It’s probably a good bet that Memorial Day is simply nodded off as a “day off” for the masses spent on resting, vegging out, and not doing a darn thing all day. Makes sense — after a whole school year and work year, as summer hits, you’d want to just kick back and relax. Just remember, though, where Memorial Day came from.
This is about the country you live in.
The reality is it doesn’t take a whole lot to show your patriotism, your love for your country, and your heart for America in fun ways without being a fanatic. Remember, this is a 3-day weekend; you’re definitely not going to stay inside for all three days.
It’s Like Halloween
One way to go is to dress in the patriotic colors: red, white, and blue. You can even dress your dog up like Uncle Sam. Costumes make it fun,and get your American spirit going.
Family Outdoor Fun
On one day of that weekend, follow this plan for the best cookout of the year:
• Buy a few American flags to sit on your backyard benches. • Purchase red-white-blue napkins. • Invite the whole family.
This occasion should not only commemorate the beginning of summer, but the fact that our country is what it is because of all those who have sacrificed their lives before us. Even your dessert could be a large sheet cake decorated with flags, colors, and all other sorts of American memorabilia.
And Then, There’s the Parade
One of the best things for the family to do is enjoy a Memorial Day parade — probably one of the best parades to watch. It’s fantastic for the kids to watch, because they get a taste of what America really is.
A Family Tradition – Take a Vacation
Since we’re talking about the end of the school year and you’ve got maybe a week in vacation stored up from work, make it a point to celebrate your Memorial Day weekend with a road trip of sorts to a historical landmark. Treat it as a tradition. Your family will appreciate the history and the meaning behind Memorial Day, as well as the 3-day weekend, a lot more if there are memories behind all of it. If you’re really ambitious, a trip to South Dakota would suffice. Imagine the looks on your kids’ faces as they see Mt. Rushmore before them.
Just a 3-day weekend? Get off the couch and put down the remote control. Take your kids somewhere fun. Do something fun.
Remember this: Memorial Day represents countless generations dating back to the Revolution. It might be three days to you, but to America, it’s so much more than that. Patriotism these days has gotten such a bad rap. That all has to change. We should feel good about taking pride in being American. Just do it as a family and not as a fanatic. When you think about it, that’s what America is all about: family.
President Barack Obama salutes while walking down the steps of Air Force One as he arrives in Youngstown Ohio to attend a roundtable event with auto workers at the GM Lordstown Assembly Plant, Sept. 15, 2009. Following the President are Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Tim Ryan, Rep. Betty Sutton (obscured) and Rep. Charlie Wilson. (Pete Souza/White House/Pinnacle Images)
The polling has been great for Sherrod Brown for 2012.
Back in December of last year, shortly after Ohio was pretty much ground zero for the Democratic wipeout in the 2010 midterm, Sherrod Brown was looking like he was in dire shape, polling in the low 40s. A funny thing happened since then, though: people got to see what it’s like again to have Republicans in charge (in Ohio’s case, with John Kasich in charge as governor, who at this point would lose to Ted Strickland by 25 points in a PPP hypothetical-rematch poll). The overall shift in the direction of the political winds — particularly pronounced in Ohio — has taken what initially looked like a Tossup, given a decent GOP challenger, and it turned it into what’s looking like a snooze instead, with Brown racking up leads in the vicinity of 20 and hovering around the magic ’50’ mark.
Kasich is a complete disaster for the GOP in Ohio. President Obama should be feeling better as well.
Cleveland.com is reporting that the developer of the downtown Cleveland casino is looking to acquire a parking garage from the city:
The developer of a casino in Cleveland’s historic Higbee building has offered the city $21 million for the nearby Gateway North parking garage.
It’s a proposal that officials said Wednesday would benefit both sides by helping the cash-strapped city get out from under a garage that is described as seldom used while putting the developer a giant step closer to having a parking plan that could accommodate up to 5 million annual visitors.
Officials at Rock Ohio Caesars say that the casino-goers’ experience begins when they park their car. And Rock Ohio Caesars wants to wow them. But officials add that having a seamless parking plan is important for securing financing for the $350 million project.
This seems to make a ton of sense. It won’t matter for high rollers arriving in a limousine, but for visitors parking their cars, the experience needs to be positive from the beginning.
Also, let’s hope the casino operators don’t make the same mistakes that were made in Pittsburgh. The parking needs to be affordable!
This video sums up the feelings of many. Of course the killing of Osama bin Laden is bittersweet, as it brings back painful memories of 9/11. But the desire to celebrate is understandable. President Obama and our military and intelligence officials deserve a ton of credit for getting this done.
