About a month from now is the Fourth of July, the bicentennial of our country.  I am engaged as always, but probably will only rarely post between now and July 4, and not send notice as usual – the absence is intentional.  I do ask you take some time to take a closer and reflective look at this post sometime this month.

The ‘vaation’ gives more time for myself, and any reader, to consider for themselves how each of us fits into the uncertain future that faces us as a nation – a future that we will own by our own individual and collective action or inaction..

I welcome commentaries from anyone about this topic, and will post them if the writer wishes.

If you’re looking for a great starting place, Heather Cox Richardson has organized short videos for the next 250 days.  They’re titled 250 in 250.  Here is subscriber information.  You can subscribe easily.  Check it out.  Each of these will be one minute in length and very well done.

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The official U.S. website for our 250th is America250, from the bipartisan organization  established in 2016.  This website has the official background.  What we will mostly hear about this month is an apparent alternative.  This commentary from Robert Reich today is well worth your time to read.  There will be many other learning opportunities in coming days.

Following are some maps to help organize your own thoughts.  Below is the U.S. basic map for reference .  Here’s the same map in pdf: US Map

 

Here’s a map history of what became the United States from my 1988 edition of the National Geographic Centennial Atlas of American History: Historical US NatGeo1988001.  Included are seven maps from 1775-1960.

From the same source, here are maps for 1750 and 1763 Historical U.S. Map 1750 1763.

In effect, what was to be a celebration is being turned into a battleground for our future.  Learn

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Miscellany:

Here are several comments about my Memorial Day post about Amable Guion.

My friend, SAK, comments from across the pond.

Here are three commentaries about Cuba by visitors in 2009 and 2012.  The photos are thanks to Brian Gately from a 2009 visit.

More about the Kindness Project, here.

One more time: I find most invaluable several commentators on substack, all of whom speak from experience and I find trustworthy.  I also subscribe to them, supporting their work with very reasonable expense.  They are, again: Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, Tim Snyder, Mary Trump, Garrison Keillor.  There are others as well, on occasion, but these are the standouts.

Here’s my 80th birthday blog from May 4, 2020.  (The kid with the baseball, my grandson, is now an engineer.. He was born less than a year after 9-11-01, and graduated from high school in the middle of the Covid pandemic in June, 2020….)

Stay involved.  Our future as a country is very much at stake.