Celebrating Independence
“We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just—a way which if followed the world will forever applaud and God must forever bless.”
— Abraham Lincoln
It’s admittedly a tough time to celebrate, as we mark this 249th anniversary of our declared independence from the British crown. Our Republic, which we have managed to keep, has endured many tests, even Civil War, to get to this point. Yet today, we all feel deep unease and uncertainty about what lies ahead for our nation.
How can we be joyful and happy today, knowing how ruthlessly this regime is sledgehammering all that makes our country unique and great? How can we celebrate Independence Day when our freedoms and liberties are eroding before our very eyes?
This is a good opportunity to remember and practice what I’ve urged before: that we can be happy in America even as we are far from happy with America.
What I mean is this: Most of our lives—when we aren’t reading the news or watching horrifying clips of ICE raids—is taken up with our families, our friends, our jobs, our communities. And that is perfectly fine. In fact, it is the way things should be.
Our role as active participants in this democracy does not demand that we quit any of that to go rescue the U.S. full time. We can each contribute our fair share by speaking out, supporting the front line fighters, and pressuring the media, businesses and our legislators to do the right thing.
We can also vote with our pocketbooks, directing donations to political candidates and civil rights organizations who will fight for and protect our rights, and to independent journalism, which is playing an increasingly important role now that legacy media has capitulated.
It is through our everyday interactions with others that we exert the most soft power. We can be good neighbors, act as role models for children and young adults, contribute to our communities, and remain accountable for our actions. Our nation is suffering from moral deficiency, to be sure. But that also means each act of compassion and kindness matters. Each action works to close that gap. Together, brick by brick, they form a high, moral wall that cannot so easily be breached.
So I hope that you can be happy this Independence day in America, even as we all work to be happier with America. We all wish to fulfill Abraham Lincoln’s vision, that we will nobly save our nation, and that it will again be the last, best hope for the world.
While the lighthouse shining the way is admittedly hard to make out through the cruel fog that envelopes us, it is out there, sturdy upon the shore, and still blazing brightly. We must trust that we will rediscover its guiding power and, together, steer this ship safely home. We’ll do it together, and in our strong and welcome company we will find the courage and conviction we need.
Have a wonderful long Independence Day weekend. I’ll see you back here tomorrow for some smiles and laughs.
Jay
I have a few slivers of hope to share.
I live in a small Indiana town. It is about 98% Republikkkan, fully supportive of trump, and about 75% evilangelical (my term after my childhood was spent in such a cult).
Since 2017 the town has held an “Independence Day” parade which has zero flags or floats about 1776 and, until today, many, many trump, Confedrate, Don’t Tread on Me and even a few No Quarter flags. One year someone flew an SS flag! (I was so shocked at that one that if I had false teeth I would have spit them out on the sidewalk!)
Today I zip-tied a poster to my front gate (“NO KINGS, NO NAZIS, NO FASCISTS”) & taped a red, white & blue pinwheel on top. I sat near the gate to watch the parade.
Astonishingly, especially after the heartbreaking and devastating news on Tues (FL concentration camp) & Wedenesday (the hateful, ugly Bill), there were no hateful flags. None! There were American flags and a fair amount of blue-line American flags. (As a veteran I think we only need one American flag. After all, it stands for all of us, including those undocumented who are working their way through the system.) I don’t know why all the hate based flags didn’t show up this year but that’s a very welcome sliver of hope.
Putting aside the not friendly glares my sign and I received, I did get a handful of smiles and accompanying thumbs up gestures. Another sliver of hope!
The last sliver - the smiles & thumbs up gestures came from a wide range of people - a teenager, a young woman walking by my house, two 30-ish male veterans on a VA float and four older men and women, all on WWII floats, (likely veterans & family members). Only a handful might seem sad but every single one counts! The wide range made me very happy.
I wish everyone a safe, and if possible, a happy Fourth as we hold true to what America can be.
Thank you very much!
In Key West, we are fighting the arrangement with ice and our local police. Any support and help would be greatly appreciated!
Last week city commission voted six to one to rescind the agreement. The Attorney General of Florida is disputing it and now our mayor has changed her mind and is trying to bring the agreement back. We have a July 8 meeting with city commission and the mayor to maintain the rescinding of the agreement.