OrangeVerse (LXV): America's 250th Birthday

The weather-delayed main event on July 4th in DC was the detonation and launch of some 850,000 fireworks, the most bigly fireworks display (for entertainment purposes, anyway) in our nation's 250 years, maybe longer. 

Preceding that? A speech by the FOTUS; fortunately, the weather not only delayed his appearance, but shortened it to an almost tolerable 40 minutes, compared to the threatened dictator-like hours-long ramble.

Trump's speech featured heroes, patriotic imagery, and villains. The heroes, which I'll feature in a Sidebar, were impressive. The patriotism and the villains are where I found the poetry. Note that these are all his words, but not all of his words - it's not a transcript. Rather, it's my re-punctuated capture of his main themes.  

Free Verse, 250 Years in the Making

This country is the home of freedom. 

This is the land of liberty, 

and this is a flag

 that's the banner of the most extraordinary, 

most exceptional, most incredible nation 

ever to exist on the face of the earth.

 

And we're doing better now than 

we've ever done before.

No people have done more good, 

shown more courage, 

made more progress, 

righted more injustice or 

achieved more greatness 

than you, 

the American people.

For 250 years, the United 

States of America has been 

the hope, the promise, the light, and the glory 

among all of the 

nations of the world. 

All over the world 

they try and be like us. 

Nobody can be like us. 

Here on our National Mall, we're celebrating 

freedom's triumph over tyranny, 

liberty's conquest over oppression

 and the enduring victory of 

the American spirit 

from the July 4th, 1776 to July 4th, 2026. 

Big dates. That's big dates. Two big ones.

And tonight our country

is stronger, freer, richer, safer, 

and prouder than ever before.

But it all started 

with the miracle of history that lives 

forever in the heart of every single patriot.

In Philadelphia, our founding fathers 

summoned the courage of giants 

and the wisdom of centuries 

to boldly proclaim these timeless truths. 

They declared that all men are created equal.

That they are endowed with sacred, 

unalienable rights by the hand of our creator.

And that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

 

In signing their names to the roster of freedom, 

those 56 patriots put everything at risk, 

stepped onto the stage of destiny and 

seized a victory for the ages. 

And that's what it was. 

And this is an evening for the ages, 

I believe. This is something very special. 

This is bigger than if we didn't have the lightning blaring. 

We had lightning blaring, but this is bigger. 

Little more inconvenient, but it's bigger. 

I think in its own way 

it's more beautiful.

From the beginning, 

we were a nation that lived 

by the motto victory or death, 

and live free or die.

One out of every 100 

Americans gave their lives 

in the fight for independence 

to remind us of who these heroes were 

and what they gave us.

 These are the real flags.

These are flags that have seen a lot. 

These were the Stars and Stripes 

that flew triumphant when the British waved 

the white flag of surrender at Yorktown. 

That was a big surrender. 

Nobody thought that was possible.

They were the greatest power of the world,

and they surrendered, and that was the beginning.

Ever since, the entire world has been on notice

 that Americans will never let anyone 

take our freedom away. 

Won't happen.

And all these talks 

from the communists, 

they haven't got a chance. 

Not even a chance.

We don't want 

communists 

in our country.

Never worked, 

and it never will work. 

Americans must never forget 

that we are a historic and

 heroic people with a 

heroic spirit and a 

heroic purpose 

on this beautiful 

earth of ours.

We are 

made 

of the 

courage 

and the fire 

and the flesh 

and the blood 

of the best and 

the bravest people

this world has ever 

produced. 

Our founders not only won 

our liberty, they secured it 

with the most righteous 

political document

 ever conceived. It's called the 

Constitution of the United States. 

Very special.

And it's 

because of their 

genius that we remain

 the finest people on the planet 

after 250 years.

Unlike so many 

others in the world, 

in this country, 

we have freedom of speech, 

freedom of religion, 

equal justice under the law, 

although I wasn't treated that well, 

but we won't get into that.

 And the right to keep and bear arms. 

And for the almost six years 

that I was president,

I guarded very, 

very powerfully 

your Second Amendment, 

and they didn't do a thing to it, 

and it was not easy. 

But we guard your 

Second Amendment. 

We guard it very, very 

strongly and cautiously.

Across the generations 

Americans have 

fought, 

bled 

and 

died 

not just to secure 

those rights, 

but to expand them 

to citizens 

of every 

race, 

religion, 

color 

and creed 

because we 

are one people. 

