The Day the Stars Changed

Part Seven

As the ships' horns blare in the distance, signaling the official handover of sovereignty, I can't help but think about how we got here, to this moment where the Stars and Stripes finally lowers for the last time over the Great Lakes. As I watch the crowd surge with excitement, I'm struck by how quickly the impossible became reality. Less than two years ago, the very idea of an independent Great Lakes nation was dismissed as the pipe dream of union agitators and radical intellectuals. Yet here we stand, our flag flying proudly over the waters that have always been our true home.