On July 4th, 2009, a morning of festivities at the Statue of Liberty will be capped (so to speak) by the reopening of the statue’s crown. On hand will be various dignitaries, assorted participants, from veterans to at least one marching band, and a group of new immigrants ready to become citizens under the benevolent gaze of Lady Liberty.
July 4th feels different this year. I’ve always loved parades and hometown celebrations; I plan to catch as many as I can in and around my small community. 
Macy’s just shifted their display over to the west side, which gives those of us from New Jersey a shot at some terrific views. 
July 4th by its very nature reminds me of our origins - of our Founding Fathers, of liberty and law, of the ideals we hold so dear and in all sincerity, of spaciousness and graciousness and American exceptionalism, by which I mean the remarkable confluence of history, resources, and governance and most of all, the faces of the new arrivals to this country (like my grandparents) when they first glimpsed the face of the woman with the torch. Like the faces of the new citizens will look when they are sworn in on Saturday. 
The festivities this year feel hard-earned, well-deserved, and special. I honestly believe we’ve made some enormous steps in the right direction as a nation. Yes, we’re in the middle of some hard times and we’re not coming together on common ground as much as one might have hoped; there’s still far too much rancor and fear.
Then again, where but in America are you going to have an O’Reilly and an Olbermann? Where else would people stay relatively patient and calm over eight excruciating months in order to find out who their representative would be, as did the good people of Minnesota? Where else are you going to see so many people representing so much diversity waving flags and singing the national anthem and wearing red, white and blue with such pride? 
There’s one other thing: The crown is opening for the first time since September 11, 2001. That has special resonance for me. After 9/11, our country’s leaders projected at various times, belligerence, defiance, or cluelessness. It seemed like such an awful way to remember those who died that day, including my husband, or to show the world what America could do, could be. But we survived and thrived and these days I feel strongly that we’re putting forth a truer vision of America than ever before, a vision of hope, opportunity, and resilience.
The philosophy behind the attacks had much to do with conformity, a single-minded belief system, a raft of fixed and preconceived notions about how the world is or should be. What Lady Liberty says, from her head to her toes, is just the opposite. She symbolizes tolerance, freedom, and the willingness to adapt, adopt, and change. That’s the America a groups of immigrants will join Saturday morning.
All felt the loss terribly and personally.
I know what I know because other forms of media seem to think this is an important “celebrity” story. We can bicker about whether any celebrity story is important, but I can think of about fifty such stories that would be loads more entertaining and less painful to follow. I managed to have a little fun with this story because Open Salon, a blog to which I contribute, sponsored a contest to come up with what the announcement really ought to be. I wrote a 
That isn’t the point, of course; neither is the fact that the 3 million votes that appear not to have been counted might not by themselves be enough to change the outcome of the election. The point is, a large, educated, heavily female, mostly young group of citizens is standing up to a repressive government and inviting the world to see what that means. That’s a form of reality television you can be certain isn’t scripted.
I am not the most backward person I know when it comes to technology but neither am I in the vanguard. Some of that relates to my skill set (not innately tech-focused and my age (the dark side of fifty). I also find the immediacy of certain kinds of high-tech communication leaves a lot to be desired in the in-depth department. Texting is fine when you are running late (or L8) and sending a tweet that says “help” when you’re sinking in quicksand might make sense, but as for reporting (not to mention analyzing, deciphering, dissecting or opining on) the news, I want quality, I want depth and I want complete sentences.
In the space of a few days, Twitter, that ubiquitous and previously irritating form of communication favored by second-strong celebrities, has become a force for real revolution: the kind that allows ordinary (or extraordinary) citizens a voice even in the midst of a government crackdown on communications. Of course I’m referring to Iran, where young protesters are broadcasting minute by real-time minute about their protests in a way that CNN has been absolutely unable to do.
the power of freedom? What about Cuba? What about Saudi Arabia? Moreover, what does the involvement of twitterers say about the potential to interest an entire generation in the politics of communication and the possibility of change?
. Everyone’s hugging – boys, girls, BFFs, casual acquaintances, even groups. 
uncomfortable with human contact feel even more out of it? Or is this simply another way for teens to defy convention and push defensive school administrators worried about inappropriate contact between students even further to the wall? Maybe all of the above. 
I wouldn’t like that. I don’t want to hug my clients. I like my mailman Willy well enough. Hell, we went through the anthrax scare together (Willie still wears a glove, kind of like Michael Jackson). I tip him at Christmastime. But I don’t want a hug from him. Nor do I want the saleslady from Ann Taylor to accompany her enthusiastic “Those pants are so you!” with a hug. My doctor? No. My neighbor? Definitely not. The cute guy who walks his dogs at the same time I walk mine? Okay, you got me there.
I am all in favor of shrinking our carbon footprints and trying to use up fewer resources but for better or for worse, I have managed to create my own space and I, for one, would appreciate it if no one would invade it uninvited.
Participants are also encouraged to find other, creative ways to fend off mind-numbing boredom while at the same time avoid getting caught by the floor manager or called out by a customer who demands to talk with a supervisor.
I can understand that the humiliation of standing or sitting by your man as he admits to his transgression at a press conference or on some TV talk show would be enough to compel you to inflict maximum discomfort. Watching your husband take up with a woman young enough to be his daughter (or a man, for that matter) just because he can is hard enough. Having to suffer silently while it becomes tabloid and talk-show fodder has to be excruciating.
The ex-governor responded with his own tell-all book, the two books competing as the divorcing couple engaged in a fierce custody battle. Dina was obviously embarrassed and it’s entirely possible she needed the money; New Jersey governors don’t make all that much.
