Daily Archives: July 5, 2020

Ronnie McBrayer, Keeping the Faith Published 12:00 a.m. ET July 4, 2020

Freedom: Its the quintessential American theme, celebrated coast to coast this Fourth of July weekend. A word always emphasized to be sure, but as a concept, freedom is not nearly as well understood or enjoyed. In fact, what we often call freedom is selfishness, a far cry from the ideal of independence or liberty.

One of the more severe warnings given in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul, centuries before Jefferson, Locke, or Hamilton, was this: Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence. Paul knew that not everyone championing freedom was talking about the same thing.

He understood that if the claim to freedom became a privatized, individualistic, egocentric exercise in narcissism, the end result would only be biting, devouring, and destruction. The individual might win, but it would be at the expense of the greater community, and freedom would become something far less and unworthy of the name.

How tragically and accurately true Pauls warning rings today, two millennia later. We live in a society where demanding ones rights or vindication of ones agenda without regard for who those demands might hurt, is all the rage and I do mean rage. But thats not freedom. Its selfishness.

In a truly free society, each person must weigh the impact his or her actions will have on the community at large. If an action causes more misery than good, its not an act of freedom. And even if a person is free to take an action, and even if he or she might somehow benefit personally by that action, if it intentionally harms others, it is not a right. It is wrong.

Yes, freedom is your right to do what you think is right, but its not your right to harm others. Hurt yourself (if you choose), but not the community. As Paul added to his fierce warning: Use your freedom as an opportunity, through love, to serve one another. Where then does true freedom lead us? Ironically, back to servitude! We choose in freedom to either serve ourselves, or to serve our neighbors.

In the words of that radical Jacques Ellul: Christians are called to stand against every form of evil and oppression, to make people more aware, more free. Thus, we are liberated not for selfish reasons, but to live as servants to the world, to go everywhere bearing liberty.

That is always the choice put before any freedom loving community, and so long as service of the greater good prevails, that community will thrive. But when sacrificial, conciliatory service of others is replaced by stubborn, selfish, individualism then freedom is lost for all.

Liberty isnt about being an American, about democracy, or capitalism. Freedom is about choosing love. So, when you are released from the fear, greed, hate, resentment, and selfishness that keep your view of the world utterly shrunken, and you have nothing left but love to give for yourself, your neighbor, and your God then, and only then, are you free.

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, blogger, speaker, and author of multiple books. Visit his website at http://www.ronniemcbrayer.org.

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Freedom means the liberty to choose love over hate - The Detroit News

It goes: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

They carried on with the collective spirit when they wrote the Constitution 13 years later and began it with the phrase "We the people ..."

The colonists chose this as their number one gripe about King George III: "He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good."

Funny thing. We're talking about what's necessary for the public good today, too.

They also complained that local governors had to wait for the King's OK to pass certain laws, but then the King was neglectful of their needs. He got in the way of their attempts at self-rule. He obstructed justice.

He put standing armies within the people, made the military independent of civilian power. Things get gory after that, with plundered seas, ravaged coasts, burnt towns and destroyed lives.

That's the kind of freedom that was on display when President Donald Trump celebrated the Fourth of July at Mount Rushmore on Friday night.

At the same time, the fact that actual, meaningful freedom has been granted to Americans on a sliding scale is no longer in doubt.

Still, the fact that the Declaration was written by a slave owner and signed by other slave owners should not wreck its importance, even as we begin again to recontextualize it through 244 years of often painful growth.

We're going to remain divided on many things, for a long time yet, but if we could just all unite on wearing face masks for a while to get this pandemic under control, we can get through this.

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There is no 'I' in 'We the People' - CNN

This Fourth of July weekend, the United States is confronting unprecedented challenges.

A pandemic is raging. A reckoning on racism is boiling over. To mark this moment, Here & Now producers asked people across the country to define freedom and what it means to be American in 2020

Listening to them, it's both extremely hopeful and heartbreaking at the same time, hopeful because they're optimists, says historian and founding father expert Clay Jenkinson. They believe in the idea of America."

After listening to some of the interviews, he notes the immigrants who shared their thoughts have a greater commitment to the ideals of America compared to people who lived in the country their whole lives and take it for granted.

