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I attended the Freedom Festival parade in Provo with my family on Saturday and I found it very interesting to watch. I was proud to notice that there seemed to be more people who actually knew what to do whent he flag passed by. Unlike some years there was no hesitation in the crowd as the flag approached and people stood and placed hands over their hearts. I also took note that when Senator Bennett approached in his car the crowd got silent – I heard one person supporting Bennett but everyone else acted as if the parade suddenly became invisible. When Senator Hatch rode by there was no reaction from the crowd, but everybody began cheering very loudly for the high school band that followed him. I take that as yet another sign that it’s time for both of them to retire – I’ll help in any way that I can.
Overall it was a good parade except for the fact that the first entry was a band which was followed by the many fire engines blaring their horns. The parade organizers really should not place a band in front or behind the fire engines – save those slots for floats that are not displaying their musical skill.
Later in the evening as we were watching fireworks I got talking to my wife and mentioned that I found it somewhat ironic that many people celebrate their liberty and living in a free land by breaking the law – buying fireworks that are clearly illegal in our state. I know the arguments that some people will make that the state should not be regulating our fireworks as much as they do. I stand against the nanny-state as much as anyone else, but I believe in obeying the law even when you are actively trying to change it (so long as its possible to do both). Laura commented that in some ways it might be fitting that people wuld celebrate their freedom by exercising it in defiance of laws they don’t care for – I can see the logic of what she says.
2 replies on “Independence Day Observations”
My little city has had its own Independence Day parade for many years. It runs about a mile down the main street. Over the years I have found that different kinds of people migrate to different spots along the parade route. We used to go to a spot about halfway through the route. At that spot, there were frequently about a quarter to a third of the people that didn’t bother to properly acknowledge the flag. A few years ago we discovered a spot about a quarter of the way into the route that seemed to draw fewer spectators. Every year that we have been there, almost everyone within sight has properly respected the flag. Go figure.
We’re in the same location as in previous years but I would not be surprised if there are locations on the parade route that are more consistent one way or the other.