Day of Independence

Ah, the Fourth of July. That day every year where we reflect on the great grandness of our country. The day we wave our flags high and proclaim, "we are Americans." And we do all of this by pounding beer, watching baseball and eating large hunks of cooked meat. Who said we weren't sophisticated and civilized?

But seriously...what a stupid concept. I think it's great that we won our independence from Britain, but really, lately, what's there to be patriotic about? I think, were I to be overseas, I would rather proclaim myself a Muslim than an American. At least not all Muslims are perceived as terrorists, when all Americans are perceived as ass holes. Hell, we don't even have freedom and independence for our own citizens (see: homosexuals and marriage, the "war" on drugs (though as Carver points out in the Wire, you can't call it a war...wars end), and the endless supply of cameras on street corners, White House operated phone taps, and other means of surveillance, electronic and otherwise, that gradually chew away at our freedom, and more rapidly approach the kind of oversight, control and bullshit rhetoric that forced us to fight our fathers to begin with in the 1770s.

We have a president that proclaims it his duty to spread freedom and democracy at the end of a gun, while at the same time talking about the culture of life that he's enabling by vetoing stem cell research. I mean, for God's sake, this is our President who is commuting the prison sentence of a man convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice WHILE working in the White House. Then he has the audacity to proclaim that, hell, he might even pardon the guy!

But damn those WMDs...they're a huge threat to our democracy. Chavez and Castro? The devils. Our president? Why shouldn't he flaunt his blatant disregard for the Constitution, the will of the people and interests of the majority of the country in order to promote his own narrow politico-religious agenda? Makes perfect sense to me.

At any rate, we sat poolside, chainsmoked joints, ate large quantities of meat and played Beirut well into the night. In the distance, we could hear the clatter and boom of fireworks, smelling their smoke mingling with the bbq at passing moments in time. And while I didn't raise my flag and proclaim the greatness of our country, drifting moments of serenity told me that it was good to be home, and I did raise my glass to everything that is still possible.