Many of the Americans who have been here for generations are disillusioned, jaded, cynical, feeling very angry and unsettled. I think this is one of the most important July Fourths of my lifetime, the 65-year-old says. We're at an inflection point and we need to really take this one seriously.

Bao Nguyen is a 36-year-old filmmaker living in Los Angeles, California.

This year, July 4th, it makes me think about what America is and what America can become and what America's promise is. My parents were Vietnamese war refugees who spent two weeks out at sea leaving Vietnam because they felt like they had no future in their former homeland. And I often think about them and their journey when I think about my own American journey in many ways, because without their journey, I wouldn't be here.

For me, America is so many things. It's not just the country. It's really this ever-evolving story. We continually help create what its identity is. And I think for the most part, freedom is a social contract. It's not something that's given. It's something that's earned in many ways, even in a place like America where people assume that it's given. We've earned our freedom through sacrifice, through bloodshed, through labor and toil of people who have been marginalized and underrepresented in all these communities today that are standing up. They have fought for this freedom and we continue to fight for this freedom. And I don't think we should take it for granted.

Lucie Hutchins is a mother, grandmother of three, wife and senior software engineer living in Down East Maine. Born and raised in Cameroon in West Africa, she came to the U.S. in 1997 and became a citizen in 2008.

As an American, I shall feel safe and protected within the American soil from any attack, military, terrorism or biological. In a country where freedom is the norm, I shall not fear to voice my opinion. My skin color, my religion or my sexual orientation should not predict what I can do, what I can achieve, or who I can become.

Living in America today is both shameful and hopeful. It is shameful to know that in a country with the biggest defense budget in the world, in a country with the best educational and research institutions, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is higher than it is in countries like South Korea. It is a shame that in a country where freedom is the norm, the likelihood of being mistreated, denied opportunities or even killed just because you are different is still high. Black Lives Matter is a wake-up call. I see the silent majority joining hands with the movement to demand change. I see hope.

Anthony Tamez-Pochel is a 21-year-old Cree, Lakota, Black activist living in Chicago. He serves as vice-chair of the Center for Native American Youth Advisory Board, co-president of Chi-Nations Youth Council and works for Chicagos 33rd Ward Alderman Rossana Rodriguez.

Freedom to me is something that communities of color and indigenous communities, you know, we're always working towards freedom. But we've never gained it yet. Right. But I think indigenous communities more relies on tribal sovereignty and the United States, you know, respecting that. To be an American, I don't think it really means anything to me because I'm part of these sovereign nations and I'm Black. So that part of me was forcefully brought over here. And so I wouldn't say that I necessarily celebrate the Fourth of July. I have the day off so I'm definitely going to use it as a time to rest and a time to sit back and recognize my role for both of my communities, my Black community and my native community.

Jon Rogers, 60, worked a coal miner and lives on a farm in Western Kentucky

The coronavirus has been very problematic, obviously, and people's nerves are on edge. And there was a very terrible thing that happened to a man by the police, who we trust. And it was terrible. We've got to come together as a nation and we can work through this. Our freedoms were given to us by generations before us. And it's our responsibility to protect those freedoms and hand it down to our children and our grandchildren. And we can do that without fighting among ourselves if you will. That's my opinion.

I lost both my parents Iast year. My father served in the military and he told me about freedoms. It's very important for us that have never served to understand what a gift we've been given. We just need to guard the freedoms that we have because freedom is the right to be able to live your lives like you want to. And we as parents need to make sure our children understand that.

Davon Goodwin works as a farmer and food hub manager. He lives in Laurinburg, North Carolina, with his wife, Kenya, and their children, 8-year-old Amir and 4-month-old Olivia.

I think for me honestly being a combat veteran, on one end freedom means protecting and serving this country. It's very honorable and I know I'm proud of my service. But then on the other end, being a young Black male in America, it doesn't seem as free. It just doesn't feel good. To me, what it means to be American is you should be able to dream. And I don't think it's monolithic. I don't think you can just all look at yourselves as being American. Even though we all live in the same country, we all don't get the same opportunities in the same country. Until we get change, I think a lot of these meanings that we hold as Americans, they don't mean the same anymore. They don't have that same feeling that we normally feel for Fourth of July and this holiday weekend. I don't feel that way.

