Independence Day

247th Anniversary Of American Independence, And Nation’s Democracy Is Endangered!

Ronald 1 Comment

Today is the 247th Anniversary of American Independence, and with only three years until the Semiquincentennial of our nation’s history, American democracy is in great danger!

The threat that Donald Trump might return to the White House and promote revenge and fascist demagoguery is horrifying, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also presents a “clear and present danger” to our nation, with his attacks on the rights of women, racial minorities, gays and transgender people, and his promotion of an extremist Christianity and authoritarianism that represents great harm!

The Supreme Court is the most extreme in a century, taking away basic human rights that were extended by earlier Supreme Courts, but now effectively robbing Americans of rights they have worked so hard to attain!

Many state legislatures are undermining the right to vote, and interfering with education, health care, and at the same time expanding gun rights leading to mass murders with no regulations of who can have what firearms in their possession!

Just as Abraham Lincoln was in the right place at the right time in the 1860s; and Franklin D. Roosevelt in the right place at the right time in the 1930s and early 1940s; so is Joe Biden today’s equivalent of what is needed to preserve democracy!

The efforts must be made to assure that Biden can continue his good deeds after two and a half years in office, and overcome the many crises the nation faces, the most dangerous since the 1960s, and in many ways on the level of the 1860s and 1930s-1940s!

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!

Donald Trump Uses Independence Day To Promote A Culture War Rather Than Unite Us!

Ronald 3 Comments

President Donald Trump spent Independence Day promoting a culture war, rather than uniting us on our national patriotic holiday.

He demonstrated that promoting the retention of Confederate statues, monuments and symbols is more important than convincing Americans of the need to wear masks and promote public health and safety.

He applauds the law enforcement community and the military, while ignoring the horrible record of law enforcement toward racial minorities. He also claims that evidence of Russian payments to the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers is a hoax, rather than stand up to Vladmir Putin as part of promoting national security and protection of Americans fighting overseas.

As with his Inaugural in 2017, Trump promotes darkness, pessimism, fear, conspiracy theories, and demonstrates his total lack of understanding of totalitarian leaders who undermine American democracy.

He does not even know what Fascism is, when he speaks about “left wing Fascism”, when any expert who is not a right wing extremist knows that Fascism refers to right wing totalitarianism, such as Benito Mussolini of Italy, Adolf Hitler of Germany, Juan Peron of Argentina, and Francisco Franco of Spain, among others. While all of them might at some point seemed to appeal to so called “Socialists”, all worked to undermine, persecute, and torture and kill those groups on the Left, all of which vehemently opposed them.

Donald Trump’s aim is only to divide and conquer, and to spread lies and deceit, including making his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton out to be a monster, a crook, an extremely corrupt and tainted person, much like he is now attempting to portray Joe Biden as the same. And the reason for this is that both Clinton and Biden are connected to Barack Obama, which brings out the total, maniacal, and racist hatred of Trump for his predecessor.

Not Much To Be Happy About On Independence Day 2020

Ronald 5 Comments

Tomorrow, America celebrates the 244th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but there is not much to be happy about.

We are precisely four months away from the most important election since 1940, and the fear is that, somehow, Donald Trump, will manage to fix an election, where every public opinion poll imaginable shows him losing in every single “swing” state, and not by close margins in most of these states.

A constitutional crisis is likely, and the country is so stressed that it could lead to bloodshed and violence, possibly endangering Joe Biden, and whoever is his running mate for Vice President, about a month away from announcement.

The challenge for Joe Biden is massive, not only to win, but to govern in an effective way, starting January 20, 2021.

The most important thing is for every American to take his or her responsibility, and get out there and vote, and encourage everyone he or she knows to do the same, as lack of voting only helps the most dangerous and unhinged President in our history!

The Abuses Of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) And Border Patrol Agents Is Outrageous!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is now clear that there are a multitude of agents who work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and for the Border Patrol, who are abusing migrant women and children in Texas and Florida and elsewhere, including verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, including the deaths of at least six children.

There is racism, misogyny, and sexual abuse going on, and these agents do not speak foreign languages, and ignore the sufferings of children who will be scarred for life by their horrible experiences.

Most of these people have tried to escape from bloodshed, persecution, violence, and abuse in their Central Americans nations, and yet are being denied the right to apply for asylum, and are now living through a literal nightmare often worse than what they escaped.

This is an outrage, against the Bill of Rights and condemns Donald Trump as the worst abuser of civil rights and liberties of any President of the United States.

The racism, nativism, misogyny, white supremacy, and purely disgusting human behavior being seen and reported is a scar on the American nation, and there is a dire need for a quick firing of at least a large portion of ICE and the Border Patrol, and a rapid reorganization of those agencies, which are presently perceived as Nazi and Fascist in their image and actions.

On July 4, Independence Day, this horrific situation is a stain on the American celebration of its 243rd birthday!

Ronald Reagan, in his last speech as President a day before he retired from the Presidency in 1989, glowed about the virtues of immigration, which he said had made us a greater and stronger nation, and he spoke of the glory of the Statue of Liberty, representing open arms for the refugees from all nations, escaping bloodshed, persecution, and oppression, and starting a new life in the haven on earth known as America!

