Two Hundred Forty-Nine Bye-Byes

As millions of people across the country almost robotically prepare the Fourth of July feast – shucking corn, slicing watermelon, prepping the fixins for burgers and dogs – and of course, procuring fireworks to light up the night sky.

We’ll all gather with our friends and celebrate the fourth of July – American Independence Day. The day we threw off the tyranny of a king and put the power in the hands of the people.

But some of us understandably don’t really feel a whole lot like celebrating.

Donald Trump’s Fascist regime is destroying democracy, and Trump himself is acting more and more like an unfettered authoritarian every day and makes no attempt to dispel the notion that he indeed wants to be a king.

He already had his thankfully ineffectual royal birthday military parade.

He has taken a jackhammer to the keystone of democratic government – the co-equal branches of the federal government. He wants unchecked power. He already got a Supreme Court decision last year that said a president can’t be prosecuted for really, anything that he does as president – so he’s basically above the law, like a king – and you know, the name of that case – “Trump vs United States” should be a red flag, shouldn’t it? I mean, “Oh, who’s the plaintiff? Oh, it’s Donald Trump? And who is his opponent? Oh, I see – it’s the United States of America.”

Now, I think he’s stupid enough to think that “Oh, it’s called democracy because it’s the democratic way – which means it’s for democrats, not republicans, so it needs to be destroyed.

And the Congress is powerless to stop him – it either lacks the guts or the character to oppose these policies. This Big Act of Federal Larceny, whatever you want to call it – takes food and medical care away from the American people who need it -- and gives it to the mega-rich. This is not an act of governance -- it is simple extortion – of life-critical programming and money to pay off and reward wealthy donors.

He tries to rule, not govern, not lead. Instead of serving the American people as our employee, he calls Americans “his people,” like “subjects” to be controlled – with fear and brutality. Like the kind his “UNACCOUNTABLE” ICE gestapo –roving gangs of masked gunmen -- is supposed to instill. You’ve heard me before (Dad’s repeating himself) No badges? No badge-numbers? No ID? No authority! It’s unconstitutional, unamerican, unacceptable. Now – Alligator Alcatraz – talk about inhumanity and brutality. Amnesty International – if you’re listening – people are going to get hurt and worse there, and someone needs to be accountable. Did you ever think that human rights organizations  would be looking at this country the way it does China, Russia, or Saudi Arabia?

And like a child king, he’s cashing in on his power and lack of accountability – even selling Bibles, sneakers, now cologne, cryptocurrency. And he wants that plane from Qatar so bad he can taste it like that piece of skin that comes right off the top of a KFC chicken breast.  That’s not for America. That’s not for Americans. That’s for him. That’s king stuff right there.

But with all this – is the irony not apparent to you that it is on July 4^th that we celebrate the throwing off the tyranny of kings – and here we are with a fully-throned megalomaniacal monarch, ignoring the constitution, and absolutely Gadsden Flag “Treading on me.”  Our flag is red, white, and blue with 50 stars and 13 stripes; his has an orangey tint, with only one star – and it’s him – There’s only one star on his flag – and it’s him – and one long, red stripe down the middle (to make it look less round, I guess) -- but those stars that represent the states – that represent me and you – they’re not on his flag.

So, celebrate the birth of America – have a burger and a beer, and some homemade apple pie. But know that Fourth of July Celebrations in several Southern California cities have been cancelled due to concerns about ICE showing up. And if the irony of having a king on a day that commemorates severing ties with one isn’t enough – know that for millions of people, this celebration of liberty is cancelled due to lack of liberty.