ROCKETS RED GLARE, BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR

I went to bed last night to the sounds of simulated war and it will only be 1000 times worse tonight.

Big firework displays can be exciting and beautiful. At-home fireworks are merely loud and potentially dangerous. All fireworks can be terrifying for some humans and non-humans. And think of what they represent -- rockets red glare; bombs bursting in air -- war.

The American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were horrific, as all wars are. We won our freedom twice, the second time getting a National Anthem out of it; yet we were also warned by those framers of the Constitution that this freedom is fragile and not guaranteed. Forces from within could just as well bring it down as could those from outside.

From the National Constitution Center:

    There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created.  His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it."  The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement  of the people for their continued good heatlh.

I want to keep our republic. Shockingly, some don't. It's a difficult 4th of July. I want to join in with the "Happy 4th!" festivities, but it rings a false note for me this year. So, I'm not really participating in the holiday with the usual parades, picnics, and flag waving. If I hang it at all, I may hang my flag with solemnity, with determination, with the promise to do what I can do this year to ensure we still have a working democracy next year.

Our political reality is a mess. The country is deeply and angrily divided. There is a chasm between those who believe in the values of inclusion, diversity, and equality; those who care for our dying planet; those who vision a future where there is a way forward where an extractive economy gives way to one that regenerative; those who believe that decent people can run for office and are applauded for their efforts, respected for having perhaps different ideas on how to achieve the best for all, but who still can work together to achieve it; those who believe leaders should follow the rules and norms of civil society, with a caring, generous heart -- and those on the other side, who have an entirely different idea of America.

The Republican Party has become a party walking the edge of Fascism. Its leader is a man devoid of human decency, now a convicted felon and serial sexual abuser, who blusters, bullies, and lies constantly, has no real vision for our country except to make it in his own image, where selfishness and tribalism exclude and denigrate and punish any who deviate from his proscribed wishes and who just disagree with him. He has repeated his lies so often in such a loud and forceful voice, preying upon fears and frustrations and grudges among many Americans, that they have come to believe his view of America and his sole power to fix it as he says they should want it to be -- divided and angry, but with a "strong" (bullying/violence prone) leader to give them what they think they want -- punishment to any who feel they've wronged them, "membership" in a club that bullies and bellows but gets nothing substantive done, and a nation so damaged that generations will pass before it rights itself, if ever.

If he wins, what they will get is the demise of democracy, a rapidly depleted planet upon which to live, the end of the rule of law, an economy that gives to the rich and even more so than now, robs the middle class and poor.

It makes me beyond sad that so many Americans support him. I cannot fathom that. I believe that differences in policy are good for us, to debate, compromise, decide a way forward. But moral character and good intentions, respect and humility are important too. When all of that is lacking, the way forward takes on a very different tenor, a very different vision, resulting in a very different world in which my grandchildren will grow up.

I am taking time this 4th of July to seriously consider and commit to a very specific list of things I can do to work toward keeping our republic. For this election could very well signal the end of it. Already our three co-equal branches of government have been corrupted by an ideology that places the President above the law, stalls any movement on legislation, and ensures the continuing gulf between Americans that may not be healed for decades.

I'm just one person; it feels overwhelming. No one can do everything but everyone can do something. I'll find the somethings I can do. How about you?

At least, that's the view from here..©

Photo Credit: www. pixabay.com