This Fourth of July, I will be probably working. My wife's an E.R. nurse so she deals with COVID patients. So we're a little nervous but like I explain to everybody, just like when I was a soldier, what I signed up for. As a nurse, she signed up to serve, you know. And no matter what, that's your duty, even though in these hard times we have to kind of be very mindful of where we go or what we do. But at the same time, we can't stop living. I think the next six months will be definitely a defining point in America's history with the 2020 election coming up. Depending on how these last police brutality cases, how they play out, that will be another defining point, how we go forward as Americans.

Zohra Nasar is a 22-year-old student who also works as a medical scribe in Hyattsville, Maryland. She came to the U.S. from India four and half years ago.

As someone from India who's also Muslim, when I was growing up, I actually saw girls like right after they graduated high school, they had to get married. And they were never allowed to get an education and stuff. I never thought I would live like this right now in America alone. So for me, that is freedom to me. And being able to work towards my success without somebody dictating it, although I still am Indian so my parents do have a little control over my life, but that's freedom to me.

I still want to be a citizen because a huge part of my life, I built it here and I was able to actually do that because of the opportunities here. That's what I like about America. But at the same time, with all the racial injustice that we're witnessing right now, that is also a bit of a conflict. Because if I ever have my own children here and things like that, I have to carefully think about different situations for them too so I am conflicted on that. But I think here I would live a better life than I would live back home.

Kent Stephenson, 33, does dirt construction for a living in his home state of Texas.

Freedom is freedom. And I feel like everybody in the world has kind of lost the fact that, you know, freedom comes with opinions. We're all entitled to our opinions and in our own way, our opinions are correct. And everybody's kind of like lost the fact that their neighbor's opinion is right in a way, even though you don't agree with it. Everybody's kind of about biting back. That's just the biggest thing. We have freedom of speech. You have people saying everything and doing everything from all over and, you know, from riots and protests. And they're right in their way of it when you think of it from their side. And then you got people defending it and they're right from their side. It's like we got to learn to find that compromise between ourselves. I think as long as we all keep our faith in the right places, it's all going to come out and be right.

Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz represents Queens neighborhoods Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in the New York State Assembly. She is the first Dreamer to get elected to the state legislature of New York.

For me, being American is about privilege. Not only the privilege of being able to vote, but the privilege of not having to worry about being separated from my mom because we have a little piece of paper that guarantees us certain constitutional rights. My mother and I came from Columbia when I was nine years old and for a very long time it was just her and I. Then my two sisters and my brother were born and we also had this beautiful baby niece who's two and a half, and she represents everything we fought so hard for the idea of having a future in the United States, of being able to have an education and being able to work. That is what my baby niece represents.

When I think of freedom, I think of what parents have given up to make sure that their kids can survive. And to me, that means the immigrant parents who fled countries of origin. To me, that means the Black and Brown parents who are going out every day now to protest, to make sure that their kids don't have to endure what they've endured. To me, freedom means the ability to have those opportunities and to fight for them.

On calling 2020 the year we couldnt breathe in an opinion piece

It begins with George Floyd, eight minutes and 46 seconds. But then I reflected that everyone who's been on a ventilator and there've been tens of thousands [who have] also said, I can't breathe. And I think it's worse than that. I think as a civilization, as a nation, we're having a hard time breathing. We're hunched over where we're frightened. We're worried about what's about to come. The discourse is so poisonous in some respects that we just can't step back, take a deep breath and enjoy the blessings of American liberty. And so I think we need to learn to breathe again. Each of us individually and as friends and as couples and as a culture.

But we also, I think, need to remember that [Thomas] Jefferson, even though, you know, he's a highly imperfect human being, a slaveholder, among other things, he launched that sentence: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' And what I've been reflecting on this week is that if that didn't mean everything, then it meant nothing. In other words, if it means white males of a certain property base, then it's a meaningless statement. If you say all human beings are created equal, at some point you're going to have to step up to that ideal. And if you don't, you're just humbug.