It is a certainty that Ronald Reagan, the paragon of conservatism, would be appalled at what Donald Trump has done on immigration, and the fact that the Republican Party officeholders have nothing to say, condemns all of them to the garbage heap of history, as having stood by and ignored the massive violation of human rights, and actual war crimes being committed by ICE and the Border Patrol, by criminal elements that have bragged about and ridiculed the sufferings of innocent men, women and children on Facebook.

One can be sure that Karma will visit these evil forces, and eventually, many will be held accountable as among the worst elements ever to exist in American government in modern times!

The Trump Military Parade On Independence Day A Mockery Of American Liberty, Democracy, And Freedom

Ronald 8 Comments

It is totally preposterous and disgraceful that Donald Trump is insisting on wasting tax dollars for a military parade on Independence Day in Washington, DC.

There has never been a national military parade on any holiday, and to use July 4th as an opportunity to promote his own grandeur is obscene beyond belief.

It also could damage the roads of the capital city, and makes Independence Day a political event, when it is supposed to be a moment of celebrating American liberty.

Holding such a parade copies what is done in totalitarian nations, and we do not need to flaunt our military might on the day that represents freedom and democracy.

Hopefully, the turnout will be lower than normal, and the networks should not televise his political speech, glorifying his disgraceful violations of civil liberties, including the disgrace of the mistreatment of migrant women and children at our southern borders.

Independence Day 2018: The Greatest Crisis In American History, With Evidence Of Russian Collusion In Our Government

Ronald 7 Comments

Today is Independence Day, the 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

America has gone through many crises and challenges over those 242 years.

But now we face the reality of what is the greatest crisis in our years of independence, with evidence of Russian collusion in our government, and likely continuing into the future.

This is not a conspiracy theory, but reality, as even the Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, under the leadership of North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr, asserts, with the entire committee unanimous in its conclusion that the intelligence agencies and national security apparatus has been accurate in its assessment.

Donald Trump is clearly a traitor, undermining our democracy and our history of proud independence, and ready to sell America down the river.

And yet his party, with a few exceptions, remains unwilling to face the challenge presented by Donald Trump, and the damage he is doing to our national security, foreign policy, and alliance system with the nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has promoted a stable world since the end of World War II.

There are widespread feelings of despair and hopelessness being expressed, including when this blogger gives lectures on public affairs and history to groups all over South Florida.

Many feel the country is being destroyed by a vehement base of ignorant, prejudiced, and clueless people who fail to see the damage that has been done by Donald Trump in the three years since he announced his candidacy.

But the nation and its good majority cannot give up, must resist in every way possible, and restore our democracy and heritage, so that our children and grandchildren can live in a land still affected by the vision of the Founding Fathers in the 18th century!

The 4th Of July In The Trump Era: America Has Lost Its Way!

Ronald 8 Comments

Today is the 241st anniversary of Independence Day, declared in 1776.

America was a great experiment in being a republic, and over the nearly two and a half centuries since, America ended slavery; opened its arms to scores of immigrants from all over the world; expanded the right to vote to all citizens over time, no matter what race, religion, nationality, or gender they were; promoted a social safety net; and expanded public education to all.

The Constitution was expanded to face modern realities; and both major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, contributed to the advancement of tolerance and justice and equal opportunity; and the Supreme Court became a body that dealt with expansion of civil liberties and civil rights.

There were many detours along the road to today, but overall, progress was made, and a sense of optimism reigned.

And then, September 11 occurred, and the nation’s politics veered from one viewpoint to another and then to what is now present, a dark view of our nation, its people, and the world.

We live in the Trump era, which is in process of delaying, deleting, and destroying so much progress that has been accomplished in the 20th and early 21st centuries.

We are seeing race, religion, ethnicity and gender being used in an abusive manner to take away basic civil liberties, civil rights, common decency, and a sense of civility.

We are seeing the wealthy becoming the most stratified group in American history, and the middle class, created in the 20th century, destroyed, and the poor being treated in a shabby fashion.

One political party, the Republicans, has become the party of negativism, hatred, prejudice, and pure nastiness, and we have seen the shift of the Supreme Court toward a hard right conservatism that brings back memories of the Gilded Age Supreme Court.

It is as if we are in a time warp, and have reverted to 140 years ago!

So while we celebrate our national holiday, we have a lot to mourn, and it MUST make all of us determined to fight and resist with all our abilities combined, to resolve this crisis in a constitutional manner, with the removal of Donald Trump from the Presidency, as a tyrant and authoritarian figure who has met his match with our Constitutional remedy!

Happy 239th Birthday, America! Lots Of Work To Do For A Better And “More Perfect Union”!

Ronald 4 Comments

It is hard to believe that we have reached the 239th birthday of the United States, as the author can well remember the bicentennial in 1976, when Gerald Ford was President.

We have come a long way as a nation, but we still have a lot of work to do, including, in no special order:

Working to overcome racism, nativism, misogyny, and homophobia, too widespread in our great nation

Improving our economy so that there are real opportunities for the “American Dream”, and the revival of the middle class, but also concern and action for the poor among us

Dealing with the reality of environmental threats to our planet, and not allowing the deniers of climate change to destroy our future

Coming to grips with foreign threats, particularly, but not only, Islamic terrorism, but realizing the great dangers from domestic terrorism that have caused more deaths and incidents than any other cause of harm to Americans

Working against the promotion of mythology through religion, undermining the truths of science and history

These are the unfinished work that faces America in its future, and the movement toward “a more perfect union”!

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!