I thought I'd be more excited to celebrate this year, since I am no longer in BOP custody. Instead, I am thinking of my friends, locked behind the Carswell fence, and far from freedom. It always pissed me off a bit, at 8am every morning, hearing the Star-Spangled Banner playing out of the base speakers. Is this really the land of the free? I truly believe some people should be in prison, but I sit here and think about a friend, already inside for eight years, away from her three sons, for a conspiracy drug charge. She wasn't the ring leader, but mandatory minimums resulted in her kids growing up without a mother. I'm not an advocate for the legalization of drugs, I'm actually quite conservative when it comes to issues around drugs, but I don't like how we criminalize it either.
The drug industry exists for several reasons- one is addiction, and we shouldn't be criminalizing addiction. The other is because the demand in the U.S. outweighs the supply available. Drugs make money and we live in a capitalistic society. In some communities, the drug trade is the only answer out of poverty. It's a very sad reality, but true. My PO made it clear that I was a rare client - someone without a history of significant drug use.
I took a short break between writing the above and now writing... We drove to a parking lot in our town, parked, and we look up and there's fireworks going off in every direction I look, including straight up. This is a strange city for 4th of July. Instead of one big fireworks show, there are about 4-5 going off in every direction. It's like chaos in the sky. Plus, it's a state that allows people to do their own fireworks, so there are people setting off their own fireworks, too. We were driving down a main thoroughfare and a group set off a huge firework right in the middle of the center lane (three lane one-way road leading directly to downtown). Ummm, really???
As a kid, I was the child, under a bunch of blankets, crying at the noise set off by fireworks. I still don't enjoy the noise, but now it's like any other annoyingly loud noise. I do enjoy the beauty, though. I really love fireworks displays set off to music - those take my breath away. There's nothing like that here.
One cool thing I see in the sky, are these Chinese type lanterns with candles flying up into the clouds. I think they are selling them across the street. 
Okay, you can't really tell what that is, but it's a lantern flying up in the sky. I am imagining it to be a wish lantern and if it is, I hope thier wish comes true!
Once the official show started tonight, it was full of color. It reminds me of the night that Lola and I watched random fireworks above the FMC Carswell rec center. I think they are allowing the women to stay out an extra hour tonight and watch the fireworks set off by the military base. I know that just when the fireworks are getting good, it will be inmate recall and a big sigh will communally connect everyone for just a moment.
Here are some pics from tonight's fireworks:
Now, at 11pm, I am out at Denny's with Sporty, T.S., and T.S.' younger sister Hype (9 yrs old), and Hype's niece Minnie (2 1/2 yrs old). T.S. and Hype share a father and Hype's other sister is the mother of Minnie. Okay, no reason to go into their full family dynamics. What matters is that we don't define family entirely by blood, but by love. Anyway, we are at Denny's and they have a $2 menu, which is right up my alley.
I really didn't want to be eating after 8pm when I got home, but that hasn't worked so well. I'll have to work on it.
So, it wasn't a bad Independence Day. The fact that I'm out past eleven is what independence allows. In the end I had a good day. I'm thinking of my friends who are not so free, and also grateful that being incarcerated is behind me.
Happy Independence Day to all celebrating!
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