On Thomas Jeffersons controversial legacy

I'm so disappointed in Jefferson. When I started doing [Jefferson impersonations] a couple of decades ago, he was riding high and he was almost regarded as an accidental slaveholder. And that was foolish. Now we know it's just the opposite end of the spectrum. That puts him into a very difficult position. He's a hypocrite and maybe a contemptible hypocrite. And there are people that just can't take him seriously anymore because how could you say that all human beings are created equal and then buy and sell them and somehow learn to live with that whopping contradiction? So this is a period in which Jefferson is really on the ropes. And I take it very personally because I love him, but I think that that sentence is much, much, much greater than Thomas Jefferson. And we need his principles, even if we're gonna give him a D minus or worse in his personal behavior. The biggest mistake we could make would be to jettison Jefferson and the Jeffersonian just because we've now realized that he was a highly imperfect man.

Ciku Theuri, Marcelle Hutchins, Emiko Tamagawa, Ashley Locke, Chris Bentleyand Francesca Paris produced this interview.Tinku Rayand Paris edited it for broadcast.Allison Haganadapted it for the web.

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Living In The U.S. Is 'Shameful And Hopeful': Americans Reflect On Freedom This Independence Day - Here And Now

Congressional Republicans put out a clear message last week: Face masks are OK. You should wear one.

The concerted effort, reluctantly joined by President Donald Trump, should ease the partisan tension, if not end it, over face masks in the battle to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Hopefully, that will do the same for the larger philosophical struggle that frames the dispute, one that has been at the center of American culture and history since the nations founding individual choice and liberty vs. collective freedom and security.

Striking a balance in that constant conflict isnt easy, and sometimes is downright impossible. When its an either/or situation as it seems with wearing a face mask whose rights matter more?

Increasingly, research has shown the simple act of wearing a facial covering when coming into contact with other people saves lives and helps the economy. The pendulum has long swung in favor of wearing masks. And while polls have shown growing majorities of both Democrats and Republicans doing so, there continues to be a sizable gap between the two, with the latter less enthusiastic.

Not wearing a mask is seen as a political statement for many an individual symbol of opposition to perceived overbearing government edicts. That was a dominant narrative in the media when protesters were rebelling against earlier stay-at-home orders and business closures.

Sometimes it appears theres not such deep thinking behind the choice, but more of a devil-may-care attitude, unaware of or ignoring what may be best for the greater good.

As the coronavirus spread has become worse, concern and anger among the larger populace notably including front-line health care workers have come to the fore.

Terry Taylor, patient care manager at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vistas intensive care unit, has little patience with people who say requiring them to wear face masks infringes on their personal rights.

Wearing a mask, I think, is a minimal ask of anybody, Taylor told Paul Sisson of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Its a violation of human rights to expose somebody who is not going to be able to survive this COVID.

Perhaps this new bipartisan support behind the overwhelming consensus of health experts that wearing masks is essential will cause the pendulum to swing farther in that direction that, and the unfortunate fact that young people, who initially were relatively unaffected by the virus, are now becoming ill in alarming numbers.

It would be nice if the motivation driving this shift was solely concern for the publics health and welfare, but theres more to it than that.

While many Republicans have taken the coronavirus seriously from the start, others exhibited indifference or worse, seemingly taking comfort that it was a regional matter that didnt affect their political territory very much. This is when Democratic strongholds such as New York City and other major cities were being hit hard by the disease.

That, of course, has changed dramatically, as Politico noted last week:

On the pandemics first peak in early April, the states that voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton accounted for 67 percent of new Covid-19 cases. For the newest peak, which were still climbing, the states that voted for President Donald Trump have an even larger share: They accounted for 73 percent of new cases on June 28.

Then Goldman-Sachs released a study concluding that a national face mask mandate could help the United States avoid a 5 percent drop in gross domestic product without suffering the public health consequences of a viral resurgence, according to The Observer.

Greater use of masks would allow businesses to open more rapidly and recoup more losses from the shutdown.

Economists for the investment bank figured that a national mandate would increase the percentage of people who wear face coverings by 15 percent, The Observer reported, and reduce the daily growth rate of COVID-19 cases from the current 1.6 percent to 0.6 percent.

