Today Marks the 250th Anniversary of the Start of the American Revolutionary War For Independence

  

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA

Yes, today officially marks a quarter of a millennium since the first battle that started the American Revolutionary War for Independence.

Yet, this feels like a strange time in the nation's history. I remember feeling proud of what seemed like a glorious history when I was a kid. To me, the American Revolution felt like the pinnacle of what the country could be, the ideals and actions we could strive for. Even today, this era remains a source of fascination for me.

But things feel very different today. It feels like we are actively losing our democracy right now, truth be told.

Now I, for one, am hardly in the mood to celebrate our independence. Not when we have a pretty blatant tyrant right in our own backyard, occupying the Oval Office. And let's face it, he has consistently been supported by and empowered by a very weak Congress, ruled by the Republican Party, which has, for all intents and purposes, become the de facto Trump party.

Precisely at the moment when Americans should value their freedoms the most, given that we now have reached the 250th anniversary of our war for independence from Great Britain and the tyrannical King George III, we collectively are throwing those very same freedoms, and that sense of independence from a tyrannical government, away. Flushing our clearly fragile American democracy down the toilet, if you will. This time, nobody is forcing us. With the laws existing in our country today, we have elected Trump and his MAGA agenda into power - twice, now.

Please excuse me if this sounds like....whatever, you want to label it as. If this sounds un-American to your ears, then so be it. If this sounds like I hate America, then whatever. 

All I know is that I valued the democracy that had existed, but seems now, at best, to be on critical life support. So far, Trump's second term has been worse - even far worse - than his first term. My expectations were admittedly not high to begin with, because I simply have no faith in this man. Yet, it feels like things are growing so much worse far more quickly than I even imagined. Congress has willingly yielded some considerable measure of it's power to this man, and done so without any kind of showdown that I could see. The purse strings of the budget traditionally fell under the umbrella of Congress. That was their responsibility. Now, it seems like Trump controls that. 

During his first term, Trump did a lot of damage. The instability felt like it exposed just how fragile our American democracy really was.

If his first term went a considerable distance to show just how fragile that democracy is, it seems like for this second term, the Trump administration is intent on killing off what is left of that American democracy. Again, Congress already gave away considerable amounts of its power, simply because that was what Trump wished. Now, Trump has consistently been ignoring the courts, which have remained surprisingly independent and have tried to exercise the traditional system of checks and balances specifically designed to keep any one branch of government - or any one man - from grabbing too much power. Yet, Trump is ignoring them. It feels like a Constitutional crisis is looking. Yet somehow, I am not entirely certain that it will not be a repeat of Congress. That in fact, nothing will happen. No crisis, no showdown. Just a de facto dictatorship establishing itself as above the law, and able to "disappear" people without their being able to exercise their Constitutional right to due process. 

So now, I am not celebrating. 

Sure, I will mark this occasion as a historical marker. It certainly is worth noting, because this is a major event. 

But I will specifically not be one of those typical superpatriots, beating their chest at how great this country is. Because the more MAGA pounces on what they perceive to be proof that they are making America great again, the more it seeems that the things which I felt made the United States stand out in positive ways are being eroded. Indeed, our rights are being eroded, even canceled, right before our eyes. Instead of outrage, it feels like we collectively are sitting by and watching it from our phones. Perhaps disliking some news story that sounds bad, but not doing muhc of anything beyond that.

Frankly, it just feels like there is less and less to celebrate in and about these United States these days.

Sorry if I am not reacting to this anniversary in any kind of a celebratory mood, or setting off fireworks. Just my take on things right now, given the current state of our very fragile democracy as I see it..