Another American Birthday

Well, the Fourth of July has passed.

It's such a bittersweet holiday for a lot of Americans because we are more ashamed to be associated with this country than ever. I think if we think it about that shame carefully, we find we are just ashamed of our government, and more specifically, of the Bush Administration. It's hard to sit on our rooftops and on blankets in parks so we can watch the pretty sky-flowers erupt in magnificent blazes, oooo and ahhh at the beauty, while knowing that our government is destroying families, children, and innocent people in other countries, and actively neglecting the needs of certain groups within our own country, and a multitude of other atrocities I don't care to list.

On the other hand, I DO love our country. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. But maybe that's because it's better to be the flea on the rabid dog's back than to be the ankle of the wounded? I don't know.

I think it will be an amazing world when our own government stands as an icon of Peace and Freedom, rather than as an icon of Greed and Hypocrisy.

I know that a lot of Americans support and affirm our government's justifications for its terrible and destructive and neglectful behavior toward humanity, animals, and the earth. I used to think it was because those people were just blatantly cruel and heartless, but now I see that there are some really good people who have just innocently bought into the bullshit.

It's a very difficult thing to accept that our government doesn't have our best interest at heart, and that it will pull off some pretty complicated conspiracies to cover up its own indulgences. It always amazes me when someone reacts defensively or naively to the suggestion that our government is corrupt. Just one glance into American history and you'll see there is validity in anyone's concern that our government is pulling off some pretty nasty shit.

A most recent, REPULSIVE, hypocrisy of our government, particularly from those of the Republican ilk, is this lovely news that somehow missed the mainstream headlines:

On Day of Iraq Speech, House Conservatives Gouge Vets

This just in from the Hill. On the same day President Bush will use the soldiers at Fort Bragg as a backdrop for his address on Iraq, conservatives in the House have voted to underfund veterans’ health care by at least $1 billion. READ MORE...

Nice...

I received a promotional email today about an up-and-coming artist: JOSEPH ARTHUR. I'm not a fan of this kind of music, but I have to admit, these politically-bent artists are winning my heart. It feels great to hear a song that captures the frustration, embarrassment, and helplessness of being American, while also encouraging realization, empowerment, change, and potential.

Check out his depressing/inciteful video.

So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA...

Let's hope we get it right before the NEXT millennium.