Independence Day

As of today our country is just one year short of a quarter-millennium old.  In that time, it has come through a lot.  Its democracy and the Constitutional system have survived threats like the 1812 invasion and the Civil War, far graver than anything we face today.  And, yes, there have been crimes and dark episodes in our history -- slavery, the Trail of Tears, the Jim Crow era -- again, far more atrocious than any of the evils of the present moment. Yet through it all, people of good will have resisted and overcome the forces of darkness.  The positive progress of the last few generations -- the extension of meaningful voting and civil rights to women and black Americans, the end of military conscription, decriminalization and equal marriage rights for gay people -- is well worth celebrating.

No upward curve is perfectly smooth.  There have always been setbacks along the way -- we're living through one with the current presidential term, though not one of the more serious ones by historical standards.  Yet the overall trend of that 249 years is clear.

And always remember that we are not as divided as the media make it seem.  Two-thirds of Americans are sick and tired of the polarization, the demonization of opponents, the yelling and screaming and insults, the "everything I don't like is Hitler" mentality, that dominate so much of American political discourse now.  The hysterical lunatics shrieking "fascist!" or "communist!" at everybody who disagrees with their own viewpoint are making the most noise, but they are fringe minorities.  We will overcome them.  Americans of earlier generations overcame much worse things.

Most modern countries are ethnostates, the political expression of a particular ethnic group on its historic territory, defined by a shared culture and language.  The US is not.  What defines us is this:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

.....no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Here's a suggestion for Independence Day:  take some time away from the vulgar distractions of mall sales and fireworks and actually read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  They are both quite short, and most people could benefit from deeper grounding in what makes this country what it is.  The flag is a symbol; the Constitution is the substance.