Freedom of books...

It's the early am morning of I-Day and all through the house, not a soul stirs for freedom 'cause we're addicted to the Wii...yes, we're almost choked by so much freedom, freedom to pollute our heads with mindless stuff - and the rest of the day we'll do celebration-like things, but how much will we be really celebrating how hard-won the freedom to do all this was for some sacrificing patriots and still is for those serving in distant, desolate or destroyed lands. Yes, there will be parades and floats here in Utah Valley, some with their tributes and some with their "royalty", a throwback to Europe and our wish to still have our own queens. There will be endless booths hawking their wares and foods and fun. There will be mind-blowing fireworks at the nationally acclaimed Stadium of Fire at BYU with the Jonas Brothers, Shedaisy and Glenn Beck- "I'll bet my firecrackers can beat up your firecrackers!" I still don't know what to wish people on this holiday! "Enjoy your freedom, it may be short lived." "Salute the flag while you're scarfing that hotdog!" "Happy holiday" just doesn't cut it. Me, I think I'll read a good book by Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson, those guys who actually founded our republic. I might even crack the D of I and read it through, that "We the people..." document that Nicolas Cage had to steal from the Library of Congress to protect it from being stolen from the bad guys who wanted the treasure map on the back...as if. But I'm so grateful for good books and for remembering the right reading glass prescription. I love this week's Newsweek that has as its focus, books we need to read now - a list of 50 of them, most of which I haven't read yet but am now committed to with a definite maybe. Hey, if anyone with any reputation gives me a list of books they think is important, I'm on it boss! Jorge Luis Borges is quoted as saying "I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." Amen to that - I know I'm in heaven with mine! And let's use more of our freedom to read more reality, not just escape, and be good cultural critics with "eternal vigilance" and not just obsessed consumers of every good barbecue that comes down the pike. I have to have my daily news quick fix, but I need to read more relevant books too. I accumulate them and surround myself with them as if they were future friends to get to know, with every good intention of doing so. I actually even get started with a lot of them, because I know knowledge is power and can set me free! I just need to be a finisher! So Happy freedom of books...