By Pat Orr
For the Apple Valley Review
No one can complain there's nothing to do in town this weekend.
To get your day rolling on Saturday, take the kiddos down to the Aquatic Center at Civic Center Park and register for the barbecue and swim party. The fee includes the barbecued food.
You can hang out there until 3:30 p.m. or so, then make your way over to the Brewster Sports Center on Otoe Road for the annual Freedom Festival which kicks in around 2 p.m. and goes until the fireworks are all gone or about 10 p.m. which ever is later. The Freedom Festival has bands, food and the best part is it's all free.
If you haven’t ever laid back on your blanket under the stars and watched a fireworks show on Independence Day then you are truly missing an “American experience.”
Flags are symbols
The big hub-bub over the Confederate Flag has led to a lot of speculation about how symbols can convey messages that offend some folks.
As a Civil War buff, I hate the fact that many over-educated liberals think the entire conflict was fought to preserve slavery, but that perception has been so ingrained in our teaching over the decades since the Civil Rights Movement took root that it is now reality.
How long will it take “victimized” societies to demand that the American Flag be changed or taken down? Certainly Native Americans have many reasons to think the flag symbolizes a genocidal sweep across the continent that resulted in lost lives, lost lands and lost culture.
The people of Mexico too could make a good case that both the state flag of Texas and the U.S. Flag are “hurtful” reminders of humiliating defeats and seized territory perpetrated by a voracious neighbor. Sounds outrageous, doesn’t it?
Yet as we know, if the drum beat lasts long enough and gets loud enough, one unrelated spark or incident that smacks of nationalism taken too far could doom even our flag as our country and its attitudes about freedom and democracy keep “evolving” — An evolution that could have a majority of Americans believing that our prideful attitude is the real cause of the world’s problems. That's why every patriotic event this week should be celebrated by those of us who still care and still treat the symbol of our country — the flag — with respect for the blood of those who died to preserve it demands.
The blood, the sacrifice, all the ideals that made them righteous are diminishing from public consciousness.
Salute Old Glory this week while you still can.
Special session to increase taxes?
Governor Sunspot has asked the Legislature to consider two “special sessions” to discuss how we can develop a “sustainable” — there's that buzz word again — and permanent funding for our transportation infrastructure projects like roads, bridges etc., and another to find a way to permanently fund the estimated $131 million shortfall in MediCal funding.
Hold on to your wallets tightly.
Most folks believe deep down that whatever Brown comes up with for transportation funding will be embezzled down the road for his Bullet Train to Nowhere despite what the law says. He likes to steal from other funds for pet projects.
When it comes to MediCal funding the most popular current scenario is a new whopping fee/tax on managed care plans (HMOs) and medical device manufacturers. Of course, no one in the legislature is smart enough to consider that the new round of fees and taxes will just drive more businesses out of California creating even more candidates for government-supported medical and unemployment benefits.
— Pat Orr is a local business owner, community volunteer and political junkie.