July 4th

I'm a bit sad and ambivalent about celebrating today. As much as I do enjoy the freedoms I have living in the United States, I am distressed at last week's SCOTUS rulings that reverse affirmative action policies and make it okay to discriminate against people for having a different set of beliefs than you do.
Literally, WTF?

There is so much "us vs them" now that there isn't room for WE the people anymore. Even though there isn't an armed conflict between factions, we are engaged in a type of cold civil war that is increasingly becoming more volatile. Perhaps the thing that saddens me most is that evangelical Christians have such a large role in the divisiveness, choosing to judge and hate rather than following the love your neighbor teaching of Jesus.

I'd be happy to sit at home and watch the Cardinals lose another baseball game vs going out and celebrating. Truthfully, I wouldn't waste my time with the Cardinals tonight, but I would prefer to be quietly smoking a cigar on the deck and listening to my new friend Dan Schaefer on Spotify. 
Check him out and give him a listen when you can. (I'm working on upping his US listening algorithm.) 

Anyway, I'll be out with friends and enjoying some good food and the company of others. I'll likely refrain from the whole celebrating an America that I'm not too proud of at the moment. 
It's nice to have that freedom, too.

John