July 4th brings memories of many years past, parades and ballgames, fireworks and barbecues, family and friends. There have been some years when the day found me on the road reporting, even overseas. But no matter where I was or what I had to do, I couldn’t help but feel the swell of pride and appreciation for the country that I love. My relationship with America is one, I hope, of clarity and purpose. I understand the struggles and imperfections. I want to bear witness to what we must fix in addition to all that we celebrate. These feelings are rooted in my own personal journey and was the source of my book What Unites Us.
We at Steady have been pleased by the response from many of you to our sharing of short films, and we were looking for something in this vein for the July 4th weekend. That’s when my longtime collaborator Alex Van Amson had what I thought was an inspired idea. It’s not a video, but another medium, and one that I have taken to appreciating only recently. So below is an excerpt from What Unites Us, by way of its graphic novel edition. The power of the images is thanks to the genius of the illustrator Tim Foley. Also a big thank you to my co-author Elliot Kirschner, who also helps here on Steady.
July 4th is ultimately about community, and I am deeply grateful for all of you who make this late chapter of my life so rewarding.
From the opening essay “What Is Patriotism?”
If you wish to know more about What Unites Us: The Graphic Novel, you can find it here.
And please remember to support your local, independent booksellers whenever possible.
—Dan and Steady Team
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July 4th - An Illustrated Story
I would like to add a couple of my own thoughts to this discussion.
Happy Independence Day, America!!
As Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was asked what kind of government we would have. He replied, "A Republic, if you can keep it."
Today, we are faced with the question of whether we can keep it. From a former president claiming the Big Lie that the election was “stolen” to a Supreme Court that has only three days ago stripped the Voting Rights Act of almost all meaning, our Republic is under existential attack from those who call themselves “Republicans” (some irony, isn’t it?). How we respond today, next year at the voting booth and every year after that will determine if we actually can keep our republic.
Every officer of the United States must take the following oath, mandated in the Constitution:
“I, ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
As citizens of a democratic republic, we are all in some sense “officers” of that nation, because we all have the power to influence its policies by voting and speaking out on important issues. We must all commit to support and defend the Constitution against those domestic enemies who are committed only to supporting and defending their own power (and white supremacy). This is the time when all good people must come to the aid of their country.
So, again, Happy Independence Day. Now for the real work.
I am enjoying reading What Unites Us !