Fourth Of July

Celebrating The Real Meaning Of July 4–Promotion Of Freedom, Equality, And Democracy!

Ronald 2 Comments

Independence Day–July 4–is a holiday to celebrate the promotion of Freedom, Equality, and Democracy!

The 245th Independence Day is a sobering day, as the Republican Party is trying mightily to cover up the Fascist authoritarian attempt of Donald Trump and his treasonous and seditionist supporters to destroy the Constitution and rule of law, as they did on January 6, 2021, with the US Capitol Insurrection.

The Republican Party is also trying to destroy the ability of people of color to vote, something enshrined in the Constitution by the 15th Amendment in 1870, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The right wing Supreme Court, with five of the six conservatives appointed by Presidents who lost the popular vote, and the sixth one (Clarence Thomas) accused of sexual abuse, along with Brett Kavanaugh, has also worked to destroy the Voting Rights Act.

And the danger exists that if one Democratic Senator is unable to vote on any legislative action or were to pass away, the possibility of the Democrats losing control of the Senate to Mitch McConnell is a horrifying reality.

And were Stephen Breyer to continue to ignore the need for his retirement from the Supreme Court, to insure that Joe Biden can select his replacement before the midterm elections, the threat exists that the Republicans then, if not sooner, would gain control of the Senate, and we could face a 7-2 Court, instead of a 6-3 Court!

On this 158th Anniversary of the third and last day of that turning point of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, the tremendous sacrifices of the three day battle which insured the eventual victory of freedom over slavery, let us NOT forget that the battle to preserve freedom, equality and democracy goes on!

July 4th And Four Presidents

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July 4 is our national holiday, and many Americans are unaware of the fact that four Presidents are connected to the holiday.

Three Presidents died on July 4:

Thomas Jefferson in 1826 early in the day.

John Adams shortly before midnight in 1826, uttering that his writing pal Jefferson still survived, but he had died early on that day, which happened to be the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence they both participated in creating!

James Monroe in 1831, making him the third and last Founding Father to die on Independence Day.

And then, there is Calvin Coolidge, who was born on the 4th of July in 1872, 145 years ago!

Every 4th of July, this author wonders if any of the six living Presidents will join Jefferson, Adams, or Monroe in passing away, but it has never happened since 1831, and the odds are long against it happening on that precise day.

Instead, we have 93 year old George H. W. Bush; nearly 93 year old Jimmy Carter (on October 1); 71 year old George W. Bush (on July 6); 71 year old Bill Clinton (on August 19); 71 year old Donald Trump (reached on June 14); and 56 year old Barack Obama (on August 4).

Significant Fourths Of July, And The Most Important One Of All!

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It has been 238 years since the Declaration of Independence, declared in Philadelphia on this day in 1776.

Some of the Fourth of Julys that have followed have been more significant than others.

In 1801, the 25th anniversary, the nation celebrated the first turnover of government to the opposition being conducted successfully four months earlier, as Thomas Jefferson succeeded John Adams.

In 1826, the 50th anniversary, Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both intimately involved in the document’s formulation, died, during the administration of Adams’ son, John Quincy Adams.

In 1831, the 55th anniversary, President James Monroe died, marking three of the first five Presidents dying on Independence Day, but it has never occurred since then. This death occurred during the administration of Andrew Jackson.

In 1876, the nation celebrated its first century of independence during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant.

In 1901, the 125th anniversary, the nation celebrated the new century, during the administration of William McKinley.

In 1976, the bicentennial was celebrated during the administration of Gerald Ford.

In 2001, the 225th anniversary was celebrated during the administration of George W. Bush.

But none of these anniversaries mattered as much as July 4, 1863, the 87th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, fought the three previous days, and won on July 3 by the Union Army over the Confederacy, insured that the Union would be preserved, the ultimate purpose of Abraham Lincoln leading the nation into the Civil War in 1861. The last real chance of the South to win independence was lost, although the war continued for another 21 months.

So July 4, 1863 is more to be celebrated than any other July 4, and we must remain thankful that those who wanted to break up the United States were overcome. We must be ready to react against any threat of further secession put forth by right wing propagandists who want America to lose its whole purpose of creation, the establishment of a democracy which would be the beacon for people all around the world, who would want to come here and be part of the American experiment in freedom. It is immigration that makes, and has made, America the great nation that it is!

July 4th: Its Symbolism And The Egyptian Military Coup

Ronald 8 Comments

As we celebrate our freedom and liberty today on the 237th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, we are thankful for the fact that we have always had a constitutional government, based on the rule of law, and that we have never had the military intervene in our government, never had them interfere with our democratic system of government!

So therefore, anyone who believes in our system of government must be greatly alarmed at events in Egypt!

The overthrow of Mohammed Morsi by the Egyptian military is disturbing, and it should not matter over the fact that Morsi was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, as we are not going to be able to dictate to any sovereign nation that their leader cannot be a Muslim, even of an extremist element, as it is none of our business who they elect!

The important point here is that Morsi was elected in a free and fair election by the people of Egypt, and the only way to remove him is in a constitutional manner, not by the use of force by the military, which historically all over the world is anti democratic by nature!

Morsi was not imposed on the country, but rather ELECTED, and to remove him summarily is not acceptable, and Barack Obama, while realizing that nothing can be done by us regarding what has already happened, has rightfully called for a quick return of the rule of law and a new government elected by the people and totally transparent in the process of the election, which means the Muslim Brotherhood has to be allowed to compete, and if the people vote them in, so be it!

Seeing what has happened makes one concerned that just because there is discontent does not mean illegal means can be used to overthrow governments. One can be sure that there are right wing Tea Party elements who would love to overthrow our President, and figure if they were to demonstrate in the millions as in Egypt, that it might lead our military to break our Constitution and stage a coup against our legally elected leadership.

Thank goodness on this Fourth of July that we have always, through thick and thin, tolerated our leadership of government, and never resorted to attempts to overthrow our form of government, although there was a small scale such attempt, which fortunately went nowhere, against Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934. But our military has always understood that they are subservient to civilian government, and obey the President of the United States, no matter his party or views!

We have a record of 237 years to uphold, and we should always take the same stand of support for other nations, even if we do not like their leadership, as to do otherwise would be total hypocrisy!