Remember the joke, “Does Britain have a Fourth of July?” It was funnier when Americans actually remembered the reason the day was special. But now, we get stuff like this. This was the image in an e-mail from MidAmerican Energy:
It has a name. It’s Independence Day. Dozens of men dedicated their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” to do something unprecedented, something that changed the course of history. Want to use the calendar date as an occasional synonym or second reference? Fine. BUT DON’T MAKE IT THE PRIMARY REFERENCE.
Maybe it’s because people can’t spell “independence” anymore…or because “have a happy holiday” has too much of a connection to that random calendar date at the end of December.
(On a related note, I am floored that the legalization of fireworks in Iowa hasn’t been more of a story, but the nation’s crazy meter went right past 11 and got stuck on 12, so I guess that’s the way of things. If my neighborhood is any indicator, I feel sorry for anyone with PTSD after 8:30.)