HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
On this 236th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain I think its important to think about what that document and those words meant when they were written.
How it set the stage for our Founders to write our Constitution and for this country to become the greatest country in the world.
A country that was constantly reinventing itself and the only country among the nations of men that had as its foundation the concept of always striving to become a better place.
And yet somewhere along the way we lost all that.
And we lost it all fairly recently.
We are no longer the greatest nation on Earth. The most powerful, yes — by far. But the greatest? No, not hardly.
We torture people and we order the execution our own citizens at the hands of our government {us} without benefit of trial or even being charged with a crime.
We invade foreign countries based upon lies perpetrated upon us by our elected officials and enabled by a compliant press and we do nothing about it.
We allow our government to spy on American citizens on American soil and we’ve militarized our law enforcement agencies. Agencies who routinely respond to peaceful and lawful protest with deadly force.
We worship the 1% of the richest among us — malefactors of great wealth who care not one wit for the common man — while at the same time holding those of us in need in deep contempt while stripping them of even the most basic of safety net protections.
We have decided that corporations are people — this in spite of the fact that no corporation has ever been drafted into the armed services nor been executed by the state of Texas.
We allow our elites in government and finance to commit crimes that drive the world to the brink of economic collapse and then not only do we not punish them with prison, but we reward them with free money so they can do it all again. And we do this while essentially ignoring the 10+ percent of Americans who can’t find work.
This while sending people to prison for the crimes of simply trying to feed their families.
We have become nothing more than a third world country with nuclear weapons and we are completely undeserving of the title “Greatest Nation on Earth.”
But because we are who we are, we’re more than capable of reclaiming that title and regaining the moral high ground and the approbation of the world that this country once enjoyed.
We simply need to remember who we are and where we came from.
And just fucking do it!
Happy Birthday America.
July 4th, 2012 at 7:50 am
To my sorrow you are right.
July 4th, 2012 at 8:06 am
If you need volunteers to canvas for you if you ever decide to run for office, I’m in.
July 4th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Totally agree with your current analysis of current American democracy.
But, to a certain extent, I think that you’ve fallen victim to the “Ozzie and Harriet Nelson” mythology of an America that never existed. I’m not sure that the America you believe existed 50 years ago ever really existed. It certainly didn’t exist a 100 years ago.
While “Leave It To Beaver” played on television, they were lynching people in the South and blocking civil rights. As a little kid from Jersey, I remember my shock and bewilderment at first seeing a “coloreds only” drinking fountain in Virginia.
The Catholic Church was covering up priestly abuse decades ago. Same as now.
While movies showed war heroes who never did harm to innocents, and never actually seemed to bleed, the real Vietnam war firebombed civilians and massacred villages, and had soldiers dying in agony with their guts hanging out. My older brother still has nightmares from his two tours in Vietnam.
Gay equality was non-existent. Just watch some of the CBS newscasts about Stonewall, or read the NY Times. The derision and mockery is outstanding.
American democracy has always had a false face. Hidden by the newspapers and television and movies. A mythology akin to Superman’s credo. American government has been a handmaiden to the rich and powerful.
Underneath that facade of “liberty, justice and freedom for all” was always discrimination, bigotry, hatred and government misdeeds.
Only difference, is that today, the internet permits more of this evil underbelly to be exposed.
The eternal challenge is to fight these evils, even though this fight is, and always will be a never ending battle.
July 4th, 2012 at 10:21 am
And, most importantly, Scott, thank you for your service to our country. Despite the myriad problems, it’s still worth fighting for.
July 4th, 2012 at 10:56 am
I couldn’t agree more with your analysis, but the ever growing popularity of the religious right would argue, that that’s exactly what they are trying to achieve as well and if all of us don’t get out there and vote, these very same people will have absolutely no problem freeing us from all the hard won rights we’ve achieved to date, but would also threaten or very existence.
I live in rural America…these fucking people are nuts!
July 4th, 2012 at 11:58 am
I read this post agreeing with much of what you said Scott. But like Continuum (what he said!) I believe that much of the “greatest nation” we’ve been spoon fed for years is fiction. We made some progress with FDR and LBJ, but it’s been a backward slide since Reagan. We’ve accomplished some epic feats but lately my attitude is “not so much.”
My round about way of agreeing with you I suppose, sort of.
July 4th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Holy fuck, Scott. Well said. I’m also in agreement with Continuum. You’re both right.
July 4th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Add me to the “Scott, you are right, if maybe a bit overboard, and Continuum, what you say is correct too” list.
I was going to add something about the wonderful American spirit back in WWII, but then I remembered the part about hating the Dirty Japs and the Evil Jerrys (Germans)
…. so I will go with “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA — a work in progress that has made too little progress recently.”
July 4th, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Seems that our sel-indulgence and self-importance fosters national suicide. If we reap what we have sown as a nation we have only seen the beginning. Ben Ladin’s horrible escapade put a hole in our national fabric, out of which pours funds that could have provided infrastructure and helped millions. Instead we feed Wall Street and munitions manufacturing. This is our version of capitalism: concentrating the wealth of our nation where it does no good, demonizing minorities, denegrating public schools, proping up insurance (only 80% of this new plan has to go to medical care), sucking money from local economies to disappear into the greedy ethers….thanks for getting me going…now I’m up….Dan Robertson
July 4th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
There was the initial shock (what the fuck is he talking about!!! “the only country among the nations of men that had as its foundation the concept of always striving to become a better place”), as I am living in a country which claims to be the oldest “democracy” in the world (founded in 1291). Then came the courageous truth for which I admire you and most of your comment writers. And a strange thing happened to me. While reading I saw the face of your current president fade in on the text and his duality/duplicity clearly marked in his jaws.
Thank you for your analysis and Continuum’s point of view which I share. Guys like you and some outstanding American thinkers are the only hope left in this time of growing american christiano-fascism. God — whoever They are — give you strength to go on.
July 5th, 2012 at 3:03 am
I genuinely believe my second home can do better.
And it must – given its’ “might” – it also has to learn what is “right” – and present an objective face to the world….
But I do so miss my second home. And my it’s citizens.
For all its’ faults – America is truly a wonderful place and I desire to return to it one day.
July 5th, 2012 at 7:26 am
BIE for President!
Well said!