Enjoy Memorial Day

Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers, who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women, who died in any war or military action.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week, on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to recognize the new date. This is so typical for all the states not to recognize a day in which honor those that fallen fighting for their country and those that have been decorated in excel of their duties. 

Today this country battles equality for all. We have states that decided that all citizens should be given all civil and human rights equally. That includes same sex marriage. Just like before it included women to be able to vote and have equal pay, biracial couples to marry, slaves to be converted into citizens and be free. There are states that still find equality for marriage something that only selected people can have.  Eventually they will have to follow history because inequality and bigotry always take a back seat to fairness in an advance society that no longer uses a horse and a cart for transportation and means for the nation to move ahead.

Today we use a space ship to feed astronauts orbiting in space. Some like the past because they don’t like the present and recent the future. We know as a nation that is not the way we have moved ahead.  We recognize our mistakes, change and move on. Today 8 states recognize same sex unions. 

A big number compare to 0 a decade ago.