Justice for All

Leesburg Today
July 15, 2005
By Margaret M. Bauman, Purcellville

Phillip Woeckner (Letters, July 8 ) and his son must have been all by themselves watching the Leesburg 4th of July Parade if he experienced “deathly silence” as the Equality Loudoun float passed. Our experience of the spectators was overwhelmingly positive. All along the route, people would read our banner (“With Liberty and Justice for All”) and our signs celebrating our place in this community, realize who we were, and start cheering. Not that there weren’t a few sour faces like Mr. Woeckner’s, but they certainly didn’t reflect the overall sentiment.

That sentiment could not better express the spirit of Independence Day: the recognition that all of us are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights, not to be denied because of personal prejudice. Is that perhaps the “political statement” referred to by Kathryn Manning in her letter (July 8) with exactly the same message? In her zeal to tell others that they should “simply celebrate a holiday,” has she forgotten that this holiday has an important meaning?

We can’t understand how Mr. Woeckner and Ms. Manning consider such sentiments as “With Liberty and Justice for All”,”We the People means all of us,” “We are your neighbors,” and “Happy Birthday America” to be somehow incompatible with a 4th of July celebration, but so be it. We all had a great time participating.