But I don’t feel very celebratory today, and I can tell that
feeling is shared by many. A new poll shows that American pride is now at a record low, and it’s not hard to see why.
Our country is careening towards Christofascism, and it feels more and more like there’s nothing we can do to stop this march.
The Republican Party, bolstered by an anti-democratic,
anti-Constitutional Supreme Court, has spent the last decade stripping rights
from tens of millions of people. They’ve gutted the ability of the federal
government to function at the basic levels of bureaucracy. And this week, the
Supreme Court delivered what many feel to be a death knell for our republic by
granting the president an invented and imaginary immunity *that does not exist*
in the Constitution, the law, or the historical record. Our leader is now
effectively a monarch, existing above the law in virtually every capacity,
which is something the founders explicitly did NOT want.
I am truly terrified for what this all portends for the
future of our republic, especially given that the presidential election is
currently tied between an old man who has difficulty communicating, and an old
man who is a convicted felon, proven rapist and fraud, has openly declared his
intention to be a dictator, and has already fomented one violent insurrection
against our country. That he is even a VIABLE CANDIDATE in the election is
proof of how far the once-great Republican Party has fallen, and it’s also
proof of the danger our country faces. Because of this, I, and so many others,
find it difficult to feel much pride in our country this year.
It's hard to feel, let alone express, love for our country
when we’re teetering on the precipice of Christofascism, with extremists,
including the Supreme Court, doing everything they can to push us over the
edge. We’re facing danger the likes of which we haven’t seen in several
generations; the last time we saw anything *close* to this level of danger was
the attempt in the 1930s by homegrown Nazis to take over our government and
turn it into a Nazi regime (for an excellent and VERY thorough explanation and
analysis of this dark chapter in our history, I highly recommend Rachel
Maddow’s book, “Prequel”, and her podcast, “Ultra”). How can I celebrate when
I’m living in mortal terror of what may be coming? How can I feel pride for a
country that feels like it’s dying, that seems to be ABANDONING its core values?
There’s no good answer to this. But I have come to realize
two important truths. First, we can’t give into this despair because it is
EXACTLY what the enemies of democracy WANT us to feel. They’ve spent years
beating us down every way they can because they know that exhausting and
dividing and disgusting us, that destroying our faith in our country and in
each other, is the only way to defeat us because it makes us less likely to
act. And, as the old adage says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing.”
We MUST fight against this, no matter how hard, no matter
what it takes. We must keep fighting, no matter how tired and repulsed we may
feel. We must stand tall and show that we love our republic, despite its
multitudinous flaws, and that nothing will ever dim this flame. The second we
stop fighting is the second tyranny succeeds.
Second, it is the dark moments, like this one, that help us
find the light. Our country was forged during some truly dark moments in
history, and it has seen no shortage of its own dark moments. But it is in
those moments that America shines brightest. It is in those moments, where our
resolve is tested to its extreme, that we show that we can hold, that we will
NEVER let this experiment die without a fight. We must affirm our love and
loyalty to this country, showing that we will defend this republic against the
fascist theocracy so many want to replace it with. America has survived grave
perils before, and it CAN survive this one, so long as we’re willing to fight
for her.
In December of 1776, as the Revolutionary War was in its
early, bloodstained days, at a time when it looked very likely that we would
lose, Thomas Paine wrote the following:
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer
soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service
of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of
man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this
consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the
triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only
that gives every thing [sic] its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price
upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as
FREEDOM should not be highly rated.” (emphasis not added)
We are in one of the times he described right now. Our country is in peril, and
we’re all faced with the choice between what is easy and what is right, a far
harder choice than we ever think it will be. We’re now faced with the choice
between democracy and Christofascism, between liberty and tyranny. And while
this should, on its face, be an easy decision, in this case, it isn’t; as was
once foretold, fascism has come to this country wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross. People claiming to be patriots and defenders of liberty are
in fact using these as trappings to shield their true goal: destroying
EVERYTHING we’ve spent nearly 250 years protecting.
It's up to us to stand against those who seek to destroy us,
to replace our democracy with Christofascism. It won’t be easy, and we’ll
likely have to make some VERY difficult decisions in the coming months. The
price of victory will be high, to be sure, but that’s what will make the
victory so much greater; it will unite us and create a new love for this
country and for democracy that we’ve not seen in many years, and that is the
point Paine was making. Sowing the seeds of victory and caring for them in the
coming months will be incredibly difficult, especially with the weeds of
fascism growing faster, thicker, and stronger than ever before, but if we put
in this work, then the fruit borne of these seeds, through our hard work, will
be sweeter than anything we can imagine.
And that is why I, despite feeling terrified of what may be
coming, despite it being more and more difficult to feel pride in being
American, still celebrate this day. Because I love my country, and I will
defend it any way I can. We must use this day to show our love for this country
by reaffirming our loyalty to her, and promising to fight against those who
would destroy her. We must stand opposed to them, no matter what they do our
say, because they are WRONG. That’s one of the most fundamental tenets of this
country, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence: we MUST stand up for
what we believe in, no matter what; the second we stop defending morality and
truth, tyranny is empowered. To quote Captain America, “This nation was founded
on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we
believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and
the whole WORLD tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree
beside the river of truth and tell the whole world – ‘No, YOU move.’”
We have a HELL of a fight ahead of us. But we CAN win this,
and that is truly what this day is about. Yes, it’s about celebrating our
independence from Britain 248 years ago, but it’s also about celebrating the
values that led to the creation of this incredible country, values that are
still worth fighting for. And we need to use this day to affirm that we will continue
to fight, with everything we’ve got, until the battle is won.
On this Fourth of July, we must all stand tall. We must all
affirm our love for this country and the values and freedoms we cherish. And we
must commit to defending them against those who seek to destroy, most especially
from within.
America has given us all so much. It’s time for us to step
up and give her back the same loyalty and love she has given us. She needs us,
now more than ever.
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