Wis Wiverty And Justins For All

As I recall, that's the way my oldest niece pronounced the final words of the Pledge of Allegiance as she proudly recited her newly learned words of patriotism in her first days of preschool. It was pretty damn cute. For the record, she has since gotten much better at pronouncing those and many, many other words.

Just a quick 4th of July shout out to all who read Ziggybackride before the 5th is upon us. The idea of a blog doesn't seem like a very big one, but free expression and the unstoppable expansion of available channels for it are very big ideas, indeed. The freedom to share ideas - even ridiculously inane ones (see Posts 1 through 131) - is one fantastic part of what this day, now ending, celebrates. I'm honored to share this magnificent ride with you and blessed to be free to do so.

Many are quick to point out America's imperfections. We have them, no doubt, and we always will. That's the nature of living in a place where new ideas, dissenting opinions, and hundreds of millions of voices can be heard. Our imperfections are frustrating, but their source is our very beauty. Our freedom and potential to achieve greatness lie right in the middle of our struggles. We are never far from a disastrous turn that could lead to tragedy, nor are we ever far from an historic moment of greatness. That is the difficult beauty of America.

You know how I love to share the words of the Presidents....

"A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity."
- Jimmy Carter

Here's to being a strong people in a strong nation and leaving our insecurities behind, and here's to another year of wiverty and justins for all!