 I remember the Bicentennial like it was yesterday. I was 11 years old here in Hayward, California, where I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I remember very clearly taking that field trip to go see the Freedom Train at the Oakland train station. I remember seeing on our black and white TVs those tall ships come through the New York and Boston harbors. And I remember July 4th, 1976, it was a cloudy night in Hayward, but those fireworks were never brighter. Hmm.