Trump has not suggested a national mandate is in the cards, but publicly has changed his view on facial coverings.

Im all for masks, he said on Wednesday, adding that he has worn one occasionally. ". . . I sort of liked the way I looked. It was OK.

The public has not yet seen the president wearing a mask, however. Republican lawmakers have urged him to do so, saying that would encourage more people to wear them as well.

Trump, whose stewardship of the economy has been central to his re-election campaign, no doubt knows what Goldman-Sachs had to say.

About two dozen states have some form of a mask mandate. On Thursday, Republican stronghold Texas instituted a mask requirement in most counties as coronavirus cases continued to spike throughout the state.

Above all of those considerations should be this: Wearing masks saves lives. Various research has shown that. As of Friday, nearly 130,000 people had died in the U.S. from COVID-19.

A coronavirus model created by the University of Washington says 33,000 lives could be saved by Oct. 1 if 95 percent of the U.S. population wore face masks in public. Current projections suggest more than 179,000 people could die from COVID-19 by then. University researchers say that would fall to 146,000 with near-universal mask-wearing.

Those are big political, economic and life-saving numbers. Even if theyre off a bit, they make it difficult to continue arguing against wearing a mask.

Increasingly, masks are being compared with automobile seat belts, which became mandatory in cars in the late 1960s, and in subsequent years all states except New Hampshire required their use. At the outset, many people adamantly resisted, contending it was an infringement on their rights.

The rate of seat-belt use now hovers at just over 90 percent, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency.

In 2017 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts, NHTSA says.

The consequences of not wearing, or improperly wearing, a seat belt are clear.

Some advocates for facial coverings have been making this argument: Like masks, seat belts dont guarantee your safety, but give you much better odds of surviving an accident or avoiding more serious injury.

One big difference: Masks also help protect other people.

Tweet of the Week

Goes to Kasie Hunt (@kasie), NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent.

Bars. Bars are really not good. Dr. Anthony Fauci

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Column: The shifting politics of face masks: Whose freedom is it? - The San Diego Union-Tribune

MARIANNA, Fla. (WMBB) More than 200 triathletes raced at the 2020 Freedom Springs Triathlon at Blue Springs County Recreation Area in Marianna.

I had six races for this year, but everything has been canceled except this one so, very excited, said triathlete Brent Moody.

The race had to be canceled last year as the park was being repaired after Hurricane Michael. Race director, Olga Cemore, was determined to have the Independence Day event happen this year.

We have to respect whats going on, but we have to live, Cemore said.

Race organizers put several practices into place to ensure proper safety measures were met during the triathlon. There were individual water stations, sanitizing stations and wash stations. The athletes also started the event one at a time as oppose to a group swim.

The race offered what they called a rona wave for anyone who wanted to add more distance between themselves and other racers.

All athletes wore a timing chip, so they had a chance to win no matter when they crossed the start line.

If someone wanted to be all the way in the back away from everyone they certainly had that option, Cemore said.

Finishers medals were picked up individually by the athletes as oppose to having volunteers place them around the triathletes necks. The awards ceremony could be heard all throughout the park to ensure social distancing measures remained in place following the race.

Racers said it was great to be back around other athletes.

When you are with people at a race, you up your level no matter what, said triathlete and Panama City Beach resident, David Shearon.

Triathletes said they werent concerned for their safety during the sprint triathlon.

I feel like its a safe place to be, were all outdoors and were all out here because we want to be here, said triathlete, Mindi Straw.

Cemore said she was happy the event could still be held on the 4th of July.

I came from a country that doesnt have all the freedoms that people here do and 4th of July should be celebrated, Cemore said.

Roger Hagues of Georgia came in first place with a time of 52:43.

Panama City Beach triathlete David Shearon placed fifth with a time of 56:18. He said it was great to be back with his community of racers.

Hopefully things will calm down and well have more triatholans to race in, Shearon said.

