Freedom from, or freedom to?: How I spent my "4th"

I'd venture to say that some VAYDs had both a fun and meaningful 4th this year. Sure, there are people out there who went into the weekend imagining an association between independence and candidates promising freedom from high fuel prices. But I think young democrats understand the day as a perfect opportunity to choose to freely express support for great candidates, and in the summer, parades and festivals are opportunities for involvement with a candidate or issue while having a blast!

From a glance at the my.barackobama.com blog, young people overwhelmingly spent the weekend, rain or shine, doing voter registration or rallies. In the Richmond area over the holiday weekend, there was an annual parade where I joined nearly 30 sign-totem waving, candy throwing Mark Warner and Barack Obama volunteers and met 7th District candidate for Congress Anita Hartke, and none of us let the occasional hostile stare from a diehard Gilmore supported deter us.

So, apart from some admittedly meaningless displays of "patriotism" like decorating a sheet cake as a flag, grilling, and enjoying the sight of neighbors setting off roman candles in the street, I found my chance to be a part of something more timely, more significant. And, by spending most of the long weekend chilling with family, I kept driving to a minimum, doing my part to fight rising fuel costs. Hey, I'm young, I've got energy, I have the guts to stand up for what I see as the real solution. So, as I was marching beside an Abraham Lincoln impersonator in the parade, I gave a thought to what it really means to be free.