[Un] Happy 4th of July?

I wish I could say with certainty that we have a 100 more Independence Day celebrations ahead of us, but at the moment, things look a little bleak for our Republic.  This doesn’t mean I’m necessarily pessimistic.  Dissent and disagreement are part of the American DNA, and we have demonstrated a large capacity for healing and renewal and I don’t want to underestimate our capacity to do that.  But this year, there are troubling signs that are different than many of the things I have seen in my lifetime, and I will list some that I find disturbing.

1.      False or uncorroborated claims.   This really began with the Clarence Thomas hearings and has accelerated over the past half decade or so.  It took root on college campuses with the Title IX cases under which sexual assault claims are filed months after the supposed incident, are tried by university administrators (not courts of law) and exonerating evidence is kept out of the procedure. Most recently, it reared its ugly head during the Kavanaugh hearings, and reached absurd levels with the Jussie Smollett incident.  Now, AOC has leveled false claims regarding ICE officers and the immigrant detention facilities.  Fortunately, the victims of these false claims have begun to fight back in the courtroom as they have in the Gibson’s Bakery case and the Covington case.  Still, the New Left has weaponized these false claims of racism or sexual assault. 

2.      The Woke Corporation.  Most recently and obscenely demonstrated by Nike’s decision to pull its line of shoes sporting a Betsy Ross flag when Colin Kaepernik. But it is only the most recent.  Dick’s Sporting Goods jumped into the 2^nd Amendment fray and stopped selling certain types of guns.  Walmart raised the age limit for buying guns to 21.  Bank of America denied payment processing to gun manufacturers.  Gillette’s ad campaign lectured us about “toxic masculinity.”  Nike also did a Nike Sport Hijab, piously rolling out an ad campaign to sell probably about two dozen of them.  Of course, the most woke is Starbucks which has needle disposal units, opened its bathrooms to everyone, and announced that it would hire illegals.  I stick with Dunkin' now and get served coffee by a cheerful, enthusiastic young African American woman rather than a surly hipster.

3.      Our representatives no longer represent US citizens.  Last year Dick Durbin announced that he was working full time for DACA kids.  How about us in Illinois,  Dick?  Don’t you think we have some problems to be solved?  It is clear that Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are CAIR’s representatives in Congress.  This madness reached a crescendo last week when ALL of the Democratic presidential candidates supported providing FREE health care to illegals.  One outraged small business owner said to me, “Since Obamacare, I can’t even afford my own health care.  Now I’m supposed to work even harder and sell more stuff to provide health care for someone from Guatemala?”  This affirmative decision to represent the interests of the citizens of other nations and make the interests of US citizens subordinate is rot to the Republic.

4.      Not accepting ballot outcomes and ballot monkey business.  Hillary Clinton for months did not accept the outcome of 2016.  She manufactured dozens of excuses and then the Left began its push for the elimination of the Electoral College (which in my view would tear apart the Republic permanently).  Stacey Abrams continues to assert that she won her election in Georgia.   The ballot harvesting and lack of controls in Broward county were astonishing.  It will be nearly impossible to keep illegals from voting.  Not accepting outcomes and ballot monkey business threaten or electoral system.

5.      Finally, and most perniciously is the constant threat of violence from the New Left that is countenanced by politicians and the MSM.  It crept in with Black Lives Matter, chanting for the death of police officers (and Obama subsequently met with their representatives in the White House).  Maxine Waters called for harassing Trump administration people.  Conservatives have been doxed and threatened.  A mob showed up at Tucker Carlson’s home.  Sarah Huckabee Sanders was harassed in a restaurant.  Antifa has been the most notorious and has been permitted to gather, damage property and commit violence—and echo of Weimar Germany, most recently attacking and severely injuring journalist Andy Ngo, while the Portland mayor sat on his hands.  The Left excused the play depicting the Trump murder scene in Central Park and Kathy Griffin’s stunt with a beheaded Donald Trump as ‘artistic expression’ but that continues to deteriorate into real violence and threats of real violence.

I’m not part of the gloom crew.  We’ve gotten through Shays’ Rebellion, Bloody Kansas, the turbulent 60’s, and of course, the great Civil War.  We have a long history of squabbling and even brawling and finding a way to hang in there together.  But these are real challenges and need to be addressed if we are to be celebrating the 4^th 50 years from now.