We are 

one family.

And as our 

Declaration of Independence 

tells us, we are all made 

in the image of 

one Almighty God.

And a communist 

will never say that. 

Americans expanded

the blessings of freedom, 

and we have never stopped expanding 

our ambitions and our dreams. 

We had the American dream. 

We never had the American dream, 

however, like we have it right now. 

The American dream is 

back, very strong, 

beautiful.

Our rise

 to being the world's strongest 

and most powerful nation was no accident 

of history. We rebuilt our military in my first term. 

We use it a little bit in our... Well, actually, I should say 

third term, but I won't do that 

because I don't want any controversy.

But we use it and 

we've had tremendous success. 

You look at Venezuela,

 you look at Iran, 

we wiped it out, 

wiped out their military.

Americans 

crossed the Great Plains, 

scaled the Rockies, we just tamed 

the wilderness and conquered the frontier 

and built the empire, it's called the Empire of Liberty. 

We laid down the railroads, raised up the skyscrapers, 

those beautiful skyscrapers and dug out the Panama Canal, 

considered the eighth wonder of the world, 

which everyone said was an impossible thing to do. 

And by the way, 38,000 Americans died to

give us one of the greatest engineering feats of all time

 the Panama Canal.

This was the unstoppable spirit that created the world's

most powerful industries and built 

the strongest military anyone had ever seen. 

And today, it is stronger and more powerful than

 it ever was before.

Americans won the West and built

the modern world because America 

is a nation of winners. 

And today our country is winning again, 

and we're winning like never before.

America is back,

 and we want to 

keep America great. 

And we will do so by approving the Save America Act, 

which means all voters must show voter ID. 

All voters must provide a little thing called proof of citizenship.

And there will be no mail-in ballots, 

except for illness, disability, 

military deployment or travel.

And you won't have 

cheating on the elections anymore. 

It's very simple. 

Together, 

we are also reasserting the truth

that American strength and power is not 

something to be ashamed of. It is something that we 

are very, very proud of. This country has been

 the greatest force for peace 

and justice on earth. 

In the last century, we defeated tyrants, 

demolished evil and saved freedom again and again and again.

So, ladies and gentlemen,

these are the fighters and the banners 

of the greatest generation. 

They are the greatest generation. 

I hate to admit that, but they are. 

They saved the world and they made 

America very, very proud. 

We are very proud of you here us all. 

And after we vanquished fascism, 

Americans stood against the evil of communism in the Cold War. 

And as I said last night at the beautiful Mount Rushmore,

what a beautiful place where 

Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt loomed 

over my shoulder as I spoke.

 America will never be a communist country. 

Won't happen. Communism is a loser and it always will be.

The communist system is

the opposite of the American system

 and the communist system has never worked. 

Our warriors did not fight communism 

on battlefields across the world only to have that menace 

rear its ugly head right back here in America. 

We're not going to let it happen. 

We like to stop a threat like that immediately 

and before it begins. 

It's like a cancer. 

You got to cut it out. You got to cut it out fast. 

Congratulations and thank you

for being here very much. 

And from the now safe and beautiful capital of Washington. 

Think of it. Washington DC, our capital. 

Our capital is now safe, gleaming and beautiful again. 

It's safe again.

Went from a very unsafe place two years ago 

to one of the safest cities in the country 

and one of the most beautiful 

to the gleaming waters of the Gulf of America.

 

There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome. 

There is no place we cannot go. 

There is no goal we cannot reach and 

there is nothing that Americans cannot do. 

And we're proving that right now. 

Our stock market is the strongest it's ever been. 

We have $19.2 trillion being invested in our country, 

which is six times more than ever happened before. 

We're building more factories in the United States t

han ever before. Everyone's 401(k)s 

are at the highest number they've ever been.

And more people are working today in the United States 

than any time in the history of our country. 

But in this country, 

we can achieve the wildest 

and most impossible dreams. 

And no dream in history

 is bigger or more incredible 

than the one that started on July 4th, 1776. 

The war for independence was launched

 by minutemen, farmers, blacksmens, tradesmen 

who took up their muskets against

 the mightiest army on earth, 

most powerful army and 

unbeatable army until they met us. 

No one made them do it. 

They fought because they knew 

that a free people must have a free country over 250 years. 

