![]() “If someone isn’t kind to animals, ignore anything they have to say. Unless they have more money and influence. “Don’t make fun of people who are different. Their love and hard work got you to the point where you could realize this. And respect them even more after you find out they were wrong about a bunch of stuff. They arrived when the government began rounding up tribes, but the Seminoles said, ‘Naw, we prefer waterfront,’ and the white man chased them but got freaked out in the Everglades and let ’em have slot machines…I see you glancing over at the cupcakes and ice cream, so I’ll limit my remaining remarks to distilled wisdom: “Respect your parents. Because who’s really from Florida? Not the flamingos, or even the Seminoles for that matter. ![]() Not genetically descended, but bound by geographical experience like a subtropical Ellis Island. ![]() School’s out? Then I had to wait all summer, and the first day back the next grade: Christopher Columbus, Plymouth Rock…Know who the first modern Floridians were? Seminoles! Only unconquered group in the country! These are your peeps, the rugged stock you come from. Finally! Here we go! Florida’s next! Wait. Hello! Did we order the wrong books? Were these supposed to go to Massachusetts?…Then things showed hope, moving south now: Washington crosses the Delaware, down through original colonies, Carolinas, Georgia. I’m thinking, ‘Okay, we have to start somewhere- we’ll get to Florida soon enough.’…Boston Massacre, Crispus Attucks, Paul Revere, the North Church, ‘Redcoats are coming,’ one if by land, two if by sea, three makes a crowd, and I’m sitting in a tiny desk, rolling my eyes at the ceiling. Don’t know what they’re teaching today, but when I was a kid, American history was the exact same every year: Christopher Columbus, Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims, Thomas Paine, John Hancock, Sons of Liberty, tea party. Study and cherish her history, even if you have to do it on your own time. “… The most important contribution you can make now is taking pride in your treasured home state.
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