Brave & Free

"Memorial Day is Monday, " my teacher said gravely. "I don't suppose I need to tell you what Memorial Day is about, right?" "No, sir, " the class answered. "Good," he said,"it's good to thank veterans for their service."  There is a stark difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day that some Americans are not aware of. They think that both holidays are about appreciating the sacrifice given by thousands of men and women for our country. In a way, that's true, but each day is meant to be more specific than that. Memorial Day is the day we honor those who have died in active service. Veteran's Day is the day we honor those who have served in the military and survived.  My father is a veteran. Whenever anyone spots his U.S. Marine Corps hat and thanks him for his service, he warmly thanks them and shakes their hand. H e doesn't like it on Memorial Day, though, because Memorial Day is not about him.  This Memor...

As I was slicing a rosy apple to go with my breakfast on Monday, May 16, the knife slipped and cut my left index finger. It bled, and I bandaged it, but that's not enough. I want to make sure no one gets hurt by knives ever again.   We need a knife ban, because knives hurt people.  Personally, knives are a trigger for me, and I never want to hear about them again. You will never know how difficult it is for me to write about this. I'm making a great sacrifice. So no more selling, buying, owning, or talking about knives. For the good of us all. They're just too dangerous.  What will we use to cut food? Natural products such as porcupine barbs, swordfish swords, bear claws, shark teeth, and sharp fish fins, all gathered from long dead animals. It's sustainable and good for the environment.  Also, since we will no longer have the need to forge knives, hot kilns will be cold forever. Kilns launch toxic hot air into our atmosphere and are partially responsible for global ...

The SAT. Medical forms. College applications. These papers, and many more, ask you to "select your race" from a list similar to this: African American, Latino, Pacific Islander, Asian, and White. I always skip this portion of paperwork for one reason: I'm not white, I'm American. I was born as an American citizen. Both my parents are citizens, and so are their parents. There are two other ways to have American citizenship: naturalization and by marrying a citizen. All citizens are equal, no matter how they joined our nation. Moreover, American citizens are American.  Well, yeah, duh, of course they are. But think about it. If we're American, then why are we labeled based on this imaginary categorizer called "race"? We are not the nationality of our ancestors - we are the nationality of our citizenship, no matter our skin color.  Americans are losing pride in their country. This is understandable, owing to the degradation of the presidential office and hy...