Interdependence Day 2005

On the 4th of July, hundreds of women and men all over the country reclaimed the day by taking a stand against the imperialism and torture that now characterize America. CODEPINK called for parties and demonstrations in parades that made colorful statements against the abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, the war in Iraq, and the proliferation of not only nuclear weapons, but an attitude of superiority and domination. In Alameda, CODEPINKers organized a procession within the big 4th of July parade, and in Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles, CODEPINK crashed the parade. In Half Moon Bay, my family and I threw an “Independence from the Empire Day Bash” and invited everyone we knew. About 40 people showed up to demand a Stop (to) Wars, Star Wars style. We celebrated Interdependence Day, roasted veggie kabobs, defeated the Darth Vader piñata and watched candy necklaces, chocolate kisses, and toy airplanes fall onto the concrete—yes, sweetness is inside of darkness. We ate a vegan chocolate cake that said, “Happy Independance Day”—we attributed the spelling error to the wonder of words, weaving dances together, celebrating diversity. There were three waves of guests at our BBQ: Mike’s work friends and our family friends, friends from high school, and Dena and Gary and their wedding party friends. As night fell, we drifted down to the bluffs over the beach to watch the firework explosion. Fireworks always strike me as a strange expression of freedom; I think of Ani’s lyrics: “…and the birds flew around like the whole world was ending, cause they didn’t know that we were only pretending.” We mock war by detonating the sky with colors so we can ooh and ahh and stand around squeezing our lovers and our squealing kids and then we return to our houses so we can shoot some of our own mini rockets and feel free because of the little sparks and the dancing flames. However totally screwed up this tradition is, the pyrotechnic inside me never fails to rear its head and send waves of excitement and intrigue through my body. This year 4th of July was a continuation of my family’s party tradition, which is older than I am, with the added flare of meaningfulness, and this sentiment promises to light up the sky for a lot longer than those bursting orbs of cannon fodder.