Huck Loc: The Midwest

Independence day 1935
Fourth of July 1935, arriving just a couple months sort of my sixth Birthday, is the first 4th I remember celebrating. Our country was in the middle of one of the greatest depressions it had ever experienced, but the country still celebrated our Independence Day with great excitement and enthusiasm. I’ve written about this Fourth of July in my book, Huckleberry Heart, the boys of Halloran Avenue.

The day before the Fourth our Mother had given my brother, Marvin and me, fifty cents each to go to Harpkey’s grocery store on north Central Avenue in Roxana, Illinois to buy our fireworks. I realize that by today’s standard that doesn’t sound like a lot of cash, but I can assure you that during the great depression years, you could buy a lot of BANG for a buck. We painstakingly made our se******n with the assistance of Mr. Harpkey. Although Marvin was now an educated first grader, he like me, still needed a lot of help with the high finance involved.

I can still remember the torture of having to wait for the next day before Mother would let us shoot off any fireworks. That sack of goodies stored under my bed was like a magnet that kept pulling me back probably a dozen of times to check its contents to make sure everything was still there since the last time I’d checked.

July 4, 1935 arrived for me about 5:00am with a start. Realizing where I was and what day it was caused me to jump from the bed directly into my bibbed overalls, no shirt or shoes, grabbed my precious sack and the box of farmer’s matches made handy the night before, and headed out the door and across the street to an empty lot that served as our playground. I hastily ripped open my first package of firec*****rs and in the silence of the early morning started my celebration of our Independence Day 1935, with little, actually no regard, to any adult neighbors that may have hoped to get a little extra sleep on this holiday.

That first exploding firec*****r sounded like the whole world had exploded and it actually startled me. I knew that any minute all the kids in the neighborhood would be pouring out of their houses and I was right; Marvin was the first.

Fast forward eighty years. July Fourth 2015 will be celebrated in a different America than the one of 1935. Today we are living in a divided America; an America that has been torn apart by the progressive/ liberal movement over the past decades; an America that will no longer tolerate Christianity on public display; an America that must destroy all vestiges of monuments and symbols that were once honored and recognized for their historical value.

I can hear it now; those responding with their normal “Yes But” analogies that always come up short by comparing our society today as better than our society of yesteryear. Maybe it’s the circle of friends and family I associate with, but I don’t think I will hear anyone over this Fourth of July Holiday that will say or believe that we are better off today under this America destroying administration of President Obama, the Democrat Party and our dysfunctional Supreme Court. However, just for today, let’s celebrate the greatness of this country as it was and intended as our founding father sacrificed their lives and sacred honor to create. However, the fact that all citizens that own handguns should be armed this Fourth of July is proof of how we must now celebrate this most cherished Holiday. Some will still try to tell us things are getting better. God Bless America and them too!

Huck

migeli

I say we celebrate the Fourth by telling all citzens of Raqqa and Mosul to evacuate and revolt and trample all ISIS members who get in the way. Then, tomorrow on the Fourth we level both cities with the biggest fireworks they have ever seen. Evacuees who point out ISIS members to allied forces will receive aid and shelter. There's your frigging Caliph**e ! One more attack from these i***ts on this country and if I were president this would be the solution. Sure stupid , go to Ragga or Mosul and revel in the ashes if you think you want to be a brave Jihadi.

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

Huck, thank you for sharing your childhood story with us. And thank you for not only how you see America in 2015, but also why; great job. Have a happy Fourth of July, and may you have many more. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

PoppaGringo Loc: Muslim City, Mexifornia, B.R.

:thumbup:

badbobby Loc: texas

this 4th of july is a celebration that belongs to all Americans
let us join together ,white,black,brown we are all Americans
for one day let us forget and forgive any and all instances of r****m,religious values,controversial f**gs,and political differences.
lets stand up and all declare
THIS IS MY COUNTRY AND I LOVE HER WITH ALL MY HEART

PoppaGringo Loc: Muslim City, Mexifornia, B.R.

It will never happen as long as Ovomit is occupying the Oval Office. He H**ES the United States of America.

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

Let us be ecstatic that he wasn't man enough to have a boy.

Huck Loc: The Midwest

Badbobby, You are right. On this day that is exactly what we should do, but while your eating that Hot Dog and watching the fireworks, you must not forget for one moment that there are evil forces at work at the same time to undermine everything you love about your country. We cannot, we must not, allow those forces to continue to destroy the greatness of what our founders created. If so, future Americans will never know what it is to celebrate Independence Day. That evil is called - Progressives. Huck

Orrie

Not at all, have things in our beloved America have improved over the last 50 years. We lost many of our freedoms and are losing more each day. We now wake up each morning to a police state created by our own government. Every word you say over your phone, every word you type on your computer or text on your phone is recorded and stored to be used against you at a later date. The enemy is here and all one has to do is look towards Washington DC for them.

This may be the last Fourth of July true Americans will celebrate because we are losing our personal independence to stay a free people.

Kevyn

Your fourth in 1935 took place in a nation where racial segregation was the law in much of the land, black men were hung from trees or burned to death without consiquence for slight or perceived infractions. Our country is a better place today. Children of all colors celebrate their freedom with the same joy you did as a little boy, and for the first time this year same sex couples have the same right to marry as everyone else has for centuries! The 30s were not exactly the Norman Rockwell paintings we pretend they were, like now they were a time of political upheaval, poverty, violence and a constant fight for justice. Then as now we live in the greatest nation in the world and then as now it is our duty as patriots and Americans to strive to make it better for coming generations. Our great accomplishments shouldn't shield us from recognizing and overcoming our shortcomings and failures.

Orrie

Boy! Do you live in a fantasy world! Let me know when you decide to wake up to reality!

Kevyn

What on earth in my post did you find to be fantasy? It is nothing but t***h.

Orrie

You wouldn't know t***h if it smacked you on your ass!

Huck Loc: The Midwest

Orrie, You are the But Yes analogous crowd that I was talking about. Yes those things happened and yes it was corrected, but not by your crowd of Progressives. It wasn't corrected by the Democrat Party - It was corrected by the Republican Party Conservatives of that time. The same ones that passed the civil rights that all the progressive southern Democrats v**ed against. Keep trying and you just may convince someone that your position is correct. Huck

Huck Loc: The Midwest

I'm very sorry Orrie, You are right on. I had you confused with Kevin, I believe his name is. Sorry again. You are right. Huck