Michael Diton-Edwards Pure 9 Juneteenth 2026
Hello friends. When you read this, and I appreciate you taking the time to do so – I know you could be doing dishes, pulling weeds out of the garden/perimeter of your dwelling, binge watching the latest Love Island fiasco, or juicing on Weird Al Yankovich videos – it is not 6/19/26 on the date you bought your reminder-hanging, manufactured slop on the wall from your local Dollar store —- omg, sorry, the dollar-fifty and beyond – and only a flimsy fold of glossed paper that wouldn’t withstand drizzle if left out in the elements, but those puppies and dolphins, they are all SO CUTE 🙂 When you read this (again, I thank you…I am grateful for your attention and I don’t take it for granted, I promise…the last time I took something for granted, I thought the Witch Hazel would cure the inflamed region just as the bottle said, but…yeah…), the day will be as forgotten as that time you won the $1 scratch off for $50 bucks but bought a round at the Anchor Bar and it cost you $382.52 and when you realized your good fortune instigated a negative, you ended up calling Busto for a quick payday loan so your AC wasn’t cut off in July.
There is so much in our sporting world taking place right now…but let me shine some light on what may be the biggest story out there on this historic day – the United States of America beat Australia in the second round of the World Cup, which secures their advancement out of Group D and into the knockout rounds of the biggest tournament in the world (and if you don’t know that such a statement isn’t factual, you have either lived under a rock for about 35 years or you have eaten waaaaaaaayyyy too much Jacks Links beef and cheese packages)…
Now, the Stripes and Stars may not advance beyond this phase…I am not predicting whether or not they do, that is something I will leave to the prognosticators and the smarter people than me (I see you, Nostradumbass, aka SJB). But no matter what may happen in the future of this tournament for out lads wearing the Red, White, and Blue, I will definitely want to shout this fact from the roof of my cabin on the creek, from the top of the hill in Dollywood, and from the peak at the turnoff between TN and NC over the majestic Smoky Mountains… Are you ready?
No matter what happens with the future of USA football (sorry, soccer, to my unshaven Packer fans), I can say one thing with certainty – and I will plant my flag upon this hill…without the history that has unfolded prior to tonight, tomorrow, and the future beyond, NOTHING that has taken place or will take place would have been possible without THE PAST….
At this point, should you wish to dip out and not read further, I understand…but should you continue, my friend, I promise and devote my very character and word, to the fact that I am not spewing propaganda or trying to convince you to shift a belief toward a cause…no…not at all… but what I am about to write is necessary and needs to be written & shared, even if it is only with you and not other…
America is not a perfect country.
America has made mistakes.
America still makes mistakes.
Oh, and America will make mistakes in the future.
But…
But…
America was, and still is, the hope that there is some type of ideal that makes sense to the people…America is still that beacon of democracy, and America is still that land that gives hope to the huddled masses and the broken and the abused…
I believe in America. I believe in her purpose. I believe in the hundreds of thousands of souls that have sacrificed their lives in defense of America and all she stands for….
I don’t care if you are left or right…blue or red…liberal or conservative…seriously, I personally do not care…but I do care about the belief that there could be a country that allows any – ANY – person to have the opportunity to excel…that allows even the most despondent and low and pathetically opposed of a person to look in a mirror and say, “Oh, Hell NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and find their way to a life beyond what may have been if never given an opportunity to do so….
I believe in anyone that has been blessed with the opportunity to do better, to live better, to just plain have it better…I believe in anyone that doesn’t shun the opportunity to take control of their own destiny and strive to DO BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
America will make mistakes…but no country in the history of the world has EVER afforded a common, under-privaleged person the opportunity to DO BETTER…seriously…
So…USA soccer/football may progress beyond the group stage, but maybe not…honestly, I don’t care if they do or not – I am more proud of the fact that they persevered beyond the group stage and fueled excitement for the greatest sporting spectacle in the world. But, here is the thing…America wouldn’t be America without our wins and our losses as a society…and our biggest loss was trumped by Juneteenth … .and while it took a LONG time to reconcile the aftermath of slavery and desegregation, America eventually made strides…. And while we navigate our way through the current landscape, let’s celebrate our National team competing in the World Cup tournament 🙂 Win or lose, let’s celebrate the fact that our country – YOUR COUNTRY (if you live here, lol) – is still growing, evolving, and getting better 🙂
Peace 🙂 michaeld.edwards@gmail.com is my email…I invite discussion and debate, but ALWAYS value your support and dialogue 🙂 Please continue to support my platform at South Florida Tribune, and thank you in advance for sharing with others 🙂
