The Fourth of July

There is nothing more red, white, and blue American than the Fourth of July. Post-WWII Pea Eye citizens who sang Land of the Morning in celebrating the Fourth before Diosdado Macapagal shifted attention to Kawit, Cavite, and Lupang Hinirang, attest to growing up with virtues of Wall Street ‘Mericano more than the free-wheeling laid back world-wise street-smart Pinoy of the Madrid years.

When the “liberation” of the Marianas during the Battle of Saipan saw ordnance thrown in ‘dem hills, the niceties of the Fourth of July was hardly in the minds of the advancing warriors, let alone the cowed Carolinians and Chamorros in the caves later corralled into Concentration Camp barracks. The islands’ celebration of “liberation” is in fact, the release of internment from out of the Camps, and only coincidentally, also the nations drum and bugle call!

Considered a “strategic military location” in the aftermath of the WWII Japanese occupation, and later, the red menace of Chairman Mao and the “Internationale” crowd, Uncle Sam paid for the privilege of use and occupation of the Marianas, and the islands chose to be part of the Union (Guam did not have much choice) but indigenes now bewail the steep price paid. Indeed, the hearts and soul of the People have surrendered to the benign systemic altruism of Uncle Sam’s NAP, or to the CWs’ enthusiasm in the dog-eat-dog competition of the “market economy,” and profit from it. The Chamorro tiller of the land and the Carolinian navigators of the sea with their Pea Eye CW cousins lead a diversity that now sunsets their lives unto the lagoon.

The local diet in the last 10 years has visibly enlarged everyone’s mid-section while we BBQ with the rest of the nation in the hoopla of the Fourth. Flags rise in this part of the world as uniformed personnel march in cadence in the festivities. Many who missed downing summer cubes on-the-rocks on Memorial Day have until Labor Day to icily welcome autumn and send the kids back to school.

Liberation and freedom are trademarks of the United States delivered in the shadows of mother England’s regal arrogance, but individualism is protected in the constitution. That’s the plus side. That overemphasis gets overboard is the downside.

Because the Fourth pushes everyone to be their own person, we value the import of this day. Memories are important, but more relevant are the authenticity of individual’s objective sense, genuineness of feelings, relevance of cognition, and intentionality of will. That is what the Fourth protects, not royal authority as it is the call to real truthfulness of behavior and spirit.

We shan’t cut short the rituals we normally go through to remember this day; we’ll take the time to reflect on what it means to be a responsible CNMI, free and liberated. We decry CWs as being just concerned about the money they earn, which may generally be so, but it does not excuse the rest of us to give meaning and significance to patterns of behavior that identify citizenship in the custom of the Fourth of July.

Easy on the fireworks, but pass the wasabi, please. © 2015 Saipan Tribune