The world has seen the great empires, vast kingdoms, 

mighty nations and terrible tyrants. 

They came and they went. 

But after two and a half centuries, 

this American republic still stands tall and strong 

and we love each other. 

That show tonight, you heard it was over and what happened? 

You came back. 

And this American flag still waves 

proud and free and beautiful. 

We have thrived and flourished 

because our founders were great. 

Our cause was just 

our people are brave. 

Our culture is exceptional 

and our destiny is written 

by God. 

And as we can see here tonight,
after 250 years, the spirit of 1776 still lives within us all. 

It still roars in the hearts of our nation's capital.

It still burns in the heart of every patriot,

thunders through every city and town and

 it still lights the entire world 

with the glow of American liberty. 

And there is nothing like that. 

At 250 years old, we may be the oldest 

constitutional republic on earth, 

but our country is just getting started 

because the best is yet to come. 

On this 250th 4th of July

we declared just as they did 

two and a half centuries ago 

that for our country and for our children 

and for the cause of liberty, 

we are going to take our country to new levels,

to levels not reached. 

We're going to make it bigger, better, stronger, 

and we're going to love it even more.

Four Former Presidents on America at 250

In my post on Independence Day, I offered some thoughts on our country's semiquincentennial; here's a snippet.

I believe in our founding principles of equality and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. I believe we are a nation of immigrants. That includes my ancestor who came over on the Mayflower and the rest who started our various family lines here, and in my opinion, we need to remain one going forward. We are a nation of resisters, too, and need to remain one.

I believe we can continue our experiment and grow our nation, and that someone, somehow, will rise to the occasion, motivate all of us to become better Americans, and bring us back from what so often feels like the brink of disaster, if "man is indeed the rational, moral creature, capable of self-control for the greater good," as most thought in 1776, and as I remember most did in 1976 when I graduated high school.

In today's post, I've pulled together excerpts from the statements shared by our four former presidents, folks who fought for and gained the Oval Office, and who tried to lead us forward to what our founders envisioned - a more perfect union. I've linked their full statements as well, and yes, I'll do a deeper dive into the current president's thoughts in a separate post. 

First up? Bill Clinton. This excerpt follows comments on some of the day's hot topics, including ICE, war, the weaponization of the government, our history being rewritten, and what he calls "socialism for the super-rich."

Our Founders were wise when they gave us our mission to form a more perfect union.  They knew America would never be perfect but could always be better. That’s what they meant by “more perfect.”  We’ve done that by being courageous enough to acknowledge our flaws and missteps—and then bold enough to leave them behind for brighter tomorrows.

That’s the lesson of our first 250 years: we can always do better. In how we treat one another, in person and online; in building a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities; and in standing up, showing up, and speaking out for our democracy.

There is still nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what’s right with America. We see it in the people lining up to vote, no matter how hard some may try to prevent them. We see it in those bringing groceries to their neighbors, donating to charities in record numbers, and serving their country and communities in countless ways. And we see it in the immigrants eager to bring their talents, hard work, and dreams to our country.

So today, celebrate the miracle that has brought us this far. I know I will, because I love my country so much. Then tomorrow, wake up, and ask yourself what part you will play to keep making our union more perfect by keeping our country in the future business. We owe that much to those who struggled and sacrificed to bring us this far, and to our children and grandchildren who soon will inherit that future.

Next? George W. Bush. His thoughts were released in a question-and-answer form, with the questions designed to elicit positive responses - and there is nothing wrong with taking a purely optimistic outlook on where we are today. 

What unites our country as we celebrate 250 years?  I view the freedoms that we cherish, the freedom to worship the way you want to worship, the freedom for the press to hold the powerful to account, the freedom to vote, the freedom to realize dreams as values that can unite us as we head for the next 250 years.

What gives you hope for our next 250 years? One of the facets of our society that is overlooked too often is the fact that there are many people, particularly the young, who are willing to help a neighbor in need, who man homeless shelters or help with soup kitchens without the government telling them to do so. They’re motivated by love of their fellow citizens. It is what I call the “armies of compassion.” I’m pleased to report the “armies of compassion” remain strong today, and so long as they do remain strong, I’m very optimistic about the future of the next generation.

