Yesterday was July 4th, the 238th anniversary of our country’s declaration of independence. As we were driving to help Sarah Fowler pass out re-election campaign literature during the Chesterland parade, I wondered if it might help my friend to offer the use of our Mercedes-Benz for the parade. By the time I got there, it was too late to make that change as everyone was already in position to start.
I think that a Mercedes-Benz would be a nice touch to her campaign for re-election to the State Board of Election. But I also wondered if driving a German car in a July 4th parade might be a slap in the face to some WW II era people. Those who lost loved ones during the war may never be able to enjoy anything built by Germany, Japan, or Italy. But for others like me, whose parents were infants during that war, there is no feeling of ill will toward the current people in those countries.
Just before the parade left the parking lot, my family walked back to see the old cars that would be accompanying the others. There were several American cars painted a variety of bright colors, but the one car that stuck out to me (besides the Jeep FC fire truck I was unable to picture) was this 1930’s Mercedes-Benz convertible. At first I thought it was a VW conversion but when he started the engine, you could tell the engine was in the front. Was it real? No, the owner told me it was a replica riding on a Ford frame with a Mustang engine from the 1980’s. Very nice.
I do not mean to denigrate the feelings of those who fought during the wars before I was born. Instead, I am happy to say that the freedoms they fought for include the ability for each citizen to make his own choices regardless of how others feel about them. In the USA, we are free to worship God according to our own beliefs, choose to vote for those who represent our own point of view, and we have the right to voice our point of view. Those are good things that I hope continue in the future. In the mean time, I’ll keep driving a Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar just because I can.