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Triathletes return to a race course at the Freedom Springs Triathlon in Marianna - WMBB - mypanhandle.com

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Posted: Sunday, July 5, 2020 6:00 am

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Freedom isnt free Suzanne Valla,Odessa Odessa American

Governor Abbott made the right call in requiring face masks in public places. If Texans had been more diligent in following recommendations, this mandate most likely would not have been necessary. Texans like to say how much we cherish the freedom to make our own decisions, but there is an old saying, Freedom isnt free. When our freedom is putting doctors, nurses, health care workers, grocery store employees and other retail workers and their families at risk, then they are paying for our freedom to not wear a mask. Who could blame them all for walking off the job?

Thanks to Councilwoman Mari Willis for having the courage to vote to approve the ordinance requiring face masks at the recent Odessa City Council meeting. Whose freedom was it to not wear a mask that caused the death of her friend? I will not fault the rest of the council for failing to approve what I thought was a no brainer since, much to my chagrin, I was not there to voice my opinion and there seemed to be no support for the measure.

Covad has closed businesses, put people out of work, closed schools, shut down churches, put stress on families, and caused the price of oil which drives our economy to be at an all-time low. And now it is filling up our hospitals. There will be businesses that cannot survive another shutdown. God gave us all a brain and He intends for us to use it. Are we showing love to our fellow Odessans when we refuse to wear masks and do our own small part in stopping this devastating disease? The Bible tells us that if we have not love, we are just a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. PLEASE ODESSA, lets show the rest of Texas we are a city of love for one another and not just a clanging cymbal.

Posted in Letters To Editor on Sunday, July 5, 2020 6:00 am. | Tags: Letter

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Freedom isn't free - Odessa American

OUTAGAMIE, Wis. (WFRV) The Town of Freedom faced disruption of power after a pair of power gliders struck a power line and crashed in a farm field on Saturday night.

According to the Outagamie County Sheriffs Office, deputies responded at around 8 p.m. to the area of N3800 Weyers Road in the Town of Freedom for a report of a power glider that had struck a power line and crashed in a farm field.

Upon deputies arrival, it was determined the power glider was operated by an adult man with an adult woman passenger, who are both from the Freedom area.

Officials said the operator of the power glider was not injured and the passenger was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Deputies believe the power to the immediate area was disrupted due to the crash. WE Energies is said to have responded to the scene to restore power.

The Outagamie County Sheriffs Office was assisted at the scene by Gold Cross Ambulance.

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Power glider crash cause power disruption in Town of Freedom - WeAreGreenBay.com

From the early 2000s until 2015, before I started making films, I was a community organizer for Black, trans, queer, gender nonconforming, and disabled communities. It was in that context that I learned about freedom dreaming. Freedom dreams are born when we face harsh conditions not with despair, but with the deep knowledge that these conditions will change that a world filled with softness and beauty and care is not only possible, but inevitable.

Freedom dreaming starts with asking questions, often the same questions, over and over, allowing ourselves to get deeper each time. Coming out of the long tradition of Freedom Schools, I focused on these three questions as an organizer: What does the dominant culture have that we want? What does the dominant culture have that we dont want? What do we have that we want to keep? These days, it is the third question that preoccupies me.

The thing is, freedom dreaming isnt just about the big thingsthe huge world changes that we are manifesting in our movements, like police and prison abolition, free universal healthcare, and gender self-determination for all. When I give myself permission to slow down like thisand particularly, when I wonder what we already have that we want to keepwhat I always notice are the small things. (Or I should say: What seem like the small things, but really are the big things! The everyday acts of liberatory glamour, care, and openness that keep us alive.) I notice how much I am already surrounded by the world I dream of.

Tourmaline in a Bottega Veneta dress.

Ive begun to realize that I freedom dream every single day:

When I dye my hair blue at home in my bathtub, reclaiming the color from its capture by racist policeand then do my eyeshadow to matchIm freedom dreaming. I am allowing my very existence to be an aesthetic resistance.

When I take a walk down my block, and slow down to touch and smell the blooming flowers, bursting with vitality, Im freedom dreaming. I am allowing myself to live in a world where nature is a teacher and friend.

When I Venmo my friend $25 with a heart emoji, so that they can safely take a cab home from a protest or a date or a doctors appointment, Im freedom dreaming. I am creating a world in which we can all move around safely, without fear of harassment.