What will our future success require? The next 250 years require Americans to be citizens, not spectators. [It] requires Americans to take an active interest in the health and welfare of our country and the communities in which they live, the schools, and the churches. It requires Americans to vote, to be involved in the democratic process. You may not like the outcomes of the elections, but one should focus on the fact that the capacity to vote to determine our country’s future is a powerful freedom, which we should honor.

Next? Barack Obama. This excerpt followed his thoughts on the Declaration of Independence, born of revolution, and its promises to the people of equality, freedom, and our rights.

It had not been done before, and the success of this experiment was never a given. In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration's promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property, but in drafting a constitution and a bill of rights, they did have the foresight to provide us with a framework that allows each generation to make our union more perfect.

And over more than two centuries, through petitions and protests, marches and strikes, moral appeals from the pulpit and conversations at the family dinner table, men and women from all walks of life of every color, every faith, and every region took up the cause of democracy and made it their own, until "We the people" came to include not just some of us, but all of us.

Now we can't get complacent - we still have so much work to do to protect our democracy and build a future that is more equitable for all.

Finally, Joe Biden. After musing on founding the country on an idea, rather than things like geography or ethnicity - and how that's what makes America exceptional - he noted that over the course of our history, we've had to keep choosing the idea over all other options, and how that remains our obligation.

There’s nothing guaranteed about our democracy. We have to fight for it, defend it, and earn it. Over and over, year after year. That’s not a burden. That’s what it means to be an American. 

250 years in, we still haven’t fully lived up to those words in the Declaration. But we’ve never walked away from them, and this July 4, I hope all of us can commit to one thing: that we never will. I don’t believe we’re as divided as we’re told we are. I’ve bet my whole life on the American people, and I’m not stopping now.

Happy 250th birthday, America. Our story isn’t finished. Let’s keep writing it together.

In my opinion, each of the messages hit the mark; the former presidents all called on us to recognize where we started, where we are, what it took to get here, and that we can't stop trying to achieve what the founders envisioned when they declared our independence.

What do you think? Did they get it right? Drop a comment.

Contemplating the United States at 250

At what ended up being my only 'real' graduation in June 1976, I received a certificate - and the first $100 bill I'd ever seen - from the local American Legion for being the 'best' or 'one of the best' history students in my class. I was proud, my Dad being my history teacher and all - and also shocked, as I had no idea it was coming. 

I share my graduation story not to toot my own horn; rather, I admit that, like many people, I've forgotten more of our country's history than I remember. How bad are things? 

According to a Cato Institute poll, "nearly half (46%) of Americans don’t know what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates. A little more than half (53%) correctly answered that it was the adoption of the Declaration of Independence." 

That's why it was so much fun to stumble on the Time Magazine Special 1776 Issue tucked in with some of my Dad's papers. According to Henry Grunwald, then Time's managing editor, the issue was "an attempt to reconstruct, with the tools of both history and journalism, and in our distinctive newsmagazine format, at least part of the life and soul of the events that gave birth to our nation." The issue was dated July 4, 1776.

Here are a few examples of what it covered.

• New Yorkers tearing down a statue of King George III on horseback, cutting off (and shooting) his head, and carrying it off, after having heard a reading of the Declaration of Independence; the statue was later used to make ammunition for the war effort. Resistance? Yeah, it's in our blood.
• A discussion of who in each state is allowed to vote, or more importantly, who isn't, including variables such as no Papists (Maryland) or Jews (NY), people who don't own property (12 states), or people who couldn't afford to pay for the privilege. That last part, having to pay to vote? Discouraged then, and illegal now, with poll taxes banned, even as we look at 'unofficially' implementing some if the Save America Act becomes law.
• Thomas Paine's condemnation of King George as "the greatest enemy this continent hath," echoed today by the varied condemnations coming directly from the White House almost daily, and from each party's followers to the other's, as the need arises.
• Some background on John Hancock, owner of the largest and most prominent signature on the Declaration; he was "one of the richest men in the Colonies and one of those most adored by the crowds. He is also one of the vainest." Remind you of anyone these days, a man with a giant signature, tons of wealth (growing every day), and so vain he had his name slapped on a living memorial to another person? 
• How the states created their own constitutions, filled with similarities - and differences, too. That continues today; regulation, taxation, education, social benefits, wages and pensions, and more are handled differently. Heck, in some states individuals can collect a bounty for spying on, and telling on, their neighbors, something that would never happen in other states.
• Concerns about the young nation's finances, including the shocking $15,000,000 debt of the Continental Congress; a trade deficit with England - and a trade surplus with the rest of the world; concerns about whether economic independence could be achieved without establishing a 'manufacturing society;' and the threats from inflation, caused in part by the costs of war. Is this "like Deja vu all over again," as Yogi Berra said? 
• Smallpox and whether or not inoculating soldiers was a good idea. Boston's leading physician, we're told, thought that inoculation was an 'infatuation' and a 'heathen' treatment. General Washington banned inoculation of soldiers (even as he ordered it for his wife) out of respect for the differing opinions of the states; he even threatened officers who chose inoculation for themselves with being "cashiered and turned out of the Army...as an enemy and traitor to his country." Again, we're seeing history repeat itself, with a ban on flu vaccines for the Hegseth army, until a major outbreak forced the shots to be restarted. 

