When I was growing up, it was common for people to insist that celebratory gatherings be free of political or religious discussions.
That's a rule worth reviving.
I think the biggest problem confronting our nation is the fact that people are locking themselves into online discussions populated exclusively with people who agree with them on everything. It's unnatural and it leads to a false perception of the world.
I suppose I was lucky because my family had a lot of strong and politically diverse opinions so from an early age I learned that it was okay to brush those aside. We may disagree about the issues of the day, but we're still family and love each other. That isn't conditional on agreeing on corporate tax rates or the specific implications of Supreme Court rulings.
There was always time to argue about that stuff later. Holidays were meant for people to get together and celebrate the stuff we have in common.
We need more of this.
It's America's birthday! Take off the MAGA hat, pull up the "Hate has no home here" yard sign and for the next 24 hours enjoy food, family, friends, fireworks and FREEDOM.
We can get back to yelling at each other tomorrow.
Chateau Lloyd 
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