Tomorrow is Independence Day. A Day of Celebration. And a Day on which we should also remember those who died in the Revolutionary War.
We need to spend some time on July 4th celebrating but we also need to spend some time teaching our kids some American history. Many Americans, more than one and a quarter million, have fought and died for this country, and because of them we can still celebrate our “Independence” and our freedom on “Independence Day”.
One thing we need to teach our kids is that more than twenty-five percent of all Americans ever killed in American wars died greatly to secure the freedom of Black Americans from slavery.
We need to teach them that five hundred thousand Americans died in this most “uncivil” war of all American Wars: the so-called “Civil War”.
We need to explain to our kids that the majority of those who died in the Civil War (perhaps ninety percent) were White Americans and that three hundred thousand of them died on the battle field fighting to free Black Americans from slavery.
We all need to reflect on the fact that nothing could be more “anti-racist” than putting your life on the line for those of a different race.
Perhaps this reminder could play at least a minor role in offsetting the constant accusations of racism that some Americans often levy against other Americans. Charges which most often serve to separate rather than unite Americans.
In other words, that by remembering the ultimate sacrifice that hundreds of thousands of White Americans made to end slavery we can come closer together instead of farther apart.
Perhaps by reflecting on the fact that 30 times as many Americans died in the Civil War to end slavery, as died in the Revolutionary War to gain America’s freedom, we can move forward as those who died to end slavery hoped we would.
But as we celebrate and teach some history tomorrow we also need to teach our kids about what is currently killing thousands of Americans because in the near future it will have caused more American deaths than all American wars combined have ever caused.
What it is that we need to teach them about is “drug abuse”. We need to make sure that every young person is aware that illegal drug use is not “funny”, it is “deadly”.
Mitch McConnell says he has raised about $70,000 selling his “Cocaine Mitch T-Shirts”. We need to remind ourselves that $70,000 is about one dollar per each American that died just last year from drug abuse.
Let’s use our holiday to explain to the young people that we will not be joining “Cocaine Mitch McConnell’s Cartel” because more than 850,000 Americans have died of drug abuse since Mitch was first elected to the US Senate.
We should make clear to our kids and our grandkids that there is nothing funny about “war deaths nor drug deaths”. But at least in war many Americans have died for good causes.
We need to be sure that our kids know that there is no good reason to get addicted to illegal drugs.
We all need to reflect on the fact that if Cocaine Mitch thinks Cocaine use is funny he is not likely to do much to stop it.
In fact, if Mitch is re-elected it is likely that by the end of his new term more Americans will have died from drug abuse, just while Cocaine Mitch has been in the Senate, than have died in all American Wars combined in all of American history.
We need to spread the word that Cocaine McConnell may want to be seen as funny and light-hearted. But there is nothing funny about drug deaths and drug deaths do not lighten our hearts.
Americans need to be as “Independent” of illegal drugs, including cocaine, as they are “Independent” of England.
Have a Great, Meaningful and Worthwhile Independence Day!!!!