Independence Day – Everett Leader Herald

The Fourth of July 2023

**This was the 247th Fourth of July Independence Day celebration held in this nation.**

This year’s Fourth of July celebration of the nation’s independence finds us at a cross roads.

We are veering left.

We are veering right.

The middle is losing its power and its essence.

The middle class has been bludgeoned and besieged.

For many Americans, just getting from week’s pay check to the next is given as a measure of survival.

Many of us want to take sides. Many of us are disinterested in the politics. Many more are disgusted.

On this 247th Fourth of July there is the palpable feeling that we nearly all question some aspects of our leadership in Washington, DC. And we question the ability of our government to respond to our needs and to our desires.

Many of us feel there is no leadership, that there is no heroism, and that the loyalty our leaders show is more to their fortunes and their paychecks than to the American people.

On the other hand, celebrating almost 250 years of American democracy is an achievement.

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Coming into the Fourth of July

Generally, June is a slow crawl into July which is a faster paced month leading to august and then to the end of summer.

So here it only the third week of June and we’re hinting at how fast time is passing us by.

Time passing by is a personal thing for most of us. Some of us believe time flies.

Some of us feel strongly that time moves slowly. The runup to July 4 seems very quick this year. The weather has been spotty.

Summer feels like it wants to happen but isn’t yet happening. What to do?

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Lighting up the sky

July 1: Part of the large crowd that enjoyed the Fourth of July fireworks display at Glendale Park. July 1, 2022 in Everett, Massachusetts. (Photo By Jim Mahoney)

By JOSH RESNEK

The Independence Day celebration at Glendale Park on Friday, July 1 drew a huge crowd of Everett residents from all walks of life.

Several thousand men, women, and children, families mostly, attended the city-sponsored event.

Many set out blankets and brought refreshments or simply sat on the grass to enjoy the festivities.

The event went off without a hitch.

The Everett Police reported calm and order throughout the day and night.

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The Fourth of July

JUNE 24: The sunburst over the flag at the Pioneer Building on Revere Beach Parkway.(Photo by Jim Mahoney)

For many of us wondering about where this nation of ours is headed, the Fourth of July isn’t just a day at the beach. It is a day to worry about our democracy.

This nation is a bit befuddled as we enter the Fourth of July holiday this summer.

In many respects, it is the summer of our discontent.

We have come out of the pandemic, but we have not emerged from the split in our politics that divides the nation.

There is no simple way to bridge the divide, If there was, it would already have been done.

Instead, the folly of bad government continues in Washington.

The division of thoughts we share about who ought to be doing what to right the ship of state prevails.

Everyone is a genius with something to say in modern America. Everyone believes they have a right to be heard.

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— Eye on Everett —

The Fourth of July

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BY JOSH RESNEK

It is the Fourth of July coming up.

It is my favorite holiday as it comes at the end of June and the beginning of July – at the beginning of summer.

In fact, on the Fourth of July there is much more summer in front of us than behind us. In New England, where the summers are fleeting, the Fourth of July is a moment to savor. It is as if winter is very far away. In fact, it is difficult to believe on the Fourth of July that winter even exists.

It is warm. It can be humid. Sometimes it rains.

This year, we are dealing with a pandemic, the Coronavirus.

The Fourth of July will come and go this year.

The general feeling among the people of Everett and in the cities and towns across this nation is that the virus supersedes the holiday. Many others believe the holiday has been ruined by all the restrictions caused by our response to the virus.

Those of us driving around and checking things out note the yearly display of flags waving everywhere.

Family members and friends are making plans for cookouts and parties although the celebration will be subdued for health reasons.

Block parties and large parties of all kinds everywhere well not be allowed.

Frankly, large gatherings are a bad idea.

There are other reasons the Fourth of July this year will be different from all other years.

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