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Tomorrow we’ll mark another celebration of our Independence, yet, many Americans, including myself, aren’t exactly in a celebratory mood given Mr. Trump’s shenanigans and the overall political climate. 

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But than I started thinking about everything in this country that’s still great. While there’s a very long list, here are a few of my favorites.

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The Constitution and the Bill of Rights

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 Yes, I know that Amendments like the 1st, 4th, 14th, and 15th, are currently in danger of being trampled on, but I have to believe they will outlast the Trump Administration.

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The Internet and Google

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I know they have their flaws, but can you imagine life without them? No more blogging, and HELLO–Google Doodles!

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National Landmarks like Mount Rushmore

reserved-for-donald-trump-1413446Although some, um, misguided person has started a petition on change.org to add Mr. Trump’s face. *Shudder!*

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There are so many plays and musicals over the years which have entertained and inspired us, but right now I’m just going to name one: Hamilton. Thank you Lin-Manuel Miranda for your artistry and for bringing to life the creation of this country.

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Yes Hollywood can drive us crazy with never-ending film franchises (Pirates Of the Caribbean) and pointless and insulting remakes (The Mummy and the upcoming Jumanji), but far outweighing the flops are films like: The Shawshank Redemption, A Beautiful Mind, Rocky, 42, Dead Poets Society, Slumdog Millionaire, Selma, To Kill A Mockingbird, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, 12 Angry Men, and so on. 

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American Literature

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Yes. I’ve saved the best for the last. While the U.S. can proudly lay claim to thousands of talented authors and poets, there are a select, iconic group whose works have helped shape and become part of our national literary heritage. Writers such as: Francis Scott Key, Mark Twain, Alice Walker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Maya Angelou, Willa Cather, Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harper Lee, James Baldwin, Margaret Miller, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Walt Whitman, William Faulkner, Frederick Douglass, Upton Sinclair, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Langston Hughes. 

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Many of us feel the United States is at one of it’s lowest points in its history. But you know what’s so wonderful about the majority of American people? Our perseverance. Our willingness to fight for what’s good and decent. Our compassion for our fellow human beings with whom we share this planet. So, tomorrow, I’m going to celebrate our Fourth of July holiday, and think of everything that’s wonderful about this country.

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And Wednesday, July 5th I’ll go back to worrying about civil liberties, immigration, the environment, education, free speech, and our increasingly embarrassing and dangerously unstable president.

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