Fourth of July is one my least favorite holidays, not that I hate America or anything (okay, maybe sometimes). I just hate what the holiday has become…loud, obnoxious people blowing up fireworks and drinking lots of beer. Exactly what the founding fathers had in mind, I’m sure.
Anyway, let’s put political judgements aside for once as we visit the American Freedom Museum in Bullard, Texas. Housed inside a 15,000 square foot building on a Christian prep school campus, this isn’t some small shack in the middle of nowhere, but a real (and well-financed) museum dedicated to an abstract concept that could mean many things. But here the that concept means war, Presidents…oh, and did I say war? The timeline of American Freedom begins with the Battle of Lexington and ends during the War on Terror with a uniform of an American soldier killed in Afghanistan and rubble from Ground Zero. Other highlights of the 600 item collection? You can sit inside a C-47 transport plane, admire a lock of George Washington’s hair, rate the cleanliness of Adolf Hitler’s knife and fork (Uh, is that freedom? I don’t think so!), read a poem by John Quincy Adams and count the bullet holes in an American helicopter shot down during Vietnam. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the Hall of Presidents, which features documents signed by every President from George Washington to Barack Obama. Of course this shit costs money, but remember freedom isn’t free, especially when it comes to American museums about American freedom. FUCK YEAH!
