“Democracy Ain’t No Picnic” is a free, nonpartisan family event
In 1918, Boys Town founder Father Flanagan watched as Reuben Granger carried a boy on his back up a flight of stairs. The boy he carried, Howard Loomis, had polio and wore thick metal leg braces. Flanagan famously asked if he was heavy, to which Granger replied, “He ain’t heavy, Father, he’s m’ brother.”
Nothing exhibits Omaha’s aspirational sense of community better than Granger’s words.
At 4 p.m. Sunday, July 12, a group of concerned citizens and The Free Speech Society will co-host a free and nonpartisan picnic and variety show on Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall. Titled “Democracy Ain’t No Picnic – a Traditional Independence Day Celebration,” the event will celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday and Omaha’s 172nd birthday. Research shows that young people, those who have never experienced civic normalcy, are rejecting America’s traditional model of self-governance. Like us, they see problems go unresolved, notice when elected officials tolerate and excuse bad behavior and watch as leaders replace resolve with distractions…