Fourth of July Flags

Moms Demand Action has a fun crafts project for Independence Day.  Amster, her boys, and I spent a lovely Sunday morning creating our own American flags, replete with messages for our elected representatives. I've tried calling and emailing and snail mailing and signing petitions and posting on-line and I'm running out of venues.  Civic discourse is now being conducted through arts and crafts. I sigh and envisage the end of the world as I know it.

I tried to engage the kids in a discussion about the colonies, and what people can do when, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them.

They knew the colonies - like New Hampshire and Virginia -  and about the Boston Tea Party and the Stamp Act, but they weren't interested in listening to the renegades'  decent respect to the opinions of mankind (demanding) that they should declare the causes which impel(led) them to the separation..

British=Bad.  America=Good.  That was as far as they were willing to delve into the matter.  I sighed.  The rest of the Declaration is so beautiful, so carefully crafted, so relevant to what's happening in the world today; I wanted to share the joy I find in reading and re-reading it.  Alas, it was not to be. I could read Enough, already! on their faces and it was too hot to argue.

Instead, we pondered

 and we striped 

and we starred

in between dips in the pool.

It was really really hot.

We admired our handiwork

 and waved our handiwork 

and got jiggy with our handiwork

We were quite passionate about the cause.

There shouldn't be any more childrens' names!

The No More Names tour bus will be passing through Tucson this week.

The No More Names project for Independence Day is a typical Moms Demand Action gala; 

all substance, no pomp.

The flags are of our own design,

and can be of yours, too.

Make one and take it to the parade on Thursday.

Make a little one and attach it to the handlebars of your bike.

Cover it with cellophane and take it on the boat.

There shouldn't be any more childrens' names associated with gun violence.

There really shouldn't.