A Star
      So it’s July 4th, and I woke up thinking about bison.       I did this mostly because my husband bought some ground bison for burgers, and I wanted to explain to him that mostly I use it for chili.  But as I was lying in bed thinking about that, my mind wandered to images I’ve seen of how early westen settlers rode the plains, killing millions for their hides alone, and leaving the carcasses to rot.  Historians estimate that there were  perhaps 30-60 million American bison roaming the land of the free and the home of the brave in the mid 1800s.         By the 1880s, around 200 living in Yellowstone park were among the few that remained.         European settlers of the United states also managed to kill off the passenger pigeon in short order, and again, this was a matter of commerce rather than food.  We also killed off the Carolina Parrot, which was easy because if one was wounded, the others in the flock would gather around it, making them easy prey for human hunters who sold their feathers to hatmakers.         I know.  This isn’t very cheery stuff for a fine summer day, and a holiday at that.  However, what it all lead to in my mind, was thinking about the Stars and Stripes of the American Flag.       As a country, as a nation with a culture of its own, it seems to me we are made of stars, and of stripes - or streaks, if you will.       We have stars, and plenty of them. I’m not talking about the ones in Hollywood, either.  I’m talking about true lights who have shone on us in dark times, and led us to better days.   Rachel Carson, for instance, who wrote Silent Spring, which was about the devastation the pesticide DDT was wreaking in the bird world.  Because of her, there are now hummingbirds, eagles, hawks and turkeys in our world.       We’ve got heroes of abolition and civil rights such as Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, and heroes of women’s suffrage and equality such as Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and yes, Gloria Steinem.  We've got plenty of true heroes, who lived courageously, choosing love over fear every time.  That, to me, is the sign of a true hero.       In my own life, I’ve known quite a few folks I’d call stars.  For instance,my Italian grandmother, who adopted America so thoroughly that she marched with the Suffragettes to get the vote.  Okay, she still thought her food was better than most local stuff, and I’d agree with her on that, but she did work, she did vote, she did participate fully.        And there was this Navy SEAL, and a former Army Ranger, two guys who took care of a war-wounded eagle while they were stationed in Afghanistan.  They and the veterinarian, Dr. Eileen Jenkins, who went out of their way to show compassion in a war zone, were stars in my darkest night.   I was privileged to help them get Eagle Mitch here safely.        I’m sure you have plenty of stars of your own, and today is a good day to name them, and honor them.  But there are also streaks.      Streaks of greed, streaks of mean-spiritedness, streaks of folly and purposeless destruction.  We see those streaks in the Trail of Tears, in the genocide of those who lived here first, in the senseless slaughter of too many bison for very little return.   We see more recently in mass shootings, in the political rhetoric of xenophobia, racism, and misogyny.  We also see it in the ways large corporate entities hold us back from acting against climate change, and from having sensible discussions about our gun laws.      We've also got streaks of fear, often about all the wrong things.  And having known both love and fear myself, I'd like to ask all those who make decisions based on fear  if they've tried making them from love instead.  Personally, I can attest that love isn't only the right thing, it also feels a helluva lot better than fear.          We are a nation of stars and streaks.  This fourth of July, as I contemplate who we’ve become as a people, as I contemplate the choices before us and how crucial it will be in the coming months to make good ones, I can only hope that the light of the stars will change the color of our stripes.  
    My nonfiction book, Saving Eagle Mitch: One Good Deed in a Wicked World, is available at SUNY Press , and Amazon .    And here’s a recipe to help feed you and the stars in your life.
COOL HEAT CEVICHE
This is a no-cook dish, lovely for hot summer days.  The scallops ‘cook’ chemically in the lime juice.  Since the scallops have to ‘simmer’ all night, this is also a do-ahead.   My recipe will serve 2 or three people, so if you’re serving more, you do the math.    NOTE:  One reason I love this as a solstice dish is because the limes cook the scallops, but the sun cooked the limes.  Yay!  Go, Sun!
1/2 pound REALLY FRESH scallops  (that’s IMPORTANT!  I get mine at our local fishmonger,  Fin , where all the fish is sushi grade.)
The juice of 4 limes, or enough lime juice to put the scallops under liquid
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro  (If your genes make cilantro taste soapy, substitute parsley because you know the rule:  PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
1/2 cup diced mango1/2 cup diced tomato1/4 cup finely chopped scallionsSalt and pepper to tasteTabasco sauce to taste  (That’s the heat part.  Use as much or as little as you like.  If you prefer, you can sub out cayenne pepper.)


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