The Burrow

Instead of leading with the latest FFOTUS outrage, my newsfeed has been showing me octo-box pictures of peaceful protesters waving flags and signs and exchanging thumbs up's with passersby.   This wasn't permitted 249 years ago.  It's why now, as we teeter on the edge of Benjamin Franklin's response that we had not a monarchy, but   a Republic, if you can keep it,  I am feeling a little bit more hopeful about the future of our democracy.   It was rainy in a lot of places; New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, DC got their fair of drops.  But the stands were empty for the best-viewed-in-black-and-white, world's slowest and dullest parade while the streets of Philly and the five boroughs were, like the rest of American towns, from Idaho to Arizona, filling up all afternoon to make a joyful noise, with hand made signs and American flags of all sizes, celebrating the fact that we were not given a monarchy by the founders.   Who are t...

I spent Saturday trying to protect our system of government.  I started out before 8am on the side of a busy street, fifteen minutes before the official start, but well past the time that people had begun gathering.  It was Flag Day; I brought my giant American flag.  Waving it gave me great joy. As always, there were safety marshals and free bottles of water  to go along with the sense of rueful camaraderie that permeated the event.   I did this in 1969 and I'm doing it again  - some variation of that was on everyone's lips.   We were older white women, the ones being teased on the interwebs for mobbing Michaels craft stores, buying up all the poster board and markers they could carry.  They did a really good job.   My friend made this : She lost one shoe, and had to hold one hand. By 9:15 I was too hot.  I drove home, swam, ate, napped and then got back in the car for the No Kings! car parade; Tucson's triple digit temp...