July 4th, 2020

On July 4th, we celebrate the birth of our nation, the United States of America. Our country was born of noble ideal, by good thinkers - but certainly not perfect. They knew this so they designed our basic tenants to be able to be expanded and changed.

We’ve always been a nation of change, our principles designed to support diversity and equality. Patriotism is to honor and adapt - by doing that, what we are preserving and furthering is our ideals. I love that about this country and I am proud to be an American because of this.

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I didn't want to make this post political, but on this day where we celebrate our country, I cannot sit back as it's attacked. If you're looking for the summary of my patriotic statement and nothing else, you have it and I wish you and yours a safe, happy and thoughtful holiday!

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Our Challenge

Because we are a nation of change - by our very charter. We invite the diverse by being a free society, by maintaining a large economy, by stepping up to lead in areas that benefit the world.

Our promise, is that we profess to treat all persons equally. Our challenge is that we haven't reached that. Our struggle is between those who do work for continued change and those who want to preserve or even increase, discrimination (Race, religion, class mobility, sexual preference, gender choice, ageism - and more).

We're living in times where those tenants are being challenged and are in jeopardy of being retired, by the very people that are supposed to protect and defend them, in the name of protecting "American Heritage".

This is a frequent tact of those who would subvert true free society. Wrap yourself in the flag and claim that your opponents are trying to destroy what you have and replace it with something horrific.

I'm going to call this Contrary Redirection - The act of saying something is true about yourself when it isn't, but is true of your rival - or saying something that is false about your rival that is true about yourself, frequently used in political circles as a way to fool the public. A form of Doublespeak.

Our President uses this at almost every opportunity. At Mount Rushmore, shrouded in the flag, Blue Angels flying overhead, he said;

"Make no mistake. This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress. To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage."

He couldn't be more wrong. He's arguing against change that would allow more Americans to live reasonable lives, reduce poverty and further technology. What he is arguing for is the preservation of old money, of existing and historical discrimination, the preservation of parts of our system intended to silence the poor and the different, to punish them, to keep them down. He's arguing against the principles of our great nation, but claiming to do it to preserve the nation. Donald Trump doesn't care about the country. He doesn't care about anything besides Donald Trump and he is using propaganda and doublespeak, as he always has, to further his political goals.

He argues against the removal of statues, and yet, when it comes to things that matter - that is, caring for the health of our people - food, shelter, medical care - he has destroyed more than any other president. He has dismantled a government we funded and built to do this. He's made way for big oil, big pharma, big insurance, big banking - and he's left the citizenry and the small businessman high and dry.

He's used propaganda to dismiss the current health crisis. He's used it to dismiss and even further racism and anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. With the flag around his shoulders and a bible in his hand, he proclaims to protect the second amendment and religion, then works to stifle the very freedoms that the constitution is aimed at protecting (why does the second amendment exist? Not for the purpose of further gun ownership, but for the purpose of protecting equality, which at the time, required guns - to keep the King from taxing without representation through force - removing equality).

We don't need winners and losers. We need to help each other get where we're going. That is the American way. We put ourselves out there to help each other and the rest of the world we strive to raise the bar. We do the hard work. If you want to preserve something of this country forget about statues. Preserve our ideals.

I urge you to look around, at the others in our nation and ask yourself, if you could honestly stand in their shoes - especially the shoes of those that are downtrodden - and still work to support a man and a party that wants to keep them down.

And then vote in November. Vote. Vote like the fate of our nation rests on it, because, it does. We cannot go gently into this night... we need to continue to fight.