The Fourth of July is Dead to Me

The date means nothing to me anymore.

I have too many disappointing thoughts swirling inside my head that I need to do a brain dump. The country I thought I lived in changed overnight, and I’m not a fan of where I will be waking up in the foreseeable future.

The Supreme Court voted 6–3 in Trump v. US (“US” being the United States, but I also read it as “us”) that the president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his constitutional authority, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts. In other words, America crowned its Presidents as kings.

This 4th of July and every more to come will forever ring hollow in my ears. It’s supposed to be a celebration of America’s freedom from the yoke of monarchy, but that noose has been once again placed around our necks and will slowly choke us into an airless grave. The Supreme Court was always going to be this country’s Achille’s heel, and its authoritarian capture by a supermajority of unelected conservative judges has finally taken America to where it was always headed. A nation founded on slavery can only travel so far before discovering that it’s always been going in circles. Alas, my fellow Americans, this is what it feels like to be owned.

I will never be able look at our country’s flag the same again. I was taught to revere the American flag, but now I view it as a contentious symbol associated with racism and disrespect.

Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts celebrated the Supreme Court immunity decision by saying: “We’re in the process of taking this country back… we ought to be really encouraged by what happened yesterday. Our side is winning. We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

The Heritage Foundation are the authors behind the Conservative Manifesto Project 2025, and this crowing of the US President as King is Step 1 in their multi-stepped plan for a Christofascist takeover. Of all the possible governmental styles to live under, Christofascism would be the last one I’d ever choose. Yet, this is where America is heading. Taliberica, here we come.

Recent Supreme Court decisions further embolden white Christian nationalism’s hateful, dangerous agenda. If you haven’t yet read Project 2025, this movement’s goals are clearly laid out, including dismantling democratic institutions, stripping away reproductive rights, infringing on civil liberties, codifying racism and bigotry, and demolishing the wall between church and state — all in effort to turn the US into a Christian theocracy.

So, how do we prevent America from sliding off this slippery slope? Well, we’re still technically a democracy, so we still retain the right to vote. Vote. Yeah, I know. It’s a total joke, but it’s all we got. Currently, our choices are between a criminal/sexual predator or not. That’s it. Either one nets us a Gerontocracy (a form of rule where the leaders are significantly older than most of the adult population), but at least one of them doesn’t collude with Russia.

Fuck. Biden has been bestowed with god-like powers, and he won’t use them. I get it. He’s not a king. America doesn’t have kings. However, the Supreme Law of the Land just said that we do! If Biden throws that crown onto the ground, someone else will pick it up and use it to their advantage. This country is so screwed.

Indeed, the Second American Revolution is upon us. The original Constitution penned by slaveholders has officially run its course. It’s time to close all the loopholes and draft a modern document that reflects the current age. There’s a million ways this country could do better. It’s time for America to have a true democracy where the majority actually rules.

Most of us don’t want this shit that’s being forced upon us. We don’t want to be ruled by old people, we don’t want gerrymandering or the electoral college, we don’t want lobbyists to corrupt the system, we don’t want corporations to be considered “people,” we don’t want climate change to be ignored, we don’t want women’s bodies to be legislated, we don’t want LGBTQ+, blacks, and immigrants to be marginalized, and we don’t want to fund endless wars and genocides. Furthermore, we want the environment to be protected, we want universal healthcare, we want college education and housing to be affordable, we want our retirement benefits to be there when we age, we want the ultra-rich to be taxed, we want gun violence to be addressed, and we want the police to be better trained, amongst other things. Moreover, we want our voices to be heard.

Bread and circuses. We’re too goddamn complacent. I used to wonder how Rome fell, but I don’t wonder anymore.

My travel memoir Time Traveled is available as e-book or paperback! Buy it either at Amazon or at most major retailers.