Driving around as I ran errands today, I could only shake my head at the endless sea of American flags and
Happy 4th of July banners everywhere. For the first time in my life, I thought "why?" My local paper, in large block lettering, declared a "U.S.A. Weekend" and all I could do was roll my eyes. To me, like countless millions of others, the 4th of July has always meant soaking up the sun at the beach, parties and BBQ's with friends and family, a day off of work and fireworks in the nighttime sky. But to many, that's
all it means. Far too many people seem to have forgotten the meaning of the 4th of July, our Independence Day. It's this thought that has convinced me to sit this one out because I'm having a hard time finding a reason to celebrate.
*Follow Me On Down*
I know, I know, people will undoubtedly tell me to lighten up, to stop taking things so seriously. But maybe I, and we as a collective, didn't take things seriously enough. Not until it was too late. Like many people, when Bush was elec... errrr... appointed in 2000, I figured he'd be an annoyance, a boil on our collective asses. I was wholly unprepared for the unmitigated disaster and utter disgrace that is the Bush Administration. I was unprepared for the havoc he is wreaking on our system of government and upon the Constitution itself. To quote an oft-used phrase within the Administration, "I don't think anybody could have foreseen" the fact that in under six years, Bush has nearly undone over 200 years of democracy and has brought our Republic to its knees.
When a group of courageous men, 230 years ago, stood in defiance of tyranny and declared their independence, it was with the dream of creating a free nation in mind. They sought to create a nation where the government was ruled by the people and not vice versa, a nation where we were free to speak, worship and think as we saw fit. They sought to create a nation that was inclusive, a nation that was just, a nation that other countries aspired to be. The birth of our nation and our government has not been without fits, starts and upheavals. Mistakes, prejudices and injustices have had to be corrected before we could truly call ourselves free and inclusive. The Framers knew that future generations would require change and adaptations and the genius of the Constitution is that it is malleable enough to provide for that. And many, many people with a courage that I will never know have spilled their blood and given their lives in defense of those ideals.
230 years after our courageous and independence-minded brothers and sisters declared their freedom, we are witnessing the ultimate betrayal of their memory, their legacy, their values, their ideals and their sacrifices. By rendering the Constitution impotent and our civil liberties insignificant, George W. Bush has declared the Declaration of Independence to be meaningless. By returning us to a tyrannical, near monarchial rule where the weak and poor are oppressed, where only the wealthy and powerful have a voice, where the ruling class enjoys the banquet while the rest of us are left to squabble over the table scraps and where the uniquely American dream fades to oblivion, George W. Bush spits in the face of every American who has given their life for this country. He spits it the face of every single one of us who dares believe, as the Framers did, in what this country could and ought to be. He spits in the face of every American who cherishes the ideals and the principles this country was founded upon.
So this Independence Day, I won't be celebrating for we are no longer truly free. Each passing day brings a fresh violation of our civil liberties. Each passing day we find that our freedom has been eroded that much further. Each passing day, this government betrays this country and our people, it betrays all we stand for and all we hold dear. Each passing day, we drift further from democracy and closer to fascism. 230 years ago, we declared our independence and now find that we've come full circle and are living under the thumb of a tyrant once again.
No, I find very little reason to celebrate so raise a beer for me; I'm sitting this one out.