In the closing essay, titled 'The Future of the Experiment,' there's a discussion of whether the states, "separated, moreover, not only by miles, but also by religion, customs, habits, and temperaments" can hold together; these differences, as well as history showing how hard it is to keep a vast empire together, were "already raising the specter of civil war - or wars - if the British presence is removed." The essay continued, 

Adding to the fear of anarchy is the fact that there are some Americans who oppose all central governments, even their own, and who view the Declaration of Independence as a declaration not against Britain alone, but against all large governments. Unity, for them, is a means and not an end...

Aside from all the military, political and economic problems, Americans must ask an equally important question: Is independence really justified? Are the principles, the view of man, underlying last week's Declaration valid, and can a commonwealth based on them endure?

...Perhaps the greatest peril to the future of the American experiment is that contending groups, properly encouraged to strive for their self-interest, will do so with such heedless vengeance that the needs of society as a whole will be forgotten.

The essayist concludes by posing a key question: Is independence justified - and will it work? Here's the answer:

The delegates in Philadelphia, and most of their fellow citizens, would answer yes - if man is indeed the rational, moral creature, capable of self-control for the greater good, that the Americans of 1776 believe him to be.

Fast-forward from the bicentennial year's look at 1776 to today, when we celebrate our nation's semiquincentennial in what feels like a deeply divided country, including over whether we even have anything to celebrate. 

People put so much time and effort into 'defining' things, whether it's trying to label 'the other side' or label each side's respective ideas. People argue daily about who is a 'real American,' who is a 'patriot,' and who is a 'threat to our very existence.' People gleefully report each other to law enforcement, to people's employers, or they dox them, causing all kinds of trouble, simply because they can't stand hearing another voice. I've been reported at least twice for social media activity.

There's an almost feral desire among political parties to cement their power and tighten their grip on whatever slice of the government they hold, regardless of how that impacts the country. Don't believe me? We have a president - right now - calling for changes that he thinks will ensure his party will be in power for the next American century, and that's not all that's going on. 

And yet? I love this country, even if I'm often driven nuts by the people in charge exercising power not theirs, those who refuse to exercise the power they have, and anyone who refuses to allow me the power I have as a citizen. 

I love this country, even if many of my fellow citizens - politicians, media people, influencers, and yes, people I'm acquainted with - think I can't possibly love America because I don't agree with them.

I believe in our founding principles of equality and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. I believe we are a nation of immigrants. That includes my ancestor who came over on the Mayflower and the rest who started our various family lines here, and in my opinion, we need to remain one going forward. We are a nation of resisters, too, and need to remain one.

I believe we can continue our experiment and grow our nation, and that someone, somehow, will rise to the occasion, motivate all of us to become better Americans, and bring us back from what so often feels like the brink of disaster, if "man is indeed the rational, moral creature, capable of self-control for the greater good," as most thought in 1776, and as I remember most did in 1976 when I graduated high school.

Perhaps Thomas Paine had the right idea back then?

In the Progress of Politics as in the common occurrences of Life we are not only apt to forget the ground we have traveled over, but frequently neglect to gather up experience as we go.

In our 250th year and beyond, let's remember to do that, and to do it together. 

Highlights from the RNC: Day Three

And, here's the carefully curated highlight reel from night three of the Republican National Convention; you can check out nights one and two if you missed those.

There're only two speeches I'm highlighting. Oh, there were many more given, as you can see from the transcript linked above. There were politicians, first responders, people with pre-existing conditions, political candidates, sports heroes, and more.