When I stay in bed all day, luxuriating in rest, moving in and out of cat naps, Im freedom dreaming.I am living in the knowledge that I dont have to be productive in the ways capitalism demands of us in order to deserve relaxation and recuperation.

When I write to an incarcerated loved one, on colorful paper, enclosing exuberant childhood photos, Im freedom dreaming. I am reaching through the walls designed to prevent connection and delight, and announcing that they have failed in their intent.

When I walk naked from my bedroom to my kitchen, adorned in nothing but lipstick, Im freedom dreaming.I am communing with Marsha P. Johnson, anti-police activist and sex worker, and her naked walks down Christopher Street five decades ago.

When I sext all my friends, trading sultry photos into the late hours of the night, Im freedom dreaming. I am envisioning a world in which pleasure isnt a scarce resource, but is something to revel in and share.

When I refuse to make myself smaller to accommodate the demands for respectability put forward by mainstream institutionswhen I wear sheer dresses and chokers to art openings and airports alike, when I dont tuck, when I am my fullest and freest self in the most public of placesIm freedom dreaming.I am expanding in the power of my unruliness and refusal to conform to violent and oppressive normativity.

When I post images on Instagram that will inevitably be taken down because they dont abide by the platforms repressive Terms of Serviceimages of sex toys, and trans joy, and futanari animeIm freedom dreaming. I am reminding myself that we cannot be contained by corporations seeking to stifle our wayward expressions of pleasure.

When I care for sick friends, and let sick friends care for me, Im freedom dreaming. I am remembering that we do not have to be afraid of each other, and that contagion has historically been weaponized against us, used to stoke fear amongst and alienate trans people, queer people, sex workers, and disabled people from our loved ones.

Tourmaline in Vaquera NYC top and skirt.

I want you to know that your freedom dreams can be immediate: the DMs you want to receive tonight, the quality of sleep you want to have, the screen break you want to take, the conversation youre hoping to have with a family member or friend. I want you to know that its not frivolous to have dreams about seemingly small or pleasurable things; it is vital.

The world that I dream of is filled with ease. Im not satisfied with Black trans lives mattering; I want Black trans lives to be easy, to be pleasurable, and to be filled with lush opportunities. I want the abundance weve gifted the worldthe art, the care, the knowledge, and the beautyto be offered back to us tenfold.

In the world that I dream of, its easy to move about. Its easy to walk home at night with a bag of Skittles. Its easy to relax in your own house. Its easy to resolve conflict. Its easy to hang out on the street. Its easy to do the work you want to do. Its easy to come together. Its easy to have sex, to seek pleasure and joy, to wear what feels right. Its easy to be soft. Its easy to remember your power. To be in public. To use. Its easy to not have to work. Its easy to be in bed all day. Its easy to be free. Its easy to be alive.

Fashion Editor: Tess Herbert

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Filmmaker and Activist Tourmaline on How to Freedom Dream - Vogue

With the overwhelming effects of the pandemic and the racial injustices people are facing and fighting every single day, one common need is emphasized now more than ever: the American dream.

In these trying times, its important to remember what matters most equality. Now more than ever, Americans are tasked with the challenge to speak up, get our opinions heard and spread an important message about equal opportunity.

On this Fourth of July, perhaps we ought to look back at how we got here in the first place. Originally, it was just a dream, then a manifesto, and later, a declaration. The U.S. Declaration of Independence states:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

How is it that we often gloss over one of the most important declarations in our nations history? Let these words sink in for a minute. All men created equal. Unalienable rights. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Isnt that what we all aspire to achieve? I would like to think so.

Between the overwhelming effects of the pandemic to the injustices that many of us face and fight against every single day, one thing remains the American dream.

Last year, I wrote about the American dream and its ties to homeownership. It still rings true today, perhaps even more so, as our very livelihood and personal freedoms are being challenged on the world stage.

No matter how bleak it gets, I still believe in the greater good, in the power of equality and in the strength that comes from aspiring to achieve the very basis of the American dream. This of course leads me to an iconic speech by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that I am often reminded of, particularly as we near this Fourth of July.

I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal

This dream is not only rooted in equality but in the most basic of human needs the freedom to earn a wage, to vote, to own a home. The American dream is not dead. Its alive and well. And if we continue to work together from a place of peace and justice for all, impactful change will come.

