The Bicentennial and Today

I was eleven years old when America celebrated its Bicentennial in 1976. I remember seeing the tour of the tall ships (Operation Sail) on TV and actually visited the American Freedom Train. I remember the Bicentennial quarters. In Northern Indiana we painted our fire hydrants as colonial figures. I remember that at 3PM ET on July 4, millions of people across the country rang bells for a full five minutes. The whole thing made a huge impression on me as I'm sure it did most American kids at the time.

I recognize now that we had many of the same issues then that we still do today. However, we were just past Watergate and the Vietnam War and the Bicentennial Celebration gave some hope that we would move forward from that terrible time. Unfortunately, the Reagan years were ahead.

This year is the Semiquincentennial of the United States and due to partisan interference from the Moron Administration, we've "celebrated" with a bunch of sweaty men beating each other senseless on the White House lawn and the destruction of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool by an incompetent lackwit. The "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall has faced cancelled musical concerts and states withdrawing due to Trump's involvement. In short, this is no 1976.

We're also in the middle of a fascist takeover of the U.S., the rolling back of civil rights, concentration camps on American soil, an unnecessary and stupid war in Iran that we lost, and a host of other regressive bullshit that hurts all Americans to the benefit of billionaires.

Not surprisingly, I don't really feel like celebrating July 4 this year.