There was even someone accused of insider trading, which I thought was pretty cool for the 'Law and Order' party, although I'm sure the arrest of the speaker earlier this month was all part of the grand deep-state hoaxspiracy to bring down the Chosen One, ,or something. What is it they say,W1GOTDEWAGOTDE (When One Goes Off the Deep End, We All Go Off The Deep End)?

There yet another Trump to take the stage - Eric's wife Lara, who I think is the fourth and next-to-last Trump to speak (first daughter Ivanka still on the docket, of course.)

There were lies, misstatements, misquotes, and stories galore to tug on your heartstrings, some of which had some connection to the president, and some where that connection was hard to find.

One of the former? Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

I’m Kayleigh McEnany. You may know me as a supporter of President Trump, but tonight I’m here to share with you how he supported me...

Actually, most of us regular Americans watching probably know her as his fourth Press Secretary, right? And most of us were not aware that she once called him a showman, a racist, a RINO - and even a progressive (!!!), so that was kind of enlightening, and you know, almost made poring over the transcripts and video clips worthwhile.

And there was the opening prayer, delivered by Rabbi Shubert Spero, formerly of Young Israel of Greater Cleveland.Or, was the opening prayer delivered by Rabbi Aryeh Spero, president of a Jewish group that speaks out for America’s “Judeo-Christian ethos," among other things?

Well, seems it was the latter - and the RNC feed had it wrong, and I almost had it wrong as a result. Honestly? Absent the dreaded red misspelled word indicator, I was right there with them accusing the wrong Rabbi of delivering the second of they two highlights I'm featuring. 

Here are a few of Spero's comments, which completely sum up the viewpoints and the platform of  Trump Republicans.

Oh Lord, you have granted us certain natural rights, such as the right to speak freely, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, as well as religious freedom, the right to assemble and the right to self-defense.

Only in America have these God-given rights so flourished and been categorized as belonging to the people, embodying the very essence of our government. Father, we pray that this outlook and mindset, this form of government continues, as has been our history, especially now when to our horror, it is being challenged.

So, we pray that God gives strength and health to our President, who has splendidly demonstrated daily his determination to defend and maintain the God-given rights of our citizens as enshrined in our constitution, and in our declaration, eloquently passed down through our Judeo-Christian tradition.

President Trump has stood up fearlessly against those who are corrupting the term social justice, so as to deny Americans their birthright and these divine gifts. May God protect him. May God bless all those in government and among our citizens who seek to honor, defend and preserve our heritage.

I want to do those things, and I believe in social justice, but it would seem my ideas are different from Spero's. Does that mean God will ignore me? And I assume that Spero is fine with that, wouldn't you agree? There's I'm guessing yes, and there's quite a bit of evidence that Trump Republicans feel the same way, so forgive me for not climbing aboard the Trump Train just now, OK?

And in case you're wondering, I'll have Mike Pence's full acceptance speech, along with Trump's (coming later tonight), for you in Friday's TGIF.  That's the exact same treatment I gave to the remarks from Kamala Harris and Joe Biden - in full, without comment or snicker, even if those remarks are 'to my horror.'

I guess that means I'm "splendidly demonstrating my determination" to defend those rights about which the Rabbi waxed so eloquently.

Good on me.

Wondering on Wednesday (v217)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

Seems the Wall Street Journal is the latest paper to face backlash from employees for printing objectionable opinion column; this comes on the heels of the New York Times facing a similar experience for publishing an opinion essay written by Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton; the piece has been updated with comments from the paper about the editing process and the potential for the piece having been rejected.

Over at the WJS, according to this article from The Hill, employees at the paper wrote the publisher  that Opinion's "lack of fact-checking and transparency, and its apparent disregard for evidence, undermine our readers' trust and our ability to gain credibility with sources." One of the Op-Eds that was cited as an example? That would be one written by the vice president- go figure.

So, what's the wondering? Simply this: What would happen if employees at Fox and Friends, or Hannity's show, or Rachel Maddow's, or even at the White House, decided to do the same thing, and call out some of the fact-challenged silliness that gets pushed to us on a daily basis? Would those employees still be employed, and respected? I wonder.

Speaking of opinions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had one published in the Washington Post last week.  Here's the third paragraph.

