by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Happy birthday, America, on this the 242nd anniversary of the signing of the document that declared our independence as a free and sovereign nation. As we celebrate this patriotic holiday, it might be a good time to reflect on the resilience of America and to pay homage to its unique ability to survive all manner of tragedy and hardship.
America's strength has always been her people, a unique blend of native residents of many tribes who were forced to share their ancestral home with immigrants who piled in from every nook, cranny, and crevice of the globe. We were a literal melting pot that mixed diverse peoples and ideologies and came up with a strain of humanity that was uniquely defined as "American."
That diversity was our strength, something that helped up to stand out from much of the world. We weren't tied down to any single provincial view of the world, but instead were open and accepting of a multitude of points of view. Race, ethnicity, and tolerance were a flowing concept in America, things that pulled us forward and made us stronger - and special.
Now, of course, that is changing rapidly. Certain elements of our society failed to release their innate fears and prejudices and were unwilling to move forward. In a fluke election that was decided by a quirk in the Constitution and blatant interfering by Russia, these stubborn sectors of society were able to elect a President who campaigned from a posture of intolerance and hate - and that new administration has focused on rolling back the social progress of much of the last century.
Less than two years into this new political reality, our government has turned its back on historic allies in North America, Europe, and Asia, and made questionable alliances with totalitarian states like Russia and North Korea, threatened the stability of NATO, precipitated a global trade war, and basically declared war on a large segment of our own population by drastically reducing access to health care, education, decent housing, basic nutrition, and the voting booth.
And yet a certain segment of the population wave their flags, light their fireworks, and shoot their guns in the air proclaiming that America is once again on the verge of greatness, something they define by race, gender, religion, and privilege (or, more specifically, lack of privilege) - all imposed on society by a government in sync with their narrow and bigoted world view.
Some celebrate the Fourth while others contemplate what was and what can be.
Bette Midler posted a defiant tweet this morning, one which poses a hope for the resurrection of our better selves: The Divine Miss M said this:
Optimism. I'll light a firecracker to that!
Citizen Journalist
Happy birthday, America, on this the 242nd anniversary of the signing of the document that declared our independence as a free and sovereign nation. As we celebrate this patriotic holiday, it might be a good time to reflect on the resilience of America and to pay homage to its unique ability to survive all manner of tragedy and hardship.
America's strength has always been her people, a unique blend of native residents of many tribes who were forced to share their ancestral home with immigrants who piled in from every nook, cranny, and crevice of the globe. We were a literal melting pot that mixed diverse peoples and ideologies and came up with a strain of humanity that was uniquely defined as "American."
That diversity was our strength, something that helped up to stand out from much of the world. We weren't tied down to any single provincial view of the world, but instead were open and accepting of a multitude of points of view. Race, ethnicity, and tolerance were a flowing concept in America, things that pulled us forward and made us stronger - and special.
Now, of course, that is changing rapidly. Certain elements of our society failed to release their innate fears and prejudices and were unwilling to move forward. In a fluke election that was decided by a quirk in the Constitution and blatant interfering by Russia, these stubborn sectors of society were able to elect a President who campaigned from a posture of intolerance and hate - and that new administration has focused on rolling back the social progress of much of the last century.
Less than two years into this new political reality, our government has turned its back on historic allies in North America, Europe, and Asia, and made questionable alliances with totalitarian states like Russia and North Korea, threatened the stability of NATO, precipitated a global trade war, and basically declared war on a large segment of our own population by drastically reducing access to health care, education, decent housing, basic nutrition, and the voting booth.
And yet a certain segment of the population wave their flags, light their fireworks, and shoot their guns in the air proclaiming that America is once again on the verge of greatness, something they define by race, gender, religion, and privilege (or, more specifically, lack of privilege) - all imposed on society by a government in sync with their narrow and bigoted world view.
Some celebrate the Fourth while others contemplate what was and what can be.
Bette Midler posted a defiant tweet this morning, one which poses a hope for the resurrection of our better selves: The Divine Miss M said this:
"It's the 4th of July. Only 125 more days until the Mid-Term elections. And if it goes the way I hope, THAT will truly be #INDEPENDENCEDAY!!!"
Optimism. I'll light a firecracker to that!
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