As Long As We Can Keep It
I grab my sign and flag and head for the front door, passing by my roommate Arnold sipping his coffee on the recliner.
“So, Teddy, you’re going to that idiotic protest downtown with all the other woke libtards?” he smirks.
Annoyed at his smug condescension, I stop in my tracks. “Yes, I’m exercising my First Amendment right to free speech today. Why don’t you come with me?”
Arnold snorts and spews coffee all over his pajama shirt. “Right…” he sputters. “You’re all just mad because you lost the election, and you hate the president. You don’t want America to be great again. But go vent at your stupid rally, go yell and chant and hold your silly signs. Nobody cares about you Demon-rats, or anything you say.”
Inwardly, I seethe at the insults, but outwardly, I remain calm as best as I can.
“Number one, you know I’m not a Democrat, or as you say, ‘Demon-rat.’ I’m an independent voter, who doesn’t follow any party line. Before this president, I was a lifelong conservative Republican, so there’s that.”
I hold up the flag. “Number two, I’m a red, white, and blue flag-waving patriot as much as anyone else. I support constitutional rights for every person in America, and our freedom to exercise them. Like my right to free speech.”
“Number three. If calling me woke…” I gather my words carefully. “If calling me ‘woke’ because I’m aware and concerned about the environment, economy, injustice, and tyranny, then yes, I’m woke, and proud of it.”
Arnold scoffs. “Well then, go join the other Commie losers and America-haters; it won’t make any difference. We won, and we will do whatever we need to do to make America great again, like it or not.”
I take a calming breath; I will not let Arnold’s narrow-minded intolerance get my goat today. “Your idea of what makes America great differs from mine, but we can disagree and respect opposing views. We all have the right to voice our dissent, even when it ‘won’t make a difference.’”
Halfway through the open door, I turn to Arnold and wink. “Come on man, join us. I have an extra flag for you to wave. It’s for all Americans who value liberty and free speech, including you.”
Arnold rolls his eyes. “Go ahead, you liberal nut. I bet you’ll be hugging trees next.”
“Probably so,” I chuckle. “I really do love trees.” I leave the apartment, get in my car and drive towards downtown.
A few minutes later, I arrive and join a gathering of a few dozen people in front of City Hall. I proudly hold my sign with one hand, wave my flag with the other, and smile at those around me.
They don’t look like dangerous lunatics to me, as our president has accused those who oppose his policies. People who hate America he says, and want to turn it into a third-world hellhole or communist state or whatever. These people all look normal, like every other person I know — my family, neighbors and friends. Just regular Americans, like me.
We hold our signs and flags and cheer as cars drive by, some people honking and waving, others cursing and giving the middle finger. It’s all good. I’m thankful for the freedom we have to do this. The freedom to assemble peaceably, and speak our minds with no fear of government reprisal — no matter how unpopular or controversial.
The cacophony fades into the background as a gentle wave of truth floods my mind. America is not a failed nation. America’s best days are not behind it. America is resilient, its strength rooted in the timeless values of liberty and justice for all.
Sound fades back in, and I join a chorus of cheers as a semi-truck slowly rolls by, its horn blaring as loud as a freight train. Strangely, amidst it all, I feel peace in knowing the truth.
We don’t need to make America great again, because it already is. Our freedom has always made America great, and it always will — as long as we can keep it.