Until then, we must continue to fight the good fight. We must listen. We must demonstrate our commitment to making the world a better place.

As stewards of homeownership, we are called upon to ensure that every American, regardless of race, color, gender or creed, has the opportunity to pursue that most essential part of the American dream. Because homeownership is and always will be one of the greatest freedoms of all.

Troy Palmquist is the founder and broker ofThe Addressin Southern California. Follow him onFacebook,or connect with him onLinkedIn.

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Homeownership is the greatest kind of freedom and it should be for all - Inman

I dont remember the mileage, but the grill resembled a smiling Charles Bronson, with 330 horses under the hood. When I drove to Toms house to show off, he raised an eyebrow and uttered the magic words: road trip.

I had known Tom since grade school, when he was the starting guard on St. Bernadettes basketball team and I was a reserve. We shared a passion for Sherwoods hamburgers, bass fishing, and Raquel Welch. And now we had both just graduated college, with summer shore leave, before wed enter the adult world. Absolutely nothing was expected from either of us, and we agreed to take off on Monday morning.

Of course, we had no internet, no reservations, and no money for boats or motels. But Tom proposed we head toward Iowa. We could fish all day in the countless farm ponds he had seen where he went to school, which sounded like a plan to me.

Shortly after leaving town, I had the Olds in the left lane of the interstate 75 mph, elbows out the open window, Creedence Clearwater Revival on the radio. I looked at Tom and could tell he felt the same: We owned that blessed road.

Until, that is, I had to abruptly pull off, when it felt like we hit a curb, the steering wheel shaking violently and pulling to the left. I fought the wheel to pull onto the shoulder, where we got out to see the damage: a blowout of the front left tire. Working together, we had the 88 jacked up and the spare mounted in minutes. But a portion of the flats tread was sliced off like an orange peel, so we had to buy a used spare for $5 at the next gas station.

Once we resumed, we talked some about fishing, and then I asked Tom to tell the story of how he once intercepted future pro Ken Anderson while playing cornerback for the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. Next, we talked about after-summer plans. Tom was intent on owning his own business, and I would teach until I published the next "Great American Novel." As the Olds roared across a suspension bridge, high above a sparkling stream, neither of us harbored a single doubt.

After exiting the interstate, Tom spied a familiar-looking pond glinting in the sun along the side of a hill. It was farther from the road than it appeared, and we plodded through head high grass and patches of deep mud. The fish, however, were starving, and we caught over 40 juvenile bass, managing to cull eight of decent size that we kept on a stringer staked in the water.

I was thinking two more and wed have our limit and our dinner, when I saw a lone black cow making its way down the hill, head hanging low, looking our way.

Let's go, said Tom. Grab the stringer.

I asked what the rush was. We still needed two more fish. But he had already disappeared into the high grass, his fishing rod moving like a periscope above his head. I grabbed the fish and followed him back toward the road. We finally made it to the car, panting, muddy, sweaty.

Bull Pond, said Tom. I just remembered what they used to call this place.

Good and tired, we drove into town and parked in front of Toms former fraternity house. It was closed up for the summer, but we found an unlocked window around back. The water and electric were still on, so I unpacked our gear while Tom found dishes, salt and pepper, and we cleaned and cooked what we had caught: a meal like a sacrament, and the best fish we ever tasted.

Over the next half century, the two of us would slowly, methodically trade many of our freedoms, one by one, in exchange for our careers, for homes and mortgages, for marriage and family responsibility, for cell phones and GPS tracking, for arthritis medicine and 401Ks, and for insurance policies on our houses, cars, our lives, our deaths, and even our tires.

But today we drink a beer on the patio, and commemorate that long ago time of independence, youth, and intimacy with the land.

And we raise a toast on the Fourth of July to the country where , in spite of all its current problems, you can still choose your direction on lifes highway and determine how far you go, by your work, your wiles, and your will.

Former Hayward resident and emeritus English professor for the College of DuPage in Illinois, David McGrath is the author of South Siders and a frequent contributor to the News Tribune Opinion page. He can be reached at profmcgrath2004@yahoo.com.

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