Empty Words?

02/07/24 05:57
Independence - 1July 2, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 29) - How many times have you stood erect, hand on heart facing the flag, and recited these words: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?" A better question is: Did you mean it when you said it? I'd like to think that most people did - and still do. However, based on the prevalence of American nationalism among millions of our fellow citizens and their loyal adherence to a convicted felon who brags he'd be a dictator on his first day in office, I have my doubts. It was 248 years ago in the very room pictured above, that the Continental Congress dared to proclaim under penalty of death that "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." I ask my MAGA friends, do you still believe these immortal words penned by Thomas Jefferson? And do you believe in the nation's Constitution, which was first written and adopted in this very same room? The presumptive nominee of the Republican Party - the same party created 170 years ago to secure the rights of all people - has made it clear that he does not believe that, as president, he can be restrained by any court or constitutional precedent. That, despite the fact that he has taken, and may do so again, an oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution." Add to that the horrific ruling this week by the U.S. Supreme Court that gives presidents immunity for prosecution for "official acts" while in office. It is the most dangerous precedent that court has ever set, one that essentially makes presidents de facto dictators. As a result of this and other politically-partisan rulings, the Trump-infected Supreme Court has lost touch with and the support of the American people. That is what makes a Democratic Party victory in November's election so imperative. I cannot remember an Independence Day with as much doubt for the survival of our nation as this one. If we cannot take this annual observance of our nation's birth to reaffirm the values the Founders put forth on the day our nation was born, then we are truly facing the "American carnage" Failure 45 declared in his 2017 inaugural address. During last week's presidential debate, the felon who would be president described the United States as a "failing nation." Do you believe that? I don't. I believe the First Felon's words are less a description of our nation than they are an attempt at a self-fulfilling prophecy. On Independence Day 2024, our nation is at a crossroads. Will we follow the path of adherence to the nation's founding values first articulated in the room pictured above or will we blindly follow a man whose only belief is those things that will benefit himself? As you ponder how you will vote in November, ask yourself if the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are living documents that should guide this nation, or are they just empty words on faded parchment? That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Independence Hall photo by David Guth, 2007.