We're celebrating the founding of our country this weekend. Well, most of us are.
Because it's a 3 day weekend, nefarious politicians (grrrrrr) were very busy late Thursday announcing bad news in a whisper or doing despicable things hoping we wouldn't notice because we were busy with family and friends. After all, our media also takes a 3 day holiday so they pretty much get away with it over and over again. That's why they keep doing it.
But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about freedom. Join me below the cheese curl.
But First, A Word From Our Sponsor:
Top Comments recognizes the previous day's Top Mojo and strives to promote each day's outstanding comments through nominations made by Kossacks like you. Please send comments (before 9:30pm ET) by email to topcomments@gmail.com or by our KosMail message board. Just click on the Spinning Top™ to make a submission. Look for the Spinning Top™ to pop up in diaries posts around Daily Kos.
Make sure that you include the direct link to the comment (the URL), which is available by clicking on that comment's date/time. Please let us know your Daily Kos user name if you use email so we can credit you properly. If you send a writeup with the link, we can include that as well. The diarist poster reserves the right to edit all content.
Please come in. You're invited to make yourself at home! Join us beneath the doodle...
|
I'm not going to quibble about the date (many say July 2), but to say that sometime in early July, 1776, 13 colonies under the rule of Great Britain had enough and told King George III to go eff himself. It wasn't done lightly either. Great Britain was a huge empire that they kept in check with their military might.
Our biggest reason for declaring independence, however, was the British East India Company, a corporation, which had a monopoly on trade with all the colonies. Originally chartered by Elizabeth I in 1600, it's original purpose was to provide competition with Dutch traders in the East Indies and India. It's influence and greed grew until they were essentially sucking colonies dry by manipulating the laws of the Empire in their favor. It was the Tea Act of 1773 that was the last straw.
But that's not even what I'm talking about tonight.
I'm talking about freedom tonight. The freedom that those founding fathers fought the Revolutionary War over. Yes, freedom from being under the thumb of a corporation and an empire, but more than that. The freedom to form a type of government that was last seen about 2000 years before. A government that Lincoln would later describe as "of the people, by the people, for the people" at Gettysburg.
But beyond that, individual freedom and liberty that were defined later - in the Constitution that formed the government of this new country.
Today we forget that those freedoms were limited to land owning White men. If you were a woman, a slave, or poor - no freedom for you. And Native Americans? Fagedaboutit!
The arc of history has taken some time, but freedom has expanded since then. Slaves were ultimately freed, but racism still keeps most people of color in poverty and confined to certain areas of most towns and cities. Later, women gained the right to vote and some movement in other rights, but still don't have anything close to equality either. And the poor also gained the right to vote, some opportunity for upward mobility, but it seems we love poor people so much that this country keeps on creating so many more of them every year.
Native Americans, you know, the people who lived here before White people invaded? They've had it worst of all as they were sought out, massacred, pushed on to the worst land around and forced to stay there. Most of them are still living on those reservations in desperate poverty. Still, more freedom today than back then, but not nearly enough.
Still, the arc of history moves onward towards more freedom. Sometimes 2 steps forward and 1 step back, but it keeps moving. Recently, our LGBT brothers and sisters won the right to be treated like human beings when it comes to marriage, although they still don't have the full freedom of heterosexuals. I don't diss progress no matter how slowly it comes.
I do enjoy a good laugh as bigots call for their smelling salts and fainting couches because someone just got a little bit more freedom and equality. It's as if there's only a limited amount of freedom available and they'll lose some of their own when freedom expands for others. No worries - there is an unlimited supply. The only limitation is in the minds of the people doling it out.
I do, however, note that the arc of history has nearly come full circle regarding our original freedom; to shed ourselves of corporate overlords and run our own country. In 1776, it was the British East India Company bending the will of the British Empire to serve its own greed. Today it is multi national corporations buying up our own government to serve their greed through court rulings, laws and "trade agreements". TPP might just be the modern equivalent of the 1773 Tea Act. Our own last straw as a people.
Enjoy the freedom you have. Keep on fighting for more and better freedom for everyone. More progress is needed until everyone has the fullest equality and the most freedom possible.
And now for some fireworks!
How incredible is this? For an explanation of How Top Mojo Works, see mik's
FAQing Top Mojo
Top Pictures for yesterday. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you jotter for the awesome image magic!
(could use a few more pooties IMHO)