A Reflection on the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and communities around the country are preparing for the parades, barbecues and fireworks. However, there will be a dark cloud hanging over this year's celebrations. It is a time for serious reflection

Independence Day, informally known as the Fourth of July, commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. The Declaration declared the separation of the 13 North American colonies from Great Britain and King George III.

The Declaration contained a litany of complaints, or “Facts”, against the King, starting with: “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” The language is a bit archaic, yet the meaning is clear, as is one of the final paragraphs:

“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” The rest, as as the saying goes, is history!

From the Declaration of Independence, to the Constitution and Bill of rights, to the countless laws passed by Congress and subjected to judicial review, our Constitutional Republic functions under the rule of law. The doctrine of Separation of Powers, is intended to ensure that no one branch of government gains too much power. Essentially, Congress passes the laws, the president administers the laws, and the courts interpret the laws. 

1n 1796 the first U.S. President, George Washington, warned the nation in his Farewell Address that love of power will tend to create a real despotism in America unless proper checks and balances are maintained to limit government power.

Washington's worst fears have been realized in the second Trump administration as it deconstructs - on a near daily basis - the work and intentions of the nation's founders, as well as the work of the countless people who have worked to honor the founders' intentions. It is, indeed, “despotism” of an unimaginable and devastating magnitude. I will spare you a long repetition of the “Facts” we have already seen, almost daily, describing the egregious violations of our nation's laws.

I did not intend to rain on anyone's parade (or fireworks display). Yet, as a concerned citizen, I feel I have both the right and duty to speak out when the very foundation of our Constitutional Republic is threatened. It is not business as usual in the (not so) United States of America; we are in the middle of a raging, five alarm fire. For me it is no time to celebrate. It is the time for a nonviolent revolution in which We The People, with respect for the founding principles and structures of our nation, come together to stop this tyranny, and repair our dysfunctional republic. 

I invite you to print copies of the Declaration of Independence, and hand them out at Fourth of July events; everyone needs to read it. Let us come together, beyond ideology and party loyalty, to affirm the importance of the principles enshrined in this founding document - along with the other foundational documents - of our country. 

If we are successful, future generations will be able to celebrate the Fourth of July as it was originally intended. If not, I fear the work of this experiment in self-government will be lost. The whole world is watching.