Never before have America's founding principles been under such relentless assault. For decades, our institutions of higher education have sought to debunk or disown them. Last summer, the NY Times launched the 1619 Project, which contends that the essence of America is entwined with slavery and racism. In recent weeks, justified outrage at the actions of a rogue Minneapolis policeman has given way to outrageous efforts to erase American history by tearing down statues of our nation’s founders.

I wonder if the Washington Post doesn't require facts in support of opinions from important people? For example, where are the facts supporting that the murderer of George Floyd was a 'rogue' policeman? Where are the facts about institutions of higher learning? And are we really to accept at face value that there has never been this kind of assault on our founding principles?

And I also wonder about this statement made by Pompeo in his speech the other day.

The founders changed the course of history when they established a nation built on the premise that government exists not to diminish or cancel the individual’s rights at the whims of those in power, but to secure them.

Coming from a member of the administration that is fully supporting the cancellation of rights of certain Americans, that statement is, well, problematic, I think. As are these which came later.

And so we are forced to grapple with the tough choices about which rights to promote and how to think about this. 

Americans have not only unalienable rights, but also positive rights, rights granted by governments, courts, multilateral bodies. Many are worth defending in light of our founding; others aren’t. 

Who gets to determine which rights are not worthy of defending? Who decides that certain people are not allowed to participate in our founding principles, of our being created equal, of our having the same unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?  I have to wonder about that...

Opinions, and disagreements about them, are part and parcel of who we are as Americans.  The rights that Pompeo seems so concerned about both allow and encourage us to disagree, to debate, to challenge, and to protest. We are allowed to be angry, as Americans, and to fight to make our country better.

Rather than considering that a "relentless assault" on our founding principles, I wonder why we can't just call it patriotism?

America: Love it, and fight for it. To do anything less is to fail our founders, and to abdicate our rights.  I don't wonder about that in the least.

Wondering on Wednesday (v94)

Happy July 5th, the day we put away our patriotic swimwear, outerwear, paradewear and, for all I know, underwear, for another year. (And to answer your question, no, I'm not wondering whether anyone I know is wearing any of those handmade items.)

Did you hear about those rascally folks at NPR, who tweeted the entire Declaration of Independence on Independence Day? And even better, did you hear about the reactions?  Oh yeah, people thought they were calling for revolution! They were drunk! No wonder they're being defunded! They were spreading propaganda! They're anti-Trump!

No, they're geniuses, plain and simple.

My favorite reaction:

I wonder how all of the people who complained are feeling today? Proud to be an American? Ready to #MAGA? Or, maybe, spending some time on Twitter reading our founding document?

We now know that North Korea can likely reach Alaska with their new ICBM, which they launched on Monday. And we know that we previously said that we would have a military response if they were to do so.  UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said so back in April:

If you see some sort of intercontinental ballistic missile, then obviously we're going to do that.

Haley's comments were more measured this time around.

(North Korea's) actions are quickly closing off the possibility of a diplomatic solution. The United States is prepared to use the full range of our capabilities to defend ourselves and our allies. One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military forces. We will use them if we must.

We're going to be proposing more sanctions, Haley said - on top of the last round of sanctions, which was on top of the round of sanctions before that...  We've lost patience with China, since they're not making any real headway with Kim, and now they've issued a joint statement with the Russians basically telling us to heel.  All of this makes me wonder, have we drawn a red line in the Korean peninsula, and if yes, has it been crossed with this latest missile test? Or are we just putting words out there, like the previous administration did (to wide criticism) about Syria?

And finally tonight, let's turn to California for a clear picture of what the Democrats are up against: each other, it seems.  Out there on the west coast, they've been talking about the Disclose Act for a while now.  From the article linked above

Who pays for all those political ads that bombard voters every election?

An effort to make the answer clearer is squeezing California Democrats between two liberal constituencies. On one side, they're facing pressure from progressive activists who decry the influence of dark money and want more disclosure. On the other, they're being lobbied by labor unions, which help fund their campaigns and are fighting a bill to bring more transparency.

It seems like a no brainer - get the money out, bring light to the darkness, let people know who is putting the positions in front of the voters, right?  And when the Republican party is the party of "corporations are people too" and massive Super PACs and DeVos money and all that evil Koch Brothers money, it would seem easy for Dems to align on the other side of this issue and collectively support transparency, right?  Wrong.

I wonder, if they can't unite around something as easy as this, in California  no less, how will Dems pull it together nationally?