surrenders to the dark night.

Happy birthday, America. We all deserve the best America you can be.