What a country, right? As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday on the Fourth of July, let’s pause and list a few reasons to love America.
Thanks to cable TV and YouTube, we can still enjoy the Ed Sullivan Show, Little Joe Cartwright and Mary Tyler Moore, even though few people under 40 know who they are.
We have amazing medical workers who respond to the emergencies the rest of us are trying to run away from.
We have cities called Ducktown, Turtletown, Suck Creek, Gruetli-Laager, Orme, Hogjaw Valley, Rising Fawn, Talking Rock, Peavine, Nutbush, Bell Buckle, Rugby, Greenback, Bucksnort, Bugtussle, Burning Bush, Isabella, Box Springs, Rocky Face, Lick Skillet, Butts, Arab, Bartlebaugh, Scratch Ankle, and Beersheba Springs. Just make sure you pronounce it BUR-shuh-buh. Plus, I got an email last week asking me if I knew anybody in Fort Pain, Alabama. That was painful.
We have the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Fame Recording Studios. Half of the music I grew up with came out of either Nashville or Muscle Shoals.
They still make Yoo Hoo, Nehi Peach Soda, Goo Goo Clusters, and Zagnut bars.
We have a kind-hearted Tennessee native named Dolly Parton, who shares her sunshine and her fortune.
We have Carol Burnett (93), Dick Van Dyke (100), and Willie Nelson (93). Not long ago, Willie recorded a song called, “I’m Still Not Dead.” That’s his best title since “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”
We still have sweet tea, and southern restaurants that consider banana pudding to be a side item.
We still have waitresses that call old men “Darlin.” Or, at least that’s what I’ve been told.
Even with tablets, Kindles, and all the other items that are supposed to be better than books, we still have great libraries.
We still have some people who respect handicapped spaces, who use their headlights in the rain, and who return shopping carts to their stalls. We don’t have enough of those people, but we’re working on the others.
We have weather forecasting technology that can tell us it’s going to rain five days in advance, and can give us a few minutes’ notice of a tornado, right down to our street.
We have homegrown tomatoes, fresh strawberries, Georgia peaches, and Sugar Baby watermelons.
We have public parking apps that keep me from standing in line, trying to stuff dollar bills into a dime-sized slot.
We have texting. Yes, it can be annoying, but it’s a blessing when your children live far away. It beats long distance calls, doesn’t it?
We have record stores, so we can buy back the vinyl records we cashed in 30 years ago, before we realized vinyl was better.
We have less painful dental procedures, thanks to that wonderful nitrous oxide that makes my toes tingle.
We have root beer floats, chocolate-covered cream-filled doughnuts, and dirty sodas.
We have postal employees and police officers who check on elderly residents.
We have great food labeling, with information on nutrition, calories, ingredients, and expiration dates.
We have “Jeopardy.” (Yeah, 40 years after I said it wouldn’t last. “It’s too hard,” I said.)
We can buy a car online. I actually did that recently, and it was stress-free.
We have life-saving vaccines that really work.
We have wonderful election workers. Their dedication and hard work have ensured fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power throughout our nation’s history. Hopefully, they will continue to do so, despite the abuse they have endured in recent years.
We have a handful of patriots in Congress who are willing to put country over party, often at great risk for their own safety, and for that of their family. Their courage serves as a reminder of what has truly made America great.
We still have newspapers, and I hope you are thankful for that. I know I am.
We still have “CBS Sunday Morning.” (For now, anyway. The new CBS leadership has destroyed much of what made the network great. Hands off “Sunday Morning!”)
And, we still have a free press that seeks truth, and holds those in power accountable. Will it survive the efforts to bring it down? The next couple